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00:00 Well, there's nothing like playing
00:01 in this tournament of champions.
00:02 I think it's been one of the great things that
00:05 has happened to Michigan State University and our basketball
00:07 program, but our university in general,
00:10 the number of alums and people that kind of plan a--
00:14 I don't know if it's a vacation.
00:16 It's maybe a gathering of sorority, fraternity,
00:19 brothers and sisters.
00:20 I think magic's coming in.
00:22 It's just one of those things that a lot of your former alums,
00:29 donors, boosters have kind of gone to over the years.
00:34 And over the past 10 years, the event
00:37 has become a signature event.
00:39 I mean, I don't think there's any question.
00:42 And for us to be a part of that is an honor.
00:44 We've had a couple of days now, a game since our loss.
00:51 We've had a win against Southern Indiana.
00:54 And yet tomorrow's at a different level.
00:58 We know that.
00:59 We've had really good practices the last two days.
01:02 And with Duke, I watched their game when they lost at home.
01:07 Like I said, everybody's struggling
01:12 to find out who they are and what they are.
01:15 They have three really, really, really good players.
01:20 But Jeremy Roach is a guy that hurt us two years ago,
01:25 three years ago, whenever it was.
01:27 It was a freshman or sophomore.
01:28 We played Duke in the tournament.
01:30 He hit those big threes late in the game when we were up.
01:34 And he almost left last year, still there.
01:39 Proctor was a kid.
01:40 That definitely was him and Filipowski
01:43 who could have definitely left last year.
01:45 And they both came back.
01:47 So with Roach, he's been a three-year starter.
01:51 Proctor, a two-year starter.
01:56 Filipowski is a two-year starter.
02:01 He's averaging 25.7 rebounds in the first two games.
02:05 And the other guy with some experience is Mitchell.
02:09 So unlike a lot of Duke teams, they
02:12 do have some experienced guys.
02:14 They do have guys that have started.
02:15 They do have guys that have played.
02:17 And they do have guys that have turned down chances
02:19 to go to the NBA last year.
02:24 I think the biggest thing, they've
02:27 got the kid Young from Northwestern that is playing
02:33 15, 18 minutes a game.
02:35 And we're just going to have to shoot the ball better.
02:39 Big surprise.
02:40 We've shot it well this week.
02:42 But that's not all I'm looking at.
02:44 I'm looking at, can we rebound the ball better?
02:47 They struggled at the same time in their last game.
02:50 They were getting out-rebounded.
02:52 I think it was 29 to 15 at halftime.
02:55 So as you're seeing around college basketball,
02:57 everybody's trying to figure out who they got, what they got.
03:00 And that's what we're trying to do, too.
03:02 And I still like what we got.
03:04 We've got to put guys in a better position to be successful.
03:07 AJ would be one of them.
03:10 And yet, we've got to get a little bit more out
03:12 of a couple guys.
03:14 Malik and Jaden would be those two guys.
03:16 So questions I'll take.
03:19 Hey, Tom, I want to have a little fun with this one.
03:22 Imagine someone's living under--
03:23 There's no fun this week.
03:24 No fun?
03:24 OK, I'll try.
03:25 I'll try to prep it.
03:26 Imagine they're living under a rock
03:28 or come from a distant planet.
03:29 And all they know about Duke and Michigan State
03:31 is that you guys have multiple championships.
03:34 What would you tell them the difference
03:35 between the programs are and the similarities are?
03:38 Well, they have a few more multiples than we do.
03:40 I knew that from when I tried to college basketball.
03:43 But I mean, listen, this has been a very good rivalry
03:47 in its own way for two teams that
03:49 are in the same conference.
03:50 Unfortunately, they have won more than we have.
03:52 But I think 90% of the games have been very, very, very
03:56 good games.
03:56 And I expect this will be a dogfight too.
04:03 They're very talented, very talented.
04:07 They play a lot of three guards.
