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UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCEFebruary 29, 2016Greg GardMadison, Wisconsin THE MODERATOR: Men's Basketball Head Coach Greg Gard is here. We will have opening comments and take questions. COACH GARD: Glad to see we have a bottle of water today after last night's -- good job! Going through the film, I thought -- obviously, I haven't talked to you guys all that long ago, but found some good things on film and things we can get better at, and we will look at film in an hour or so as we get back to work and prepare for Minnesota. But just to reiterate, this group has done a tremendous job of responding, of working together, growing together, of taking our coaching and continuing to move forward. It makes you as a coach extremely proud to see guys progress like this and grow together and develop, and obviously the results are the wins are a by-product of following those steps in the process, as you've heard me talk about a lot. But like I said, just extremely proud of how they've continued to work together and grow and hopefully we've got a lot more basketball left in us. Q. I don't think there is any denying at this point in the season, Minnesota has nothing to lose approaching this game, probably want to spoil your season. Does that concern a coach when they go up against a team like that? COACH GARD: We have always approached every game for what it is. It will be more about how we prepare and how we play. Obviously they're a team that plays very well at home, obviously have gone through a rough stretch, rough season, also with suspensions last night, and whether those guys are back or not back, that's for them to determine and take care of, but I think just from our standpoint, we never really get too wound up in the opponent. We prepare more for making sure we play the proper way. We know it's a tough lace to play. It's a team that's very capable with what they've done, most recently against Maryland. From that standpoint we will focus on introducing those players today and what they do and also make sure we continue to forge toward our identity and making sure that we are sticking to what's got us to this point. Q. Greg, I don't know what you remember from your first season here with Bo, but you guys didn't get off to the best start, if I remember correctly. I'm curious, what do you remember about turning that season around, and once you guys got it going here and established a certain level of success, relatively speaking, is it easy or difficult to keep it going where the expectations from different classes are the same, the expectations to win are engrained? COACH GARD: I'll answer the second part of your question, first. Once you have a culture established and you have a way of doing things entrenched, I think the biggest thing that's helped us this year is our older guys for the most part understood what that culture was about. How to get there was another story, and also handling adversity was another story. Our older guys had not been through much, so once you have it established, I'm not going to say it makes it easier but you have a blueprint in place and a plan in place and a path to follow. When they -- when the older guys have gone through it and understand what success is about and how to get there, I think it helps navigate the path for the younger guys. In regards to that first year, there was -- I remember in Hawaii there was some arguments between Coach Jeter and Charlie Wills that things weren't working, and there was obviously some butting of heads, so to speak, verbally, but it was a matter of going through the similar-type things that we went through this year in terms of they had to continue to follow the process, and eventually once we got through that rough spot, we came back and went to Georgia Tech and blew a 20-point lead, but we were able to get confidence going. And I was just talking to Patrick about one of the games in the hallway, where we beat Illinois here when they were ranked 7th in the country. Just those type of wins. It's only one game but it give us you an immense amount of confidence, and I think reaffirms the process and reaffirms the track you are on. Ours this year was Michigan State. That was one of those defining moments like, yes, we're on the right track and we knew that point in time back in 2001, in the fall of 2001 that we were on the right track. Obviously there had been success here and there wasn't a whole lot of deviation from styles of play in terms of Coach Bennett to Coach Ryan. It was just a matter of being able to get over that hump and have that first one, where as coaches you know you are, and I believe this year even when we started 1-4 that we were on the right track and doing good things, but it was matter of being more consistent for a longer period of time, and that Georgia Tech game was a great example, we were really good in the first half and we weren't consistent enough in the second half, and things got away from us, and we had seen that early this year, too, in some of those games. So just continuing to grow in that direction. When you have a blueprint in place, it gives you a plan to follow and then making sure you don't deviate and don't clinch in the process of