	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 15, 2016

Greg Gard

Madison, Wisconsin

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

COACH GARD: Thanks, Brian. First of all, going back to Saturday night's film, I found several things that we can continue to get better on and we will need to get better on as we move forward, on both ends of the floor, but also a lot of positive signs of growth and maturity and things that since January 9th when we played them last time, we've come leaps and bounds, which is evident, so for our guys to show maturity to go into that environment and execute pretty much from start to finish, it wasn't flawless, like I said, we have several things we'll look at today on film, but to be able to stem the tide, so to speak, and handle foul trouble and be able to close that game out, I thought that really showed how far this team has come.

Obviously this week with Michigan State, it doesn't get any easier and Coach Izzo's team is playing really well, and they looked good yesterday, and typical Michigan State team, starting to crescendo as the season wears on, so we look forward to that challenge as we prepare and go there Thursday. With that if you have questions, I will take 'em.

Q. Coach, you said earlier this season that you weren't looking at the results; you were just looking at the process. Obviously the process has gotten better and the results have gotten better. Was it difficult then to get the players to buy into ignoring the results and just look at the process?
COACH GARD: I think it wasn't difficult from a standpoint of we knew what we had to do. It was maybe getting them to understand what the process was going to be, because having so many young guys and not a lot of leadership returning or inexperienced leadership, if there is such a term, that they had to understand what the steps were going to be.

It wasn't about refocusing on it, it was just, what do we do? How do we get there? I think that -- it really was -- it was growth in a lot of areas, but understanding that process and how we had to do that step-by-step, you've heard me throughout all the verbiage that I put with that, step-by-step, day-by-day, play-by-play, possession-by-possession. They've really bought into that, and they've taken on that mantra and it was evident Saturday night.

That's how you go in and be able to come out on the left-hand side in that type of game. You have to do it possession-by-possession, and when things didn't go well, when they made the run to go up 14-7 or when they made the run in the second half to be able to close it, they needed the maturity and the moxie to, alright, go get the next one, and go get the next one, and really that second half when I didn't want to burn time outs, it was kind of, you're in deep water, we'll see if you can swim. That was part of that process of maturing, and it showed there.

Q. You guys shot well from the three-point range. Does that mask some of the issues finishing around the rim? Is that one of the things when you look back on Saturday's game that you thought you could have done better?
COACH GARD: I think we could have -- there was a couple of instances where we didn't touch the post where we had guys open, and we threw it in, kicked it back out, and we didn't throw it back in again when we reposted. We'll take a look at.

There were a couple of nonfinishes or poorly executed finishes that we've got to continue to get better at, but also with them -- you know, I think we've gotten better -- it's not so much maybe what the threes have done -- the threes are a result of us being better away from the ball, and some of it's because they're putting more attention defensively on what we're doing inside with three guys specifically, with Nigel and Ethan -- or with Nigel and Ethan, specifically, but also we've got so much better away from the ball.

We understand spacing better, we understand the extra pass better, we understand movement. Early in the year we were standing. When we would throw it inside, we would stand and watch and allow the defense to do two things at once, help on the post and cover up anybody on the perimeter, especially on the ball side, and that has taken a while for that to evolve and grow and mature and improve.

So that has probably been -- getting better at that has allowed us to take better threes, and also we've made some pretty good decisions, and I thought Ethan did a good job of finding guys on the perimeter when he got doubled or they sent extra help toward him on Saturday night and played at a more mature level from that stand point than what he has in a while in terms of maintaining composure and finding the open guy and not rushing and falling down.

So I think there's a lot of things that contribute to that three-point shooting, but I think our understanding of that on the perimeter is probably the one that stands out the most for me.