04:08 In fact, sometimes they're playing three point guards.
04:11 So what I would say is it's two programs that
04:14 have done it the right way, two programs that there's
04:18 been great respect for.
04:21 I'm a little mad at Mike that he didn't let us
04:23 win a few more of those games.
04:24 But other than that, I recruited John Shire.
04:28 I've known John.
04:29 He's done a good job there.
04:31 Some of the staff's the same.
04:33 And yet it'll be different not looking down there and not
04:35 seeing Mike Krzyzewski.
04:37 That'll be different for me for sure.
04:42 But they're in good hands.
04:44 They're doing well.
04:45 And hopefully we are too.
04:49 Hey, Tom.
04:50 Last week you mentioned that the freshmen
04:52 weren't going to be able to save you in a game like this.
04:54 So I'm wondering, with your veterans,
04:56 what is the message to them or the challenge?
04:58 Is it just unspoken they know what this is?
05:00 Or do you try to light a fire?
05:01 I think some of them have played.
05:04 AJ and Malik have played in that game a few years ago.
05:09 And they know what the Duke-Michigan State game is.
05:12 They know what the Tournament of Champions is.
05:15 At some point in time, this is a game
05:17 that's one of the most watched nights of basketball
05:20 the whole year.
05:22 And I just try to express upon them,
05:24 that doesn't happen to everybody.
05:26 This is an opportunity and it's a privilege.
05:29 And I think we'll get our best game.
05:32 I also think they're awfully good and every bit
05:36 deserving of their rankings.
05:38 But the rankings are so difficult right now
05:40 because nobody knows who anybody has
05:44 or what all these changes have meant.
05:46 So we're all just trying to find ourselves.
05:49 I'm sure they are too.
05:50 I'm sure there's things they liked.
05:52 I'm sure there's a few things they didn't like.
05:54 And I definitely think that the freshmen, they
05:58 dummy down their playing group a little bit.
06:02 And as far as not just playing, but minutes played.
06:08 And these are games that veterans
06:10 should be the focal point.
06:12 But we're still going to play our freshmen.
06:14 We're going to play them.
06:15 But we'll see how much.
06:18 And then real quick, just off that, speaking of freshmen,
06:21 is the plan for Garrett to redshirt right now?
06:23 Or is that still up in the air?
06:23 We just didn't see it last week.
06:25 Yeah, it's the plan.
06:27 And I talked to his family and I talked to him.
06:29 And the way he shot it in practice the last two weeks,
06:33 you'd say why.
06:34 But we also think he's got to get stronger in some things.
06:38 He's got to improve.
06:39 And he's a very good athlete.
06:40 We're very high on Garrett.
06:43 We're very high, to the point where I told his parents,
06:46 we may unredshirt him.
06:48 You take a look at these couple of games.
06:50 We'll take a look at these couple of games.
06:52 We're not going to do that in January.
06:54 But for right now, for some strange reason,
06:58 the NCAA has given football a chance
07:01 to redshirt on Christmas Eve.
07:05 And basketball gets two exhibition games.
07:10 I'm not sure I'm for or against many things.
07:13 But if they get a third of the year--
07:18 we've been fighting on our committee.
07:20 That definitely should be something.
07:22 But who knows how people look at things.
07:26 But that makes it very, very difficult.
07:28 And he was hurt the first exhibition game,
07:30 if you remember.
07:31 So the game plan is to try to do it.
07:36 That is not etched in stone yet.
07:38 That'll be something that Garrett and I and his parents
07:41 and my staff figure out in the near future.
07:47 Tom, you had so many match-ups against Mike over the years.
07:50 Just wondering what it's like to prepare for a Duke program
07:52 without him.
07:52 And does it seem a lot different?
07:54 Or does John kind of keep everything from the outside,
07:56 at least, looking pretty similar?
07:58 I think John's doing a lot.
07:59 I mean, you learn from your mentor.
08:01 And that's the way you play.
