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INDIANA UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCENovember 9, 2018De'Ron DavisJuwan MorganRobert PhiniseeBloomington, Indiana Montana State - 35, Indiana - 80 Q. 14 points, 11 rebounds, 66 shooting; your best performance in games we've seen so far this season, I know it's only been three. What's been the adjustment with having more guys around you that can score at volume, as opposed to last season where everything flowed through you. Do you feel like you have a comfort level with where you fit in the offense with more weapons, more options? JUWAN MORGAN: I think it took a little getting used to and just took building some chemistry on that side of the ball. But I think just having all those weapons around me, just if I kept doing what I was doing last year, even if the ball wasn't coming to me, still setting people up with just a hard steal, being able to open up, say, a lob for Romeo for just a drive for Justin or something like that. Just keep staying aggressive. Q. Juwan, having these first couple games this week before you get to some of the non-conference games, what were things you needed to see in these two games this week you felt like you saw? JUWAN MORGAN: I just think being connected on the defensive end, we couldn't really worry about what was going on with the team. We were going against -- we just had to go out there and play as hard as we could and run our things. We had to do what Indiana does. Q. Last year you struggled out of the gate and this year; what's the big difference and why are you guys so ready out of the gate? JUWAN MORGAN: I just think with the older guys, living through that thing last year, we came in knowing that's not how we wanted to start off this year, and I think we really echoed that to the younger guys and they came in ready to fight along with us. Q. De'Ron, a couple plays, you had a baseline drive and a reverse hook shot, especially getting a loose ball mid-court and being able to take it all the way, given the injury you've had to rehab, how does it feel to have the confidence to be making plays like that? DE'RON DAVIS: It's been real good. It's been a long off-season for me. Just working myself back into game shape. I feel like, you know, as far as my Achilles and where I feel with that, I feel pretty much 100 percent now. I'm full-go in practice. Just felt good to be out there playing a game with my team. I've been out for a while. Just being out there with my guys felt pretty good. Q. Rob, seemed like you were able to get the ball down low and to the rim. What did you think you did well in terms of being able to get the ball in the paint? ROB PHINISEE: Coach really told us to try to feed the post and play off of them, so that's what we did. Q. Rob, just obviously it's early in your freshman year and you've got some extra minutes with Devonte dealing with injuries. Where do you feel like you're at just a couple of games into your first year? ROB PHINISEE: I'm still learning. I learn from our older guys like Juwan and the captains, Zach. Just keep doing what I'm doing and I feel like I'll do a lot better. Q. What have you seen out of Robert, both going back to the summer and preseason, but especially maybe he's had the adjustment period of putting real game competition under his belt. JUWAN MORGAN: You got it. DE'RON DAVIS: Honestly I feel like Rob, out of all the freshman, besides Romeo, he's doing a great job but Rob just came in ready for college basketball. His body is real good. He's mentally tough and smart on the court and makes good passes, good decisions, and he just encourages us on the court. He talks, so honestly, I feel like he steps into his role with Devonte being hurt pretty well and I think he's seizing his opportunity. Q. For Juwan and De'Ron, I thought you guys were very sharp tonight but the first two games, to be honest, you had the opposition pretty thoroughly out-manned. Marquette is coming in here Wednesday. With so many freshmen and newcomers on the team, what do you guys tell them about what happens when the competition rachet up? DE'RON DAVIS: This place explodes. This place is going to be loud. JUWAN MORGAN: That, and just tell them, keep doing what we're doing. We try to not play down to and we try not to play up the competition. We try to stay at a steady level. And I think just us, the older guys telling them what it's like, I think just going through it in practice, making the practices harder than games, I think they will be ready. Q. Beyond just getting into game shape, the last couple months conditioning-wise, what have you been able to do as far as getting your body in a position where you can play some minutes early on? DE'RON DAVIS: Honestly practice is just taking every represent I can. Try not to take reps off. Try to build my condition, you know, if we have a day like tomorrow, it's an off-day. So instead of me being totally off, I'll come in for treatment or do some extra cardio or core work just to prepare my body. I think just the biggest struggle is me playing through the pains of my Achilles. It's not really my Achilles that's hurting. Everything around it is really sore and my body is always really sore. Me getting over that hump is probably the main thing I'm focused on right now besides game shape. Q. For any of you guys, Coach talks about defense-to-offense. I know lots of coaches talk about that, but I think it's something like 53 points off turnovers in the first two games of the season, plus 32 points off turnovers in Southern Indiana. What makes you so good not just forcing the turnovers but being so good in transition off them? JUWAN MORGAN: We always preach getting the ball ahead. As we got those turnovers, we got a lot of run outs. I think just seeing plays ahead of time; if you see somebody getting into them on the defensive side and you see a steal happening, I just think being able to predict that and getting out really helps us. I think we were making a lot of great plays in the open court. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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