	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

February 8, 2016

Greg Gard

Madison, Wisconsin

THE MODERATOR: The Men's Basketball Head Coach Greg Gard is here. We will have opening comments then take questions.

COACH GARD: Obviously going through last week's film with Ohio State, just like I thought during the game some very good things happened, especially offensively, I think we're getting more mature in terms of how we're moving with the ball, how we're moving without the ball, spacing, those things, and it showed in the three's that we hit. The ones that we hit were, for the most part inside-out touches, and the ball touched the paint either off the dribble or off the post feed and then kicked out, and the ones we made, for the most part, were toes set, and ready, and squared to the rim.

Obviously things to continue to work on, and with a Nebraska team coming in that can score at a pretty high rate and obviously pretty good players in Andrew White and Shavon Shields, based on his health, two guys there that can score with anybody in the league, and a team that has been right there and had some ups and downs like we have, but good team we look forward to playing on Wednesday night.

Q. Greg, you have had some games where you guys have done a good job of taking care of the ball and not turning the ball over, other games where the number has probably been higher than you would have liked. As you study it, what would have been the problem areas that you're trying to address to keep the number low more consistently?
COACH GARD: I think the one thing is -- probably jumps out more than anything, trying to dribble into areas that we have no business going into.

We work a lot on attack and retreating. We're doing a good job of attacking, we're not so adept yet at retreating and avoiding some of those areas. We had one specifically late in the second half, fortunately the error was in our favor when Zak got tied up on the baseline. It could easily be avoid by retreating, creating space and moving the ball to the another direction or other side of the floor.

Those are probably the ones I see that jump out more than anything. You know, I think we're doing a pretty good job of probing but our decision making and our willingness to back off at times and move the ball to another spot, I think we're getting better at the ball fakes and the post feeds, which we worked on ad nauseam, at times, but I think the biggest thing I see is the attack and the retreating and the decisions that come within that, and maybe not always chinning the ball. We've lost the ball in the post a few times by not having the ball in a vice, that we will continue to work on that.

Q. Greg, I think you've said over and over this has been a seamless transition. Did you ever stop and wonder what the reaction from the players was going to be like in terms of hearing your voice as an assistant compared to, you know, you being the voice in practice and the locker room and games and stuff?
COACH GARD: Not really, no. Everything has flowed pretty naturally. It's just -- I knew my responsibility level changed where I had to be the final answer and the final say, and I really stepped into that -- for me it's been very easy, I don't know how it's been -- I think it's been easy for the guys; you'd have to ask them specifically, but for me it was a matter of just, how do you want to play in practice and having that commanding voice in practice, and I think that's -- fortunately with the experience I've had, I've been put in that role, maybe not as a whole, but specifically with drill work and group work and having the scout team at different times, you're in that leadership role more than not, so for me it was just a matter of overseeing the whole thing and becoming more of a CEO versus a foot solder, so to speak.

For me it's been natural, very easy, I enjoy it, having fun with it. There's nothing -- I didn't know what to expect, I guess, from that standpoint. It was just go with it, do what you know and know what you do. Late day?

Q. You talked a little about Vitto after the game Thursday. He has had a nice run here of three games or so. What have you seen differently in him during that stretch?
COACH GARD: Well, I jokingly referred to maybe when he got banged up, he slowed down a little bit, with the rim, but I think he's just becoming more aware of what his strengths are and trying to play more to his strengths and less to maybe things that he can't do. I've said that several times to -- not necessarily always him but show me what you can do not what you can't do.

And really I thought he did a really good job the other night other than the one baseline jump shot that he took, which has been -- we've taken those quick-in possessions, and it say wasn't so much the shot, per se, because he's made that but it was the timing of it. They had been on a run, and we talked about that in film on Saturday when we reconvened after our bowling trip on Friday, that it's not necessarily the shot, but when do we take it?

They were going on a five or six-point run. One pass and a baseline jump shot wasn't the best way to remedy that, and we referenced the Indiana-Michigan game, with how Indiana got on their run, when they went on that 25 or 28-0 run, and how we can do things to quell those type of runs, when maybe the other team is feeling their oats so to speak, a little bit. One pass and a quick jump shot from a low-percentage area is not the best way to play things or spin things back in our favor.

I think that's been team wide in terms of understanding that process and how can we can be better, and I think this large part our offense has helped our defense because we've utilized ball movement, we've utilized post touches, obviously the free-throw is a result of it, but I thought if we became more patient and diplomatic offensively, we could get better defensively, and it's proved to be the case.

He's just one example of guys that have grown through that process of understanding, you know, what's a good shot versus what's a great shot or versus -- not necessarily even if the ball goes in, it's the type of possession we have. We talk about that a lot, too, when the ball doesn't change sides of the floor, we dribble it too much, usually ends up being a bad possession, even if we make a tough shot at the end of it. We look at the whole not necessarily specifically one individual.