08:02 And some of those players were here when Mike was here.
08:05 And Roach, unfortunately, is one of their best players.
08:08 And he's been there through a long time.
08:12 But I'm going to miss Mike.
08:13 I saw him on the sidelines the other night.
08:15 In fact, I just sent him a text this morning.
08:17 I am going to--
08:19 you look at different things.
08:23 And as always, when somebody is on top, they're the target.
08:28 But he did a lot for college basketball.
08:30 He did a lot for Duke basketball.
08:32 And I always felt our relationship and our games--
08:38 I mean, I told him at the end, you've
08:42 always been good to me.
08:43 And he said, well, that's because I like you.
08:45 I said, that's because you beat me.
08:47 I said, if you didn't beat me, would you like me as much?
08:49 But we did get a couple at the end there that really mattered.
08:53 But all in all, the job he's done there is legendary,
08:57 deserves to be legendary.
08:59 And on this one night, because it's
09:01 been such a special thing for so many years, I'll miss it.
09:05 I mean, we were there when he broke the record,
09:10 I think, in New York, right?
09:12 And I felt like a sacrificial lamb.
09:15 There were more Dukies than Carter
09:17 got liver pills in New York.
09:20 But it's also been a privilege.
09:24 And I value that privilege.
09:28 Tom, you've been pretty critical of AJ,
09:31 specifically over the last two games.
09:33 What do you want to see from him more?
09:35 No, I've not been critical of AJ.
09:37 I've been critical of him in one game,
09:40 because I didn't think he did as much.
09:42 If I did in two games, I'm always
09:44 going to be wanting more out of my point guard,
09:48 especially a guy that's done it year after year.
09:52 He practiced really well this week.
09:54 It's almost like, for some strange reason--
09:59 you know, I need him, and I think he needs me.
10:06 It's kind of a neat deal.
10:09 But I do respect the changes he's made this summer,
10:12 the practice, the things he did all summer.
10:15 I still think once in a while you revert back and get
10:18 a little lazier.
10:19 You don't push it as much as you should.
10:23 Or I think right now I am looking
10:25 for him to be me on the court.
10:27 I think you have to have a leader on the court that
10:30 rallies the other players.
10:33 And so if I'm critical of something,
10:35 I'm critical of that.
10:37 But you never be critical of something
10:41 you don't think you can get.
10:43 You just accept it.
10:47 I'm going to be critical, if that's what you call it.
10:50 I call it coaching.
10:51 But I'm going to be critical if he's not giving me
10:54 all the things that I think--
10:56 that I know he can give me.
10:58 And I know he wants it.
11:00 I mean, we've had two million talks.
11:03 In fact, I'm exaggerating.
11:05 It's been more than that.
11:07 And really, a lot of times, a lot better than people think.
11:12 It's just-- it's a critical position.
11:16 And I did look back on one of those games,
11:20 and I said, I told my staff, we have to put him
11:23 in the right position, too.
11:26 You're not going to take a option quarterback
11:31 and make him throw 50 times a game.
11:34 So we have to do a better job, too.
11:37 And that's part of it.
11:38 But if there's anything I'm critical of,
11:42 I think in his fourth year, he needs
11:47 to be the best conditioned guy.
11:49 I think he needs to be the best leader on my team.
11:52 And so I'm going to constantly push for that.
11:56 So I didn't mean it either way.
11:57 But trust me, if I was really mad at AJ,
12:03 sometimes it seems like I wouldn't be playing him.
12:07 I'm starting him.
12:09 He started all last year.
12:10 I wouldn't be playing him.
12:14 And then one quick--
12:15 it's not really a follow-up.
12:16 It's totally separate.
12:17 But I think I was scrolling on social media.
12:19 Did Magic come talk to the group recently?
12:21 Or was that like an old photo that I came across?
12:24 Yeah, I just flew him in on his jet.
12:26 I flew him in here.
