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00:00 [BLANK_AUDIO]
00:03 We had a pretty good game plan coming into this game,
00:07 knowing who this team was we were playing against.
00:10 Knew that they were traditionally, the DNA is the three point shot.
00:17 But the more important piece was to drive another basketball in the offensive
00:21 rebound.
00:23 Disappointed, frustrated that we worked on this for a few days.
00:30 And got in the game and did not execute.
00:35 And it falls on me, the staff, the players, all of us.
00:40 Nobody's without blame.
00:41 And we all are talking about how we hold each other accountable
00:49 more than we already do.
00:53 No slight to the team, but they came in here and
00:58 they beat us in every category pretty much.
01:02 Questions?
01:02 >> Yeah, Kenny, after such a tough loss on Saturday, how do you explain just
01:13 not getting any sort of a better effort from the team tonight against Arkansas State?
01:18 >> I think guys in the first half, we didn't play great.
01:25 But we did a decent job, not a good enough job, to be honest with you.
01:31 But in the second half, I thought we, again, played selfish.
01:36 Evident by three assists.
01:37 Evident by guys just driving the ball and
01:43 playing to score for themselves and not their teammates.
01:47 First half, I thought we did have a multitude of plays where the ball moved
01:51 around and we got good shots, we just missed good shots.
01:54 But the defensive effort, the gambling on the ball,
02:00 not keeping the ball in front, it all played a part in us being
02:05 on our heels on defense and them shooting 51%.
02:09 >> Yeah, Kent, I think they shot 25 for 43 on two point field goal attempts.
02:16 They just seemed to straight line drive you guys a bunch.
02:19 Why do you think you had so much trouble standing in front of them?
02:23 >> I think that we allowed the offensive player to get close to us.
02:29 And we worked all week, rigged a drill called retreat drill,
02:33 where we never let, we keep the guy in front and we just retreat and
02:37 we hit him in the lane.
02:37 And we all helped stay square.
02:42 So what we did was we let him get into us and then we opened up our stance,
02:46 which gave him a free lane to the basket.
02:48 It's hard to do, but you gotta do it.
02:54 You gotta find a way to keep that ball in front of you.
02:57 You gotta find a way to not gamble, be disciplined.
03:00 And then after that, we gotta help each other.
03:05 We seem to be disconnected defensively as well as offensively down the stretch.
03:10 >> Kenny, you kind of touched upon the accountability factor there.
03:15 Is there anything that you felt personally from a head coaching perspective you
03:19 could have done more, better, different tonight?
03:21 >> Of course, I'm always critiquing myself.
03:26 And I want guys to figure this out.
03:31 I want guys to understand how important it is that they play for each other.
03:38 And I'm constantly preaching it.
03:40 They say they understand, but their actions at times say otherwise.
03:48 So I have to continue to ask them questions on what can I do more
03:55 to make sure that they fully understand what it takes to be a winning basketball
03:59 player, but more importantly, a winning basketball team.
04:05 >> Kenny, I was curious how you kind of approached the, for
04:10 lack of a better phrase, the messaging part of being a head coach.
04:13 Because bringing up Karrion's dismissal from the team,
04:17 when he was absent before, it was like he's not in trouble.
04:23 And I'm trying to connect how it goes from not in trouble to now no longer there.
04:29 >> I think we, in reference to Karrion, we put out a statement, correct?
04:35 And the statement is pretty plain.
04:39 I don't wanna really dwell in it.
04:40 I care about the kid, and I wish him the best.
04:45 And I think that's what we said in the statement.
04:47 >> Kenny, about Karrion being in attendance tonight, what does that say
04:53 about the relationship between Karrion and this program,
04:57 the fact that he was still there for the women's game, for your game as well?
05:01 He was sitting in the stands in section 119, any kind of thoughts on that?
05:05 >> I would ask you the question, what does that mean to you,
05:10 opposed to what it means to me?
05:13 Again, we came out with a statement.
05:16 I'm not really trying to dwell in it.
05:18 It's emotional for me, simply because he's a good kid.
05:24 And it's one of those circumstances where we've already addressed it.
05:28 [BLANK_AUDIO]
05:34 >> Last one on this for me, anyway.
05:37 There were two statements.
05:39 I know that there was one that he's transferring, one that he was dismissed.