Q. Greg, you've been around Nigel for three years, plus recruiting. I don't know if you saw his postgame against Ohio State afterwards. Is there anything that surprises you? Anything that surprises you when it comes to him that makes you cringe at all, whatsoever, hearing the way he handles or deals with the media?
COACH GARD: You mean the mic drop thing?

Q. Yeah.
COACH GARD: I haven't heard the whole thing, I was made aware of it the context was. I've never put a governor on any of these guys, from a standpoint of -- Nigel is an interesting, you know, unique individual. You've seen that in the past. So I don't know exactly how the question was phrased, other than, you know, he said something about a few Ohio players on our roster, and they were on the floor at the same time, so as long as he can -- you know there is an old saying that former football coach used to say around here, make sure your rear-end can cash any check your mouth writes.

So Nigel needs to back it up, and he has, and I don't think it was made in anything in guest against Ohio State, it was just Nigel being Nigel, and understanding that, you know -- the state of Ohio has a lot of good players, more than probably Ohio State can ever take.

It's not only in basketball. Look at football what that state produces. So I think you look across the league, there is a lot of schools that have recruited that state, and done it successfully. We'll just -- he understands that he's at Wisconsin, and he's enjoyed it here, and he's had success, but I don't know exactly how the question was phrased. Did you ask it?

Q. No.
COACH GARD: Okay.

Q. I just wondered overall, him as a player, do you cringe?
COACH GARD: Do I cringe at all? No, I mean -- no. If you do this long enough you're going to have -- no two personalities are ever the same. You know, he's went out on the right wing a little bit, and then we have had some that have been very introverted, but, like I said, as long as he's doing things for the right reasons and continues to perform, I worry more about results than anything else, and he's produced results.

Q. Greg, this is a follow-up to an earlier question. When you were the assistant on most staffs the assistant is a little tighter with the players, maybe a confidant, maybe a "go-to" guy, was that you? Have the players maybe stepped back from that relationship with you, do you think?
COACH GARD: It was me at times, to answer the first part, Andy, depending on the personnel or the person, and sometimes it's been the person -- it's been one that I specifically recruited myself, other times it hasn't been.

But I think anytime you're in that role and you have to make that transition, I think you can still have relationships with people and players and I think that's important in this day and age. It's different than it was 10, 15, 20, 25 years ago. You have to have relationships with players. I've tried to use, you know, the phrase I keep telling myself is old school principles, new school approach in terms of how I have to deal with players and relate to players and communicate with them.

Not that I am soft on 'em or are buddy-buddy with them. I'm very open and honest with them, and I communicate that with them and I think you -- I just look at how I have to deal with my own kids at home, and hence my wife with their principle job that she has had over the years, you have to have a relationship with kids before you can really get them to commit to you and trust you, and I think when you show the individual you're working with, whether it's your own kids at home or the players on our team, that you're in it for them and you care about them as individuals, they will run through a wall for you.

I think that's the approach I've tried to take is I'm very open and honest and I won't -- I don't -- they don't always like what I say to them, but they know there will never be a gray area with Coach. He will speak the truth to you right away, but also tell them when I really appreciate what they're doing and try to guide them in that way.

That's it -- for me it's really been easy from terms of the transition of going from assistant to head coach because I've always shot everybody really straight and really honest and tried to be as genuine as possible but yet at the same time demanding and have high expectations and keep pushing forward.

Q. Greg, some guys worry about how many minutes they play, especially if their in their first year as a starter like Vitto is, and he's playing fewer minutes in league play than in nonconference. Have you noticed that that has had any negative affect on him during this time?
COACH GARD: No, I think actually it's had a positive affect, not only on individuals but on the team as a whole, how the bench has expanded. I think it's kept the guys that have been mostly in the starting lineup -- obviously, we had one change at Illinois, but for the most part it's obviously stayed the same, and I think by expanding the bench it's kept those guys honest, and it's been refreshing for them, that maybe they don't have to play as many, or I can move people into multiple positions, but at the same time it's invigorated the other guys, all the way down to the Aaron Moesch's and the Jordan Smiths, that, hey, you never know.

I can tell just by -- when I walk up and down the sideline, and I look at the guys on the bench, I got all eyes on me, like, is it my turn, Coach? Is it my turn? They are eager and waiting and understand I'm open to giving people a chance, an opportunity, and I think they've embraced that and appreciate that.