12:27 And I said, Irvin, I got people mad at me.
12:33 We shot poorly.
12:35 And especially since Irvin, I wouldn't
12:37 say that was one of his strengths,
12:39 was shooting.
12:41 So I didn't come in and talk about shooting and everything.
12:44 And no, the truth of it is he was in town.
12:49 He called.
12:49 And he came over.
12:51 And he spent a lot of time with us.
12:54 He spent time with our staff.
12:56 He spent time with me just talking,
12:58 not solving problems to him.
12:59 That's a joke.
13:00 He's got more problems with the Lakers, he says.
13:02 But he did spend--
13:07 God, he spent about an hour with the players alone.
13:10 Because I told him I didn't want to be in there.
13:12 Just you talk to him, you know?
13:13 And he did something pretty cool, I guess.
13:16 It's just from hearsay.
13:17 But he asked each player to ask him a question that he thought
13:20 would help the team.
13:22 That's a pretty cool idea.
13:23 I'd never heard of that one.
13:25 So he let all 15--
13:26 I got to find out what the hell Stephen asked him,
13:31 come to think of it.
13:34 But he did.
13:34 He did speak to her.
13:35 When was that, like, last week or--
13:37 That was a couple of days ago.
13:38 Yeah, a couple of days ago.
13:39 It was the day before he gave out.
13:41 It was Friday, because Saturday he
13:43 had his big deal that was, I guess, a real big deal.
13:47 And I wish I could have gone to that.
13:49 But we had practice.
13:50 We had a couple of practices Saturday
13:53 just to get back into form.
13:55 She stole my question.
13:56 I saw him Saturday at that event.
13:58 And he said he talked to the team.
13:59 You don't look at the social media.
14:00 So how in the hell would you see that?
14:01 No, because I saw him.
14:02 I'm not dropping names.
14:03 But I saw him.
14:04 And he said he talked to the team.
14:06 I didn't know you don't watch him.
14:07 I was going to ask you, if you look into your player's eyes
14:09 when he speaks to them.
14:11 But you didn't see him speak.
14:12 Oh, I introduced him, of course.
14:14 I mean, I went--
14:15 I'm just wondering.
14:15 I mean, he's God to those guys.
14:18 He really is.
14:19 I mean, like I said, I've been so fortunate,
14:22 because Mateen and Steve are here a lot in Irvin.
14:24 And I mean, those are the icons of our program.
14:27 And yet, Irvin's Irvin.
14:30 And he was like some of the freshmen.
14:33 I said, well, how was that?
14:35 And their eyes were this big.
14:37 But they were this big because they
14:39 were amazed how humble and how just regular he is.
14:44 And that's a gift.
14:45 I told them then, I tell everybody this, if I--
14:50 and I'll make a lot of people mad.
14:51 But if I owned a team, and I wanted
14:56 to pick the first player on that team as good as Michael--
15:01 I love Michael.
15:02 I love LeBron.
15:03 I loved Kobe.
15:05 I mean, Larry and all the rest.
15:07 But I'd take Irvin, because I think what Irvin is,
15:11 he's one of the greatest players.
15:14 But he is by far the greatest leader and gatherer
15:17 of people and motivator.
15:19 And just listening to him there, we're
15:22 talking about the Lakers, pro ball, college football,
15:25 college basketball.
15:26 We're hitting everything.
15:27 I wish he was the czar for us.
15:30 I wish he was the czar, because I think he gets it.
15:33 The question I had is, the number
15:35 of fouls that are being called in these games,
15:37 it seems like it's going up all the time.
15:40 And players are either fouling out,
15:42 or they're sitting because they're in foul trouble.
15:45 Is there anything can be done about it?
15:48 Is there a reason there's so many more fouls?
15:51 Well, I think you can tell most of the time.
15:52 I'm usually trying to encourage the officials to not do that.
15:57 But it's interesting.