Q. Imagine there were years when you were an assistant that you could walk through a mall or grocery store and not be recognized. Has that changed now that you're the interim head coach and particularly lately that you're having success in big games?
COACH GARD: Yes. It changed the first day after the Green Bay game. That was on the 23rd of December, if I remember right. Typical male, last-minute Christmas shopping that I went to do on the 24th. I put on a Toronto Blue Jays hat that I got a few years ago at the stadium, and I think I had some nonWisconsin sweatshirt on, trying to be in cognito. I didn't put on the glasses and the mustache, and obviously the debut the night, before and being able to win that game and everything, but, yeah, I had a few taps on the shoulder in the mall, a few followers that, you know, who were at the game or thought they recognized me, and you get those looks, and they turn around and follow you and pretty soon you get a tap on the shoulder and, "Hey, Coach, good job last night!" So that was the first one. That I noticed.

It's all good. The fans around here are terrific, Wisconsin fans are great. Being in the state I understand the passion for this program. I love the Packers as much as they do. I understand everything and where they're coming from and they've been phenomenal, the reception that I've gotten, and it helps when you are successful, but I think my background and roots within the state, they see me as one of them and I see them as me. I understand what this state is about and how important this university is to the state. It's been -- that's been special from that standpoint.

Q. Greg, a consistent compliment that this program has been paid over the years is its toughness and its mental approach to the game, and it's been accentuated with your team and the ability to come together. Where does that come from? Is there a singular ingredient in your mind and how does a coach make that evolve?
COACH GARD: I think it starts in the locker room, and as you've heard me say before, and there's been some articles written on it, and the culture and the chemistry and how that's improved and grown, but what people have seen on the floor in terms of improvement and success, it's been ten fold behind closed doors and underneath the surface in terms of how they've grown and come together off the court.

You don't have that type of success on the floor if you're not together and have each other's back, and we've always won games -- we've had very talented players here, don't get me wrong, we had several last year in recent memory, but over the course of time.

We've always, traditionally, won or had more success with culture being the right -- being right, cohesiveness, chemistry, maturity, experience and when you have the right blend of that, you can exceed, maybe, individual talent that's on the other bench, and that has always been a mantra, and it was before I was here. I mean, that's how Coach Bennett did it, and that's how Coach Ryan's teams at Platteville were, and that's always the fabric that I've grown up in and matured as a coach and understand maybe there are ways that you are inexperienced here or there or you've lost talented players, how can you find a way, and the toughness and the physicalness is always an important piece of it in that mind-set of how we have to battle.

And I've always -- usually when we leave the locker room, one of the last things I say to them is that we understand how good we are when we're the more physical team and how we struggle when we're not. So that's the DNA that has grown within this group, and the identity they've taken on because we had to. I don't think there is any doubt that, you know, we had to find a way to maybe muddy the waters and say, make it a rock fight, you know, in the trenches, and that toughness -- in this league you have to. You look at the teams traditionally have been at the top or near the top and have sustained over the course of time we're playing one on Thursday night. What do you think about Michigan State? Its toughness and those things come to mind first, and I think that has been part of this program, too, an important part that we can't -- I knew it was much more than Xs and Os when I took over in December, and that toughness and that ability to stick your face in and go toe-to-toe and not flinch was a big piece of it that had to be grown and had to be developed. They've absorbed and taken that challenge on and have really improved in that area.

Q. Greg, you just came from a place that not many road teams go in and have much success, and you guys haven't had a lot of success recently at Michigan State, even though you haven't played there for a couple of years. I think Zak is the only one who has been in that building and played. Does that experience, or lack thereof, is it going to be a positive or a negative either way in this game, or not?
COACH GARD: I don't think it really matters, because it will be a possession-by-possession game, just like Saturday night's game, and that's how you win in any road game, let alone -- I don't think it's been the venue, so to speak, that we've gone into, whether it be Michigan State or Maryland. I think it's because Maryland has been very good; the team they have on the floor is very good. Coach Izzo's teams that he puts on the floor are very good, and sometimes the venue gets overblown.

I think we have had success here because we have had very good teams on the floor, very good players that understood that whole thing about culture and chemistry and playing together that I just talked about.