05:42 And people are confused as to why it transpired that way.
05:46 Can you shed any light on that?
05:48 >> I cannot shed any light on it.
05:50 I wish I could, but I can't.
05:52 [BLANK_AUDIO]
05:54 That's pretty much it.
05:55 [BLANK_AUDIO]
06:01 >> As far as the team itself and where they are as a team, and even you and
06:04 your staff, it's just negativity just starts to kind of pile in on you.
06:10 How do you deal with that with them?
06:12 I think it affected them in this game maybe too, once they got behind.
06:15 What do you do, cuz it snowballs, it feels like.
06:18 >> For me, I try to constantly talk to them about what's important.
06:26 And I use it as teaching moments.
06:31 I think that sometimes fans,
06:35 critics, they look at something and they see it just in wins and losses.
06:43 And not really fully understanding that there's young people that
06:48 read, hear everything that people say.
06:52 And that hurts them because they trusted to come here.
07:00 They trusted, and this is a part of the journey.
07:04 The journey to be a great player, the journey to conquer yourself,
07:09 is to be able to handle clutter, to handle chaos, to handle critics,
07:16 to handle and then still be true to who you say you are and
07:21 what you want and your goals and aspirations.
07:23 I think that they are learning that.
07:28 I think that they wanna win.
07:30 I think that they work hard, but
07:34 something has to happen within them to where they're able to show it.
07:40 And I'm constantly talking about we have to earn respect.
07:44 That it's not gonna be given to us.
07:46 [COUGH] And that's respect from the lowest things to the referees,
07:52 to the opposing team, to our fans, to the opposing teams, everybody.
08:00 I want us to earn respect.
08:02 So that's the best answer I can give you.
08:06 [BLANK_AUDIO]
08:10 >> Do you have any concerns?
08:11 Do you think at all about your future here as losses mount?
08:14 Is that something that is, I don't wanna say distractions,
08:18 is something that is on your mind at all?
08:20 >> No, not really.
08:22 If I lived my life not being true to myself,
08:27 I probably would, but I live my life in faith.
08:33 I live my life knowing that, to be honest with you,
08:39 am I doing right by the young people?
08:42 And every single day, I question that.
08:46 And what I mean by questioning, when the day is over,
08:51 did I cheat Scott Clark?
08:52 Nine out of ten days, no.
08:56 Did I cheat Trey White?
08:59 No.
09:00 Did I cheat Brandon?
09:01 No.
09:02 I live my life that way, not worrying about the outside.
09:08 Hopefully that answers the question.
09:09 >> Anything else for Coach?
09:13 >> Just about Brandon's team tonight.
09:15 I mean, 11-11, he's one guy that continues to look like he's moving forward,
09:20 just on his play.
09:21 >> I thought Brandon was very good in the first half.
09:27 I thought there was a little bit of a lull in the second.
09:30 At the end of the first half, I'm saying to him,
09:36 you should finish this game with 30 and 25.
09:39 Dominate the game.
09:41 Will us to a win.
09:43 That requires great energy, great effort, great concentration, and great focus.
09:50 So I'm proud of the way he played, but
09:54 it doesn't do him justice because we lost.
09:56 >> Ken, as these losses do now, has your message to your team changed at all?
10:02 Is there any sort of difference as far as that you're handling it or
10:07 other coaches are handling it?
10:08 And ultimately, what is the response of your players to it?
10:10 I mean, are they taking this personally?
10:12 Is there kind of any emotion?
10:14 What does that look like?
10:16 >> Well, young people always say the right things.
10:20 And as a teacher, I'm constantly saying, okay,
10:24 are you sure what you're saying is being exuded through your works?
10:30 So your actions have to coexist with what your words are saying.
10:34 And I want them to understand what that means.
10:38 So obviously, they're saying, we can do this.
10:42 We know what our goals are.
10:44 We know that we can do it.
10:45 We gotta be connected a little bit more.
10:47 We're close, we're close, we're close.
10:50 We all gotta hold each other accountable as teammates more.
10:52 But then, are you doing it?
10:57 And some of that is hit or miss, and they have to figure that out.
11:04 And we have to help them as coaches figure it out.
11:06 >> Thank you all.
11:08 [BLANK_AUDIO]