16:02 I mean, I just watched the game that I
16:03 thought was pretty physical in Duke and them,
16:05 and there weren't many fouls in that game.
16:08 And I think that's what's so hard and frustrating
16:10 for both players and coaches.
16:12 And I know our guy here is--
16:16 Terry Weimer is in charge of the Big 10, and he's trying to.
16:19 But two former official, I think, gets it
16:23 and is understanding it.
16:25 There is a process to that, too.
16:26 There's younger officials.
16:28 There's new officials.
16:29 There's officials from different leagues.
16:31 Officials have done what players are doing.
16:33 They're in their own transfer portal.
16:36 They're all over the country.
16:37 So you get different officials referring different leagues.
16:40 And it's difficult. It's not an easy job.
16:46 But I would agree there.
16:48 You look at some of the games we played,
16:51 there's been a ton of fouls and a ton of free throws.
16:55 And you kind of hope it doesn't turn into a foul shooting,
16:59 free throw shooting game.
17:02 That's not what people want to see.
17:04 But I don't know how you--
17:08 I don't know.
17:09 I got enough to deal with.
17:10 I don't--
17:11 [INAUDIBLE]
17:11 You know, there's talk about it.
17:16 They did it in the NBA one year.
17:17 I think they went from six to seven
17:19 or whatever they went to there.
17:21 And some claim it's more physical, because now the guy--
17:26 so I don't know.
17:28 That's a very good question.
17:31 I think another thing that would help that
17:34 is maybe if we didn't shoot--
17:37 if you had quarters where you don't shoot as many free throws
17:42 and getting a bonus earlier or whatever,
17:48 I'm for anything that makes it a little less physical and more
17:55 play rather than free throw shooting.
17:57 I'd be for that.
17:58 So if you can come up with something, Fred,
18:00 I'd be glad to listen.
18:02 And I'll give it to my committee who will give it to the NCAA.
18:06 And--
18:07 [INAUDIBLE]
18:07 They won't even do that.
18:12 You had mentioned about your relationship with Mike.
18:15 But what's your relationship with John?
18:18 And I mean, obviously, you've been in a similar situation,
18:22 replacing a legend at a school.
18:24 Has he sought you out for any advice on that?
18:27 Or I guess, what advice could you give him?
18:29 Yeah, I don't like John, because he didn't come here.
18:31 I recruited him.
18:32 But no, actually, I think the world of John Shire.
18:35 And he was a good high school player.
18:38 He was a good player there.
18:40 I did talk to him.
18:41 I talked to him more last year about it,
18:43 as he was kind of getting to be the coach in waiting also.
18:47 But I mean, he's got one of the world's best mentors.
18:50 He played for him, and he coached for him.
18:53 And he doesn't need anything from me
18:55 except to say, hang on, because there'll
18:58 be some interesting things that happen.
19:00 And I'm sure he feels a little different,
19:05 even after his second game.
19:08 It's not his second game of his career,
19:10 but second game this year.
19:12 I mean, things happen.
19:15 But he'll be well prepared for it.
19:16 I think he'll do a phenomenal job there.
19:19 And I know this.
19:21 If Mike didn't think so, he wouldn't
19:23 have done it the way they did it.
19:24 So-- but I have talked to him a little bit.
19:28 We talked on the road a little bit this summer.
19:30 I think he'll do fine, and he's been very well prepared.
19:38 With Filipowski, the matchup with his height,
19:41 ability to shoot from range, shot fake, and drive,
19:43 and post up, how uncommon has someone like that
19:47 been over the years from what you've seen,
19:49 and how difficult is it to match up with him?
19:51 There haven't been many guys that can do that.
19:54 Ironically, he's shooting very good from the three this year.
19:57 Last year, he shot 28%.
19:58 So I think, number one, he's improved it,
20:03 which is a problem, because at 7 foot, he can handle the ball,
20:08 and he can put it on the floor.
20:11 But at the same time, those guards are lethal.