going through that plan and growing. Q. You talk a lot about next possession, next game. Is that particularly useful in a week like this, where you could look ahead to the end of week and there is so much there and even your Big Ten tournament you could be anywhere from a 1 to a 7 at this point, not to get wrapped up in that stuff. Does it work well in a week like this? COACH GARD: I think these guys understand that's how we approach this, and that's how we've gotten to where we are. They will have plenty to worry about when we get done with film session, in terms of what we're going to look at today and worry about this practice. So we will just prepare for this practice and get ready for Minnesota. Again, that's the mind-set we've taken all year. I don't even really let them jump ahead even to the game yet. It's about today, and the first hour it will be how we can get better ourselves, and then a lot of today's practice will be individual improvement and some team things as well and also making sure that we're staying healthy, and if we need to rest a few guys here or there we'll do that and be smart about that. Then obviously we will introduce Minnesota and give a very small taste of that and then go into that a little deeper tomorrow. But I think at this point in time in the year, you have to be careful -- we're not going to reinvent the wheel. Nothing miraculous is going to be discovered in today's practice other than where we can sharpen up, get better in areas and a lot of that will be visual with the video. Q. The strides you guys have made defensively, do you think that's a fact of the guys playing together more and understanding the concepts better, especially with your young guys? COACH GARD: I think that has a lot to do with it. I think Tom asked that question last night, and there's a lot of synergy has to take place offensively, and I think we've gotten better offensively. I found some great clips where we moved the ball well last night, and defensively I found great clips where we really exchanged well in dribble penetration attempts. We also exchanged ball screens at the right time. There was three or four that we made mistakes with ball screens, where we got caught too high on the screener, and they threw over the top of us. I think there is always an evolution. It's one thing to grow. Ethan Happ grows or Vitto Brown grows, they're in the starting lineup, but then I bring Alex Illikainen in or Charlie Thomas, and if they're not in that exact situation and don't have as many reps, their growth rate doesn't take place as much or at a high rate because they haven't got as many reps. Charlie does a lot of things on the scout team, so he doesn't get a lot of reps with our defense, so his future is going to be extremely bright and is extremely bright, but he also hasn't had the same opportunity as some of those other guys. You can look at things individually and I also look at things, okay, when there is a younger guy that goes into one spot, if there is one mistake made, it can affect the whole group, and sometimes it because one of those younger players hasn't had as many reps and hasn't been in and just gets caught in a situation in terms of when they're in and in what position. I think at one time last night we had Khalil Iverson in at the 4 and Nigel at the 5, not positions that we practice a whole lot, but at the same time be able to adjust and apply what we do philosophywise defensively, regardless of what position you're in. So I think that's why we have seen more of the growth, and we can do more by helping those young guys continue to learn, and whether they're watching on the bench or watching on film, taking advantage of the opportunities when they're over with me and not on the scout team, so we're heading in the right direction. I always find things we can get better at. Q. Greg, what is the most difficult decision you have had to make as coach? COACH GARD: What suit and tie to wear. I usually let my wife pick it out and she tells me, no, that's not a good color combination, she says I like blue shirts too much, trying to get me to use gray or cream more. Truthfully, Andy, I say that tongue in cheek because -- you know, I don't know if there's -- the team has done such a good job of responding and growing into their roles and I've said this before, in games I felt a sense of calmness, is it a change in position when you feel like you're more in control, more of a locked-in tunnel vision, blocking everything out mind-set. I think -- I wouldn't say anything has been difficult. There hasn't been any surprises that have come down the trail to me. There has been no curve balls and I think that's in large part attributed to my experience and the mentoring I've had from various role models throughout my career. I don't think there has really been -- because there has been no decision that's been new to me in terms of oh, I didn't hear about this before, and if it wasn't me making the decision at least I knew what decision Coach Ryan had to make. So I wouldn't say there's really been -- trying to make sure that I keep guys fresh, I think, is one thing I always am -- I'm also cautious rotationwise not to get us out of a groove, and times I have played Nigel and Bronson, when I look at minutes, a