You know, obviously the fan base there is terrific, that's a great environment for college basketball, but as I told the team Saturday night, before we were in the pregame those 17- or 18,000 that are in there, they don't matter. They don't play defense, they don't rebound, they can't shoot, so it's just our five against their five, and then our four or five, six, whoever comes off the bench, just do your job. That was actually going to do your job; it was one of the things we threw on the Smart Board, I guess they're called now, we show our video on a Smart Board, I can't say "screen" anymore. On the Smart Board I threw up a picture of Rob Gronkowski during AFC Championship week, he wore a hat and now he has a "You Tube" side video called, "Do Your Job."

It's simple, hey, do your job this weekend. Do your job today in practice, when he get there, when we fly there, and I've tried to simplify things, but give them visual reminders of how good we can be when we're together and everybody does their part and pulls their weight, and that was a simple message that we walked out of the door to load the bus to go to the airport, do your job, and they did it.

Q. Coach, I was wondering if you could give us insight into Vitto Brown's character. The back half of games, plus after the incident before halftime, he kind of went ham in the second half after that, insight on his character, please?
COACH GARD: He's matured in so many ways which is great to see as a coach. When you have somebody come into your program that is trying to learn the game and learn different parts of the game and how important, maybe, statistical numbers -- sometimes young players get so caught up in numbers they don't understand other pieces of the game, and I think Vitto has come through that process where he's understood the intangibles in the game, and that's helped his numbers grow.

He's always been a pretty decent perimeter shooter, but for him to understand how he can get those shots, why he gets those shots, how to play better defense all those things he had to grow through and learn, I think helped him become a more complete player, and he's going along the typical train or track that a lot of our bigger than average guys have gone through here, going back to Mike Wilkinson, Zak Morley, Butch, Leuer, Frank, last year, Duje all guys that can stretch a defense and those are great weapons when you can put two of those guys on the floor together, or if you have a significant post threat like Nigel and Ethan, they can't send another big guy to the rim as much or as easily, so that's helped us, but I think his maturity level of handling the incident -- obviously we know it's an emotional game at times, and things happen and to be able to collect yourself -- and that was my message to him in that little huddle with 1.8 to go, when they were deciding what to do: This is far from over, but we're going to use this 1.8 to try to score, not knowing exactly where the ball was going to be taken out at the time, but we were going to try to score to get another basket before halftime, but we had 20 more minutes of 30 to 40 possessions where we were going to have to be really good to close it out. It wasn't going to be over so move on from that emotional incident and get back to what's important.

Q. It's been two months since you've taken over. How would you characterize those two months?
COACH GARD: It's been rewarding from a standpoint of you always envision yourself in this position as a long-time assistant to be able to have your own program and how you would react or handle things in that -- as I mentioned before, it's been very natural, extremely seamless in large part due to the 17 guys in the locker room and our staff that surrounds me. Without those type of people involved this is impossible, but for me it's been great. It's been everything I thought it would be and more! I haven't hit any unexpected road blocks, obviously there is always challenges but I think I've been well prepared for it with my last quarter century plus with different people.

For me it's been terrific. It's been a lot of fun. I'm having fun doing it. I don't always maybe show it on the sideline because I try to stay calm, cool and collected as I've been labeled, but I have always thought, hey, I don't need to show -- if I come unglued, what message does that show my team? There are times when I get to get emotional and send a message in a louder or more direct tone of voice, but like I said, it's fun watching, standing in the background and watching all these guys go through things and grow and develop and light bulbs go on.

And I found -- I've been asked several times how do you stay so calm when people are watching on TV or in the stands or whatever. I find myself way calmer as a head coach, standing up on the sideline, than I ever did as an assistant or watching -- and it's been a long time since I've been invested in a game watching on TV, but I've been much, much calmer. I don't know why, it's because your laser focused, zeroed in on, it, and you have 100 things going through your mind about what's going to be next, so for me it's been about as natural as riding a bike and I haven't ridden a bike in a long time, either, though.