20:16 They're all-- they can all shoot it.
20:18 They're very athletic.
20:19 They're very quick.
20:20 Not real big.
20:23 So that's actually a good matchup for us,
20:25 because we're not real big at the guard position either.
20:28 So I don't know.
20:31 Guarding him is going to be-- we'll
20:33 have different guys on him.
20:35 You looked at the last two games.
20:37 Sometimes they put a guard on him, 6' 5" guard.
20:40 Sometimes they put a center on him.
20:42 So I'm sure we'll mix it up a little bit, too.
20:45 Tom, outside of Filipowski, what are some of the things
20:49 Jeremy Roach and Tyrese Proctor do well that can pose
20:52 a threat to you guys?
20:53 Proctor is-- I mean, he's a pro.
20:55 I mean, everybody says he's a pro, but he's very steady.
20:59 He's got size at 6' 4", 6' 5" for a point guard.
21:04 He can handle it.
21:05 He's got pretty good quickness.
21:07 He can shoot it from range, or he can get inside.
21:09 He does not get to the free throw line a lot.
21:13 He's not as bulky as the other guards they have,
21:17 but very, very good player.
21:21 And so Roach is just a money guy.
21:25 I mean, he just seems like when he was a freshman or sophomore,
21:28 he took those big threes against us.
21:30 He had no business shooting one of them, and it went in.
21:34 And that's kind of what he's done.
21:36 He's taken a lot of big shots.
21:38 He made a hell of a big shot the other night against Arizona
21:42 to put him up to big three.
21:44 He's their big shot guy, and he makes big shots,
21:48 and he's comfortable with it.
21:49 He's pretty good defensively.
21:51 I mean, he's a very solid guard.
21:54 You can tell one that's been in the program for four years.
21:58 Tom, tomorrow is going to be for college basketball.
22:00 Today is the first official day for high school practice
22:03 kicking off the high school season.
22:04 Any thoughts for coaches and players?
22:06 Anything you can share with them starting the season off?
22:08 Yeah, I think this day and age where it seems like everything
22:12 runs together--
22:13 we get the football playoffs going on right now.
22:15 We get college football.
22:17 You got pro football.
22:19 You got pro basketball.
22:20 I mean, there's a lot of things going on.
22:24 Thank God our soccer team's still playing.
22:27 There's just a ton going on.
22:28 And I would say to all of them out there,
22:31 listen to your coach.
22:33 Try to stay away from the distractions
22:38 that I say to everybody, because this is a unique time.
22:45 When kids have a good summer, now they come back
22:48 and try to make their team.
22:50 And then they make their team.
22:51 And then where are they on the list?
22:53 Are they starters?
22:54 Are they subs?
22:56 I'd like to tell all of them there is a process to this.
23:00 And enjoy the journey and enjoy the process.
23:02 And try to do the best you can.
23:06 And to the coaches, whatever happens in the NBA
23:11 or in pro football trickles down to college.
23:14 Whatever happens in college trickles down
23:15 to the high schools.
23:17 And I would say to them, hang on.
23:20 Hang on and spend time with your kids.
23:23 That's what I would tell them.
23:24 Spend time with the players you're coaching,
23:27 because they have a lot of people
23:29 that maybe don't have their best interest in mind
23:31 that get a piece of them.
23:33 And so I think that's one thing I tell my assistants.
23:35 I tell coaches when I speak, you've
23:38 got to spend time with your guys so that they know how you feel
23:43 and what's going on.
23:44 And whether they're secure, whether they're
23:48 playing a lot or not.
23:49 I mean, we spent a lot of time with Garrick Norman.
23:51 We spent a lot of time with Xavier Booker right now.
23:56 Don't just do it in crisis time.
23:57 Do it the whole time.
24:00 Welcome.
24:00 [INAUDIBLE]
24:06 Well, I appreciate it.
24:08 And some of you all see you tomorrow night.
24:10 And looking forward to it.