little more than I wanted to on paper, but at the same time when I looked at trying to get them a rest here and there, and I try to do it around media timeouts so you get more bang for your buck, so to speak, around those, a lot of times when I thought about giving them a rest we have been in a groove, or sometimes there is times where there is no way I can take 'em out, because we're scuffling right now. So that's the one thing I think I will continue to improve upon going forward. I think it would be much easier if I had a whole nonconference to play with that roster and rotation and I would be more solidified in that, because hopefully you have things rolling in nonconference, you can dial back the minutes of some of your more experienced guys like Nigel and Bronson and keep them in that high-20 range and not have to role into the high-30s, like has happened, and then you keep a couple of high-30 games for when you really need 'em and make sure the miles don't pile up too much. So that's probably been the one thing that -- I think we've got a good job with it, but it's always something I go game-to-game and even within the game, who looks tired out there, who hasn't been out in a while, and those type of things, and then you weigh how you're playing on whether you can afford to give them a break, or if it's a good time to give them a break. Q. Coach, talk about Ethan Happ and the progress he's made over the past couple of weeks, and do you think maybe getting to practice with Frank Kaminsky has helped him? COACH GARD: There is no doubt that practice with Frank has helped him immensely, and I think anytime you can get a chance as a freshman, as one announcer said in one game, get a chance to incubate, I think it was Clark Kellogg, and you get a chance to watch for a year, as Ethan did last year and incubate, grow while not burning a year of eligibility, that that helped him. And you also you get a chance to figure out what college is about. You understand class, you understand semester breaks, you understand finals, and you're not having the added pressure of playing in games, as another mental load on you as well, and obviously physically he's gotten better, but obviously to be around Frank not only to guard Frank and have Frank guard him every day in that experience, but to see how Frank handled day-to-day operations, how he worked, how he prepared, all those things behind the scenes that I think were valuable for Ethan, and still there's no replacement for experience. And I've said that many times, as much as Ethan learned from Frank last year, he still had to go there and do it himself, and that is where I think I've seen the growth over the last two to four weeks, is that experience that he's gotten earlier in the year is starting to -- he's becoming more consistent, I think that's the biggest thing and hopefully -- obviously I think he's only scratching the surface in terms of where he can be, and he's got a lot of time left here in his career. Q. -- Barns left like Minnesota. Do you think that gives them an advantage irrespective of what team they put on the floor? COACH GARD: I think anytime you play at home there is a comfort level there. So whether it's the Barn or, you know, our place here, or any, you would anticipate, I think, you can look around the country and assume that everybody on their home floor would be more successful. Is it a comfort level? Is it the crowd? Is it the game day preparation? Are you used to the shooting environment a little bit better? I think there's -- you would assume that team would play better at home. And obviously that has a unique feel to it. We will do our roll off the floor, I think on Wednesday during our shoot-arounds, because we're going to practice here and then fly up there tomorrow, so we'll do an extended shoot-around on Wednesday and have the guys do the -- the rookies do their sailor roll off the floor, and the other guys will get to grade them, that gymnastics event, see who does the best roll. I think the other thing is you try not to make too much of it, either. The rims are the same height, the floor is the same dimension. It's more about those five guys in the other colored jersey and the structure of the building, so to speak. Q. Greg, Nigel his sophomore year became a legitimate 3-point threat, after not shooting any his first year. Vitto has made a similar jump, after two years. I know he didn't play as much, but in the off-season did you guys talk to him about that, or is that something he took upon himself to get more comfortable to be able to shoot that shot? COACH GARD: I think Vitto has always been a little more comfortable facing the basket, and that's been something that over the next year and change of his career that I've already talked to him about in terms of becoming more comfortable with his basket to the basket, and that will be an off-season project for him, and I think at the same time a little bit of change of our identity has helped him. He's found himself in positions where he was set up, ready to shoot a little bit better. Teammates have done a very good job of finding him. I think we've been very unselfish and that's been growing here recently, in terms of moving the ball, and he was the recipient of some of those last night, of