Q. What do you think Coach Izzo is going to think when he hears your comments that you are going to muddy the waters and have a rock fight in East Lansing?
COACH GARD: That's how our games have always been. They've been physical, they're been battles, regardless of team's records, regardless of the past games leading up to that game, in terms of we're on a streak, they had a hard-fought game at Purdue, and then they played really well, especially in the second half yesterday.

He's -- he does a lot of things in his program based on football mentality with the pads, and he's taken a step further with shoulder pads and helmets. I haven't gotten to that point yet. I'll have to ask Coach Chryst to use those in the off season, maybe someday! But I have a lot of respect for him and I have a lot of respect for his program, how he's done it, being in his home state. I know the correlations have been drawn between us in terms of career paths and being at one institution for a long time, but he has treated me exceptionally well when he didn't have to, there was no reason or benefit for him to take me under his wing professionally, so that showed me a long time ago how sincere and honest and heart felt he was to be able to take that time and do that. That's meant a lot to me.

Q. Greg, you talked about the quality of three-point shots has improved significantly in the season but you still gotta knock 'em down. There are teams that get good looks but don't hit 'em. Have you surprised at the high rate they are shooting lately, and do you expect at some point it's going to come down to a more normal level?
COACH GARD: I think as long as you're taking good shots -- you know there are going to be trends. I think I get more worried about or my blood pressure goes up with those guys more when I see bad shots being taken. I don't get frustrated with good shots that are missed. I don't like no-pass possessions, as I've started to call 'em.

Especially when you're trying to do things on the road, like we were Saturday night. But I think as you continue to grow as a team with confidence with shooting it, you understand there are going to be nights -- that's why we try not to be dependent upon t that's why I've tried to emphasize touching the post and getting to the free-throw line and making sure that we are sound because there are going to be nights when the ball doesn't go in for whatever reason, the other team is better defensively, you succumb to worst shots than you were normally taking so you have to find a way and play the percentages, so to speak where you can be consistent. So if we can consistently take care of the ball and get good shoots each time, can we consistently make sure we are good in transition defensively, can we consistently make sure we are good on the defensive backboard and blocking out, and those things that maybe don't involve as much athletic talent, as we've always said be good at the things than don't take talent, but can you be good at the little things and simple things, and then when those other things fall into place, like three-point shooting, or you get a guy or two that gets hot, then you can ride that wave a little bit more, but to still understand that we have to be solid at very simple things, and when we would do that, for the most part, some nights free-throws can carry us, some nights our defense will have to carry us, some nights maybe we will be able to knock down more threes, not be so singular dependent on one component.

That's why I like to keep it simple, take high-percentage shoots and making sure that we are playing the percentages over the course of forty minutes over the course of a season that give us a the best chance.

Q. Greg, Nigel's offensive ability has been written about quite a bit. Do you think his defense gets overlooked? He usually pulls one of the toughest assignments for you guys. Do you think he's getting overlooked?
COACH GARD: I don't know that he's getting overlooked, but he's starting to gain more and more of my confidence, in terms of putting him on a more prolific offensive player, and typically we decide that as we go through the week. Last week because of the injury to Shields, we shifted him within the last couple of days to Andrew White, and I thought he did a good job with him and made his looks difficult. Obviously at Maryland it changes a little bit because Trimble you look at on the perimeter and there were other match-ups with Layman and Carter that we had to handle on the wing and the power forward spot, so I think being versatile defensively helps him.

I think the job he did, last possession in regulation against Indiana, when we intentionally got him switched on to Yogi Ferrell, for him to avoid that foul, we played him some at the 4, he's had to guard bigger guys at times, so he's very versatile and he's -- people always talk about unselfishness offensively. You have to have an unselfishness to you defensively as well, and he's growing in those areas and growing as a leader.

That's the biggest thing, and the thing that I'm probably most proud of him, is how he's grown as a leader and by him growing as a leader and becoming more and more unselfish with all of his teammates, not that he was selfish in a bad way, but, hey, he's done with those younger guys what Coach Izzo has done with me, taken them under his wing and given them some advice, and it's helped those younger guys, and it's made them look up to him a little bit more and respect what he's done more, and I would say I think that's made him a better player as a result of it, and things he's done in the locker room and communication with the team has really helped us.

