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00:00 >> Danny, over your times as a head coach now as a citizen and
00:04 going into Virginia, the most successful teams that play against them,
00:09 what do they do best and what do you have to do in order to play well against
00:14 one of Tony's teams?
00:16 >> Tony is obviously a tremendous coach, he's done a great job there.
00:20 And you have to understand the value of each possession,
00:25 because it's gonna be a low possession game because of how they play defensively.
00:29 And I reflect back on the first game that we played,
00:31 we were pretty solid in terms of taking care of the basketball.
00:36 I think we had ten turnovers or right in that area.
00:40 So understanding the value of the basketball we play up against Virginia and
00:44 making sure that you're contesting shots.
00:48 The first time we played him, he got away from us a little bit.
00:52 He made some threes, which he makes against everybody.
00:54 We gotta make sure we kinda limit those opportunities for some of those guys.
00:59 We already made a couple and then Murray came in and knocked down some as well.
01:02 So making sure we know where those guys are at.
01:06 And offenses are designed to get certain players involved.
01:10 And you have to make sure that in order to have success,
01:14 you have to challenge those shots and
01:16 you have to force them to shoot a bad percentage if possible, defensively.
01:23 So we have to do a much better job of that.
01:25 And then we have to finish the possession with a rebound.
01:28 I think KP stresses every day and
01:31 perhaps we go over our defensive breakdowns, finishing possessions, rebound.
01:35 But also active hands, getting deflection, getting hands in passing lanes will also
01:41 help us have some more success on the defensive end.
01:45 Offensively, I think we're doing some solid things in terms of
01:50 what our field goal percentage is from two and three.
01:52 So we just have to continue to improve in those areas.
01:58 And for us, it's a paint touch, it's getting the ball to the paint and
02:02 being able to make a decision from there.
02:04 That puts pressure on the defense,
02:06 that gives us a chance to get to the free throw line.
02:09 And that gives us the chance to put other teams in rotation.
02:12 >> Yeah, Danny, this is coming up on over here.
02:15 Coming up on your 20th game of the season now,
02:18 I just wanted to gauge your thoughts on how you thought on the staff has grown.
02:24 Heading into this season versus a last being your
02:28 first season working together.
02:32 Just how have you guys grown together and have things changed just in terms of
02:38 how you're scouting opponents or a divvying up a workflow?
02:44 >> Well, I like our staff, we get along very well.
02:47 KP has a great feel for people.
02:50 And so every day you come in, it's a lot of fun to be around the guys and
02:54 the people that we work with.
02:55 And for all of us, we're all getting a better sense of KP, if you will.
03:01 Last year was our first year working for him.
03:04 We kinda know him from the relationship point of friendship, but
03:09 then you're spending more time with him, you're talking more, you're watching more
03:12 film, and you have a better understanding of how he is, how he operates, and
03:17 how we need to adjust what we've done in the past to fit his profile and
03:22 his leadership style.
03:24 So we've all made those adjustments, whether it's how you look at the game.
03:27 If you look at it now from the standpoint of, I know this is what KP expects,
03:32 I know this is what KP wants.
03:34 And so when you're breaking down the game offensively and
03:36 defensively on your scout, you're looking for those things.
03:39 And you're trying to share those things.
03:41 The communication level with our staff is good.
03:44 No one has an ego, we all are able to chip in.
03:47 Whether it's my scout, Nolan's scout, or Josh's scout,
03:50 we feel comfortable enough to say different things that we say
03:53 throughout the course of the prep time.
03:56 So it's a good group, and we have to continue to work, continue to get better,
04:00 and find different ways that we can implement strategies or
04:05 suggest strategies as we move forward.
04:08 >> Michael, do you have a question?
04:09 Curtis Williams, obviously a freshman year can be up and down quite frequently.
04:13 How's your thoughts on how he's progressing?
04:15 Obviously, he got the first start, how did he handle that?