making sure the ball didn't stick and we took advantage of what the defense gave us, and he puts time in. I know, there are a lot of times I walk through the practice gym upstairs, and he's got the shooting machine out and he's working on the perimeter shooting. I need to find a machine that helps him work on his post game, too, so maybe throw the ball into him, instead of always throwing it out, shoot on the perimeter, but he's put time into it, he's worked at that part of his game. So you would assume when you commit that much time to it and really focus on it, it should improve, and he has improved. Q. I think we talked to you about it and asked you a lot about how you handled the uncertainty of the situation with the job, but your assistants are under the same thing right now. How do you think they've handled it? Have they handled it similar to what you have? COACH GARD: I think they have. We really never talked about it. I believe they have the similar process, I think their positions are post as well along with our director of operation the four that are under the head coach umbrella. We've all focused on trying to help this team. They've had the same mind-set that I've had, not worrying about what's going to happen down the road and whatever happens in the head coaching position will be -- whatever happens to their position will be, I'm sure, down the road from that. I don't know the whole -- all the steps in everybody's process. We've just, like I said, tried to focus on each day with this team and not make it about what's going to happen down the road for us. Q. I don't know if you would every admit to this, but even just one time have you allowed yourself to peek at the basket projection, the Bracketology stuff out there? COACH GARD: No. Joe Lunardi and all that? I haven't looked. I have in the past. I think this year I've just tried to worry more about the team, and I hear we've -- last four out, first four out whatever it is, all that stuff and we've climbed. So wherever -- we will continue to -- right now we're still trying to chase a Big Ten Championship. We need some help, obviously, from Iowa and Maryland and we have to take care of our business, but at the same time we've -- again, that's how we've handled it since December 16th, one day at a time, and when you break it down, there was no other way we were going to be able to get to this position, other than starting that day and taking it step by step, and these guys have done a great job of adhering to that philosophy and will have to do that continuing to go forward and go into Wednesday and then Sunday and whatever happens down the road. Q. Another question about Ethan. When he came in was his footwork one of the things you liked about him, and has that taken a large step forward in the last year and a half or so? COACH GARD: Well, Ethan has had the same track that Jon Leuer and Frank Kaminsky had in terms of they played on the perimeter a lot when they were younger, because they were smaller, and then had a late growth spurt, and Ethan played point guard for, I don't know how long, sixth, seventh, eighth grade, until he grew, and that helped those kids. Frank had very good footwork; Jon had very good footwork, and once players learn to invert, so to speak, meaning I'm so accustomed to playing on the outside, and now I've got to play -- that was one of the things I noticed about Jon, Jon didn't like playing with his back to the basket when he first got here. He was much more comfortable facing up. Frank was the same way. I think Ethan was a little further ahead in terms of playing with his back to the basket, but had the same qualities in terms of foot work and balance, and that's what I mean by inverting, very comfortable going either direction with either hand. Also, everybody talks about being ambidextrous with your hands, I think ambidextrous with your feet, too, comfortable pivoting on either one, comfortable -- we call it a sickmo, which is a reverse pivot, opening up. Those things we saw with Ethan relatively early, and I know when he was here for advanced camp, he made some of the same plays in terms of grabbing a rebound and going rim-to-rim, in terms of open court, and it's a little different now -- I always tell them you can't play frogger, meaning you can't cross a busy highway in transition, sideline-to-sideline, and these guys look at me like what's frogger? So there has been old school video game instruction, too. I think that those -- that experience when he was younger has helped him. I think he's still can get a lot better, perimeter shooting will be an off-season project for him, and also being more consistent around the rim. He still -- he left a couple points there last night, or more than a couple, and I think he can get better and better as he understands how to play more on balance, how to take contact, how to take advantage of defensive players' miscues at times and really put them in jeopardy from a defensive standpoint, so obviously very happy with his growth, and he's done a tremendous job as a freshman, but we always find things where he can get better at. THE MODERATOR: Anything else for Coach? Thanks, Greg. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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