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INDIANA UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCENovember 5, 2019Al DurhamRob PhiniseeJustin SmithBloomington, Indiana Indiana - 98, Western Illinois - 65 Q. I think we asked you all about the kind of defense to offense, but, Justin, you specifically had a number of moments tonight where you were able to get out in transition because of what you did defensively. Just how important to your offensive game to you want what you do at the defensive end of the floor to be this year. JUSTIN SMITH: I feel like I'm at my best in transition so being able to create turnovers and really get out and run, use my athleticism to really benefit our team. But just in general, we got to use defense to create our offense especially with the kind of versatility that we have and the kind of athletes that we have. So I feel like if we just focus more on the defensive end then we can get going. Q. For Al or Rob, coach has talked about pushing tempo for awhile now, but it really seemed to click tonight. Can you talk about how much that was a point of emphasis and how effective you think you were? AL DURHAM: Yeah. We talk about it every day in practice, pushing the tempo and just outrunning our opponents really. So if we can out run our opponents for most of the game we can run them down, really. Basically. ROB PHINISEE: Yeah, what Al just said pretty much. But that's our main focus, just get out in transition and score easy buckets. Q. Al, I don't see you have a stat sheet there. Have you looked at it yet? Do you know what you did? Do you know how many shots you missed? AL DURHAM: No, I didn't look at it. Could you tell me? Q. Take a look. I think you might know. AL DURHAM: Oh, we were 7-7 today. Q. We were, weren't we? How does that feel? Was it going? And obviously you're not aware of that as it happens so you're not feeling pressure as the shots mount, you haven't missed one yet. AL DURHAM: I mean, my teammates were fine to me. They did a good job with that. And they trusted me to knock down the shots and that's what I did today. I feel like I prepared for this moment and it went my way today. Q. All three of you guys were out there in the lineup with Trayce and Jerome. I think it was something like a 16- or 18-0 run there midway through the first half. For any of you, what was kind of working for that particular combination and that whole stretch? How were you guys able to create some separation with Western Illinois? ROB PHINISEE: I would say our defense. We had a lot of steals and Trayce, and I think Justin had a couple blocks, too, and we got out in transition and that's where we're at our best. Q. Rob, how are you feeling physical? Have you started to feel the rhythm back in your game and, in the last week or just the last day, or when did you start really getting better after the first few minutes tonight? ROB PHINISEE: Yeah, I mean, I wouldn't say, well, I wouldn't say I'm a hundred percent, but I'm still getting my rhythm back, and I feel like this game is a big confidence booster for me. Q. Rob, to play on that, what is difficult for you right now? What's hard to play through? How do you feel at the end of the game? What's just the total physical? ROB PHINISEE: I'm feeling fine now. I would say just my rhythm, just sitting out that whole month of October not being able to practice anything. So just the rhythm out there and just pretty much getting our team chemistry up. Because I've been out for awhile. Q. For Al and Rob, 18 assists to 11 turnovers, the ball movement today, how encouraging was that to see and the ability to take care of the ball as well. AL DURHAM: It's a point of emphasis for us. We don't want to turn it over but we want to, you can see everybody can contribute on this team, so I feel like 18 assists, great. We got to cut down on the turnovers, though. Q. Rob, there was one moment where I think you went pretty much face first into the floor for a ball. How much does, you just enjoy that part of the game in terms of going after loose balls and things like that? ROB PHINISEE: I really pride myself on defense, so whenever I can get on the floor and be the first person to the floor I feel like that gives our team a boost. And we might have got a bucket after that, I'm not sure, but I feel just like being the first person to the floor really helps our team. Q. Justin, I know after the exhibition, you said there were a couple awkward lineups out there. Did you feel like there was a little bit more continuity there on the floor with some of the lineup that you guys had today? You guys looked pretty comfortable out there together. JUSTIN SMITH: Yeah, I would say so. Just getting Al back that we didn't have the exhibition and getting Rob back in here a little bit more. But I think that we pride ourselves on our versatility so even in practice we play with some weird lineups to kind of just feel some things out. So whenever we need to do that, we'll be ready for it. But a lot of different players can do a lot of different things on the floor at any position, so we can use that to our advantage. Q. Justin, you're playing the three, it looks like starting off, and I don't think you did that last year. Has your game, it looked like your game has advanced, not just because you were playing the three, but were you doing three things. Are you better this year or could you have done that whenever and you just didn't have a chance? JUSTIN SMITH: Whatever Coach Miller wants me to do I will do on the floor. Whatever he asks me to do. He wants me to play the four, he wants me to play the five, he wants me to play the one, I'll do it. Q. Did you work on your game at all to handle the three more? JUSTIN SMITH: Yeah. I mean it was a goal of mine to really be able to play more aggressive and more consistent on the perimeter. So that's really what I worked on this off season and I'm lucky that it's coming into fruition. Q. He was here an extra month, correct? JUSTIN SMITH: In May. Q. Justin, you talked about embracing, being one of this team's more versatile defenders, as well, last season. I guess, where do you feel like you improved defensively as a guy that did spend a lot of last year matching up with wing guys and high scoring volume scorers in Big-10 play? JUSTIN SMITH: I would say that on the ball and in ball screens with my man is using the ball screen. That's definitely going to an adjustment in the first couple games. We're really working on it hard in practice. But I just got to keep going and keep getting better as we get more reps, doing that, it will be second, become second nature. Q. Justin, to keep on the offensive piece of it. Obviously the three takes you out further on the perimeter but it also seems like you're more willing to take more guys on the low block from the perimeter and take advantage of your size. Is that an emphasis where you're trying to make sure that when you have an athletic and size advantage, that you're kind of using that to punish your defender? JUSTIN SMITH: It's definitely smart to use your advantage, especially when you have big guys on the wing like me, Jerome, Damezi. We're being guarded by, I think, it's 6'-2", 6'-3" guys on the floor. So just using our strength and also our quickness if a big guy comes on to us, it's just kind of pick your poison at that point. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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