Q. You've been asked about your sideline demeanor in recent weeks, and I know everybody's personality is different but are you capable of throwing a fit?
COACH GARD: Do I need to? Is there -- do you ever see the Bob Knight game face thing when he did all the different game faces? I'm not going to do them now because all of these cameras are running, but I just have -- I'm just being myself. If I need to make a point with an official, I have done that and you guys don't even realize it when I've talked to them and what I've said to them. So I have great relationships with those guys; they've done a great job.

Usually when you watch -- go back through a game, 99 times out of 100 here right on the call, so I assume you're referring to officials, my interactions with officials. I think you can be effective not and have act like a lunatic or come unglued. There's times when I have raised my voice with them, but there's also times when I have just talked to them like we're talking right here, and same thing way with our players. There's times when I've, in the huddle, got a little more vocal; halftime, got a little more vocal, sometimes right on the sideline, but at the same time if you're -- you communicate with them, I don't think you have to be a -- all the good teachers I have had over the years and the classes I took, none of 'em stood up at the front and yelled at you how to do your English better or how to do your math better.

They were able to be effectively communicative and got their points across. Did I have coaches that yelled? Absolutely. Some players don't respond to yelling like others.

So I have to understand as a coach how everybody responds, and how I can talk to Bronson Koenig may be different than I can talk to Jordan Hill, and that's my job to figure out exactly their best learning mechanism. So I will continue to be myself and teach the best way that I know how and what's best for those individuals to help them keep taking steps forward.

Q. Knowing things are heating up, was it nice to have a weekend off from games and, secondly, who is the best bowler?
COACH GARD: Yeah it was nice. We took Friday to take the team bowling, it didn't count as an actual team day for those that didn't hear that. We had four teams divided up by their birthday month. The team of Aaron Moesch, Khalil Iverson, Andy Van Vliet, and there was a fourth on that team, that team won it. I'm trying to think who it was, do you know? You don't follow Twitter? You took a day off, too? (Chuckles.) Aaron Moesch is probably the best bowler, followed by Khalil -- that team was stacked for whatever reason, Khalil was pretty good.

Who wasn't good? Koenig wasn't very good, Showalter wasn't very good. He was trying to bowl with two hands; he was banged up from the night before, but, yeah, it was fun. We got some pizzas and snacks and stuff for them and did that for a couple of hours, and it was fun to watch them interact, and they took it serious; they went after each other.

We had a winners' bracket and a losers' bracket. Trying to think who the fourth was on that team. Ethan! Excuse me, Aaron Moesch was not the best bowler; Ethan Happ was. Ethan was very good. None of 'em are going to be leaving early for the PBA, though, I tell you that, none of them, but those four all on the same team -- they will make me mix up the teams better next time, and that was accidental by birthdays.

The weekend off, it was good. We practiced again Saturday and took yesterday off. Got a chance to go watch my son, 7th grader, Isaac play in Beaver Dam three games so that was rare that I got to see any, let alone all, the games that he played in, so he went 2-1 and finally got the lid off the basket in the last game, so it was fun to watch. Whether they're 7th grade, 12 years old or 22 years old in college, the game doesn't change. If you take care of the ball, get good shots, play good defense, your press doesn't give up too many points, like I thought his did, or theirs did, it was fun. It was a good afternoon, and I had my laptop with me to watch Nebraska in between games, so good weekend.

Q. Greg, you touched on this earlier: Do you consider yourself old school?
COACH GARD: Maybe in principle. I don't think in approach, and I've tried to -- like I mentioned before with your previous question about the things that I believe in, the found additions of my philosophies, I don't know if you would consider 'em old school, but they've been time tested in programs, and those are the things that are very simplistic yet when you do them and are consistent at them over a long period of time, some people maybe label that as old school, even though I think they work it anytime, and they have proven that over the course of time.

A little bit. I'm -- discipline is a big thing for me, and that discipline doesn't mean punishment, it means forming good habits, trying to keep things simple, taking care of the basketball. One of them, don't beat yourself; I think that's across the board. You can apply that to a lot of sports and success that's been able to be sustained, regardless of time or regardless of sport.

Q. Greg, if Shavon can't go for Nebraska, how does that change then?
COACH GARD: You know, sometimes when teams have adversity like that hit or they have somebody get banged up and can't play, especially a prominent player like him, a lot of times it for the guys or makes them a little stronger because it forces them to circle the wagons a little tighter orally the troops and I've seen that happen, it's happened with our team at times.

They still have very capable players, and he's not even leading in the scoring, Andrew White is, the transfer from Kansas, so I think from that standpoint, they have a couple days to prepare without him, if he does not play. If he does play, obviously we talked about that before, but I've seen a lot of times where this can help fortify a team and they will rally around each other, and you'll have somebody else step up. We will prepare as if he is going to play and -- because I think it won't change them a whole lot in terms of what they do as a team.

THE MODERATOR: Anything else for Coach? Thanks, Greg.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297