04:17 And how do you see him progressing forward?
04:20 >> Well, you hit the nail on the head, he's a freshman.
04:23 [LAUGH] He's gonna have great moments, he's gonna have so-so moments,
04:27 he's gonna have bad moments.
04:28 And that's just kind of the growth and maturity process of,
04:33 Curtis is a very confident young man as a player.
04:36 Especially when you talk about being able to make shots and
04:38 shooting the basketball.
04:40 And he's played enough games now in college where the scout report is out on him.
04:46 Right?
04:46 And so he's gotta be able to do some different things out there on the court to
04:50 keep defenses honest and thinking of them in different ways,
04:53 other than just being able to make shots.
04:55 And I think he's doing a good job of that.
04:57 He went through a stretch where he had five assists one game,
05:01 he had five rebounds in another game.
05:03 So he's starting to understand that and
05:05 figure out different ways to contribute to the success of the team.
05:08 >> You guys have played better than last year, but
05:12 it hasn't translated into enough more victories.
05:15 If you're looking at the team, what are one or
05:17 two things that you see that Louisville needs to do to get over the hump?
05:21 >> Well, I think there are a lot of different things when you go back and
05:26 you look at the numbers.
05:27 The one thing that you really can't control right now, and that's JJ Treanor.
05:32 JJ is someone who makes a shot from the perimeter.
05:36 Defensively, he gives us great versatility, being able to switch and
05:39 guard multiple players.
05:40 Active around the basket, I think last year he led us in dunks.
05:44 And so just his presence alone with this group would have been really,
05:48 really beneficial in that regard.
05:50 But injuries are part of the game, they're unfortunate, we have to move on.
05:54 But he's someone, I was looking at numbers today,
05:57 that was just like, wow, you plug in JJ's numbers.
06:00 There's a difference maker right there in that regard.
06:02 I think for us, rebound in the basketball.
06:07 Doing a much better, concerned effort of rebound in the basketball will give us
06:13 the chance to be more successful.
06:14 We talked about our offensive numbers,
06:18 where we're shooting the ball from two and three.
06:20 If we had more opportunities, theoretically,
06:23 would mean that we would be a little bit better off offensively.
06:27 So defensively, being more in tune, locking in to our scouting report,
06:33 and playing like a veteran team.
06:36 I know when you look at our roster, we're a young team, but
06:41 we have a lot of young guys that play a lot of minutes.
06:44 And we need to continue to grow and continue to develop in that aspect.
06:50 >> Hey, Coach, we had Coach Calipari in here before saying KP needed some time.
06:54 He's even mentioned himself recently that this is really feeling like year one of
06:58 the rebuild as part of this coaching staff.
07:01 Do you kind of feel that as well?
07:02 And where do you see this rebuild going right now as far as the process and
07:07 how is that working for you as a coach?
07:09 >> Well, I think for all of us, everybody's in flux in college basketball and
07:13 the college athletics right now, just to be honest with you,
07:15 because of the transfer portal.
07:17 Just to be honest with you, when you go out and
07:20 you see a lot of talented basketball players out there, and
07:24 then you're weighing up against somebody who's 22, 23,
07:28 got some years up under the belt in college, and he's kind of like,
07:32 Median impact, it could be good on both ends, but
07:38 probably more so you're gonna lean towards an older player.
07:41 And so where we're at right now is we have a very young roster
07:46 in regards to building a team.
07:49 So a lot of different things we talk about as you go out and
07:52 you can find a young man who will be a freshman to come in and
07:56 have an impact or you think about the transfer portal.
07:59 And so those are, in the recruiting side,
08:02 those are the things that you're looking at.
08:04 Because it's just tough right now with the day and age,
08:08 you bring in a young kid who doesn't play, he leaves.
08:10 [LAUGH] That's the reality of what we're dealing with.
08:14 And so making sure you find that right fit,
08:17 making sure you find guys that come in and compliment what you already have,
08:22 extremely important.