Q. You've talked about how far this offense has come in the last eight weeks or so. Can you assess the defense and how far that's come and how pleased are you with that?
COACH GARD: I think we're still growing and we're not where we need to be yet. I think Saturday night was as good for as long of a stretch as we played and I thought we did a good job of pinching gaps and making dribble drive alleys for them to get through, pretty hard, I thought Charlie Thomas did a really good job, in fact we will show it here on film in a little while, he has struggled with ball screens at times and that's been when -- what has limited his minutes for the most part.

He did a really good job in a few sequences where he bottled up Trimble and yet got back to the big that was rolling to the rim, and there's huge signs there of growing in the right direction.

But I think we have -- numbers maybe always don't bear it out, and I think we're positionally better and I think we're last in the league in three-point field goal percentage defense, but we're first in terms of fewest number of attempts taken against, at least we were the last time I looked, I haven't looked since the weekend, but we've had the fewest made against us, and part of that's how we play defensively at the three-point line, and that's one of the stats you can look at and can be skewed a little bit in percentages, and actually number of attempts and makes can off-set each other a little bit, so we are growing; there is no doubt we have improved, but I always see areas where we can get better.

We were pretty decent in the post. We made Diamond have to really work for positioning. We made a few mistakes on him. We made a mistake late in a ball screen where we came up too high with Ethan, and he got a rim roll for a dunk, but in the most part we're going the right direction.

Q. Greg, some of the guys talked about getting together just players only shortly after the loss to Northwestern and sometimes you will see something like that contribute to a turn-around. I'm curious, do you like that when players take things into their own hands? Do you think players' meetings are overrated? How do you view those?
COACH GARD: As I've told them, it's their team, their program so what they feel is necessary, it's up to them. What happens -- I really try to make -- as much as I do something through the locker room and training room and make sure I see them in other avenues, other lights, other than just on the floor. They stop by my office quite a bit. I call them. They text back and so forth, those type of things. I try to develop a relationship with them away from the practice court with them as well, but I've always tried to make sure the locker room is sacred for them.

That's a place where they need to handle issues, they handle them in there, and, like I said, that's an area that we have grown in, I think our leadership has grown. We talk about the younger guys and how they've improved, and the bench, and those type of things, but as I mentioned in the start, we have grown ten fold off the court as they have grown on the court, and if they felt that was necessary, there are times -- tat's that's not been the first in the course of the time I've been here, and it probably won't be the last. As long as they're handled in the right manner, they can be beneficial.

Q. Going back to that last -- or that sequence at the end of the first half and Maryland, would you have handled that differently, would you have reacted differently in your previous role?
COACH GARD: Probably not, just from a standpoint -- I did not see what really happened. When the rebound came off the glass and it was a scrum and the whole pile tipped over, so to speak, guys went in front of me and I didn't see what happened, and neither did Coach Turgeon, so from that standpoint I didn't see the video, I saw a clip of it at halftime, but it was on a dark screen cell phone and my mind was in a totally other places. I wasn't worried about that; it was time to play the next 20 minutes and prepare for that.

I didn't see it in full light and clarity until after the game, so from my standpoint I trust what the officials and their decisions, what they will do, and there is a process if there is something that needs to be reviewed with the league office there are steps that can be taken and go through and trust what our conference office will do, so my main focus and my job was to coach our team and to make sure we didn't get distracted from that little scrum and to refocus on what was important.

I think that was the one thing -- I talked about the calmness on the bench that I've kind of -- has come over me more, you just feel like you've gotta move on to what's next and there are other things that are more important than what happened there, as they all rolled to the floor. Let's see if we can get a bucket in 1.8 and prepare for the second half because this game is not over.

THE MODERATOR: Anything else for Coach?

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297