08:23 So that's probably the biggest thing for us right now is when it gets to that point
08:28 and the portal opens up, and what we have scholarship wise, making sure it's a good
08:33 fit, somebody can come in and have an impact if you go that route.
08:37 >> Danny, there's obviously frustrations or losing.
08:43 Do you guys as a staff have frustrations in that it seems like
08:47 we're trying to plug one area and then another area pops up?
08:53 You mentioned the offense being better, but
08:56 maybe there's some problems on defense or rebounding.
08:59 It seems like there's something else that's always popping up that's causing
09:03 issues.
09:04 >> Yeah, that's life, right?
09:05 I mean, we're all very fortunate to have the lives that we have, but
09:08 there's always a little bit of frustration somewhere that you have to navigate.
09:12 And we're no different in that regard.
09:16 I think for us, every day that we come in, KP's leadership style and
09:22 who he is as a person, you're expecting the best that day.
09:27 And that's how we approach every day.
09:29 We come into it, we're gonna be a great defensive team,
09:31 we're gonna be a great offensive team,
09:33 we're gonna have everything that we need when we step out there on the court.
09:36 That's the mindset that we step on the court with every day, and
09:39 that's a testament to KP.
09:42 There's not too many days that I've seen him where he didn't have a smile on his
09:45 face.
09:46 And in the midst of when you have frustrations and
09:49 things don't quite go the way that you envisioned to have that outlook on life.
09:54 Not only on the court, but in life.
09:56 Those are the things that we want our young men to understand as they move
09:59 forward in life.
10:00 Things aren't always gonna go your way.
10:02 And you gotta fight, and you gotta claw, and you gotta do everything you can to
10:05 give yourselves a chance to be successful.
10:08 And then the next day, you gotta wake up and do the same thing.
10:11 And KP is a true testament to that in my eyes because of how he
10:15 approaches every day of our guys.
10:18 >> After the game last Wednesday at UNC,
10:22 Kenny said that Manny was close to returning from his injury,
10:27 but he just didn't know if he was ready for the speed of the game.
10:30 Just wondering from the things you've seen from him in practice these last
10:34 couple of days, do you feel like that is getting closer to him being ready to play
10:38 coming up here in the next couple games?
10:40 >> Well, anytime you go through an injury, you go through your
10:43 injury back into the speed, the physicality, the mental side of it.
10:52 And I think Manny's gotten some really good reps in these last few days.
10:56 He's continuing to show improvement in practice.
10:58 And hopefully, as we move forward,
11:02 he'll be a body that we can call upon in these next few games.
11:06 But he's doing well in practice in terms of coming back from the injury that he's
11:11 coming back from.
11:11 And when his number gets called, he'll be ready to go.
11:15 >> And what have you seen from someone like, I mean,
11:19 you talked about Curtis earlier, but Caleb has a fresh right coming in.
11:22 And he's being asked to play the five sometimes.
11:24 And that's, KP says that's, that isn't his position.
11:28 Just what have you seen from him getting thrown into the fire like that?
11:31 >> KG's a warrior.
11:35 You look at his physique, he comes out, he plays with an edge,
11:39 he plays with effort and energy.
11:40 We're just doing a lot of things at him because we need him in multiple areas
11:45 right now, you're right.
11:47 Now he's playing a lot of five boards right now because of where we're at
11:50 health wise.
11:51 He started out the season playing some three and then moved to the four.
11:55 So we're doing a lot of different things at him and
11:57 he's got to continue to grasp those things and understand those concepts.
12:00 But I'm excited about his growth.
12:03 I'm excited about his future.
12:06 Because I think he's gonna be one of those guys when you look up when he's
12:09 a sophomore and in his sophomore year, beginning of his junior year,
12:12 and you smell, yeah, it's a hard rocking dude.
12:14 And he's showing some glimpses of that so far this year.
12:18 >> Anything else for coach?
12:20 All right.