UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 20, 2021

Tom Crean

Men's Basketball Press Conference

Georgia 78, Georgia Tech 88

TOM CREAN: I'll open it up. Ready? Unfortunately when you're four games in like this with such a new group there is a lot of learning that's going on.

When we show that learning we end up doing a pretty good job, like being in position to draw charges, forcing an extra pass. But there is too many times as one of the coaches said, and he said it right, we're out there just playing basketball, right, rather than thinking basketball.

There were too many times inside of the game that we did not do the job on the game plan, especially with Devoe and taking away his left hand. We fell asleep a little bit couple times on cuts. They fell asleep on us a couple times on cuts.

But they just scored too many points at the rim.

Again, we had numerous chances. We overcame deficits, we came back, but we missed free throws tonight at crucial times. It's one thing to shoot 12 of 14 in a game; it's another thing to shoot it at the times of the game that we then.

So we got a lot of learning to do. They want to learn. There is a lot of fundamental learning that's got to continue to go when it comes to switching, when it comes to what we're trying to take away from somebody, and then just having the wherewithal, stick-to-it-ivness which is locked in focus that we've just got to get better at.

We've got to do -- we just got to get that understood. It's not complicated, okay? What's complicated is when you're not locked into what we need to do. We're not in a place yet where we have a lot of different schemes and coverages. We're not a veteran group enough yet as a program to do this on this team.

But when we did do things right, when we did defended right, it worked out well for us. When we didn't, they got clean looks at the basket or tips if they missed.

So we've got a short period of time to get better before we play on Monday and Tuesday.

Q. Coach, you mentioned a lot of those issues. I mean, it's kind of unprecedented to throw ten new guys together in one season. I mean, what are you learning about this process, I guess, and how close do you think you are?

TOM CREAN: Well, I don't know how close. I would say this: With ten new guys, you would be shocked at what some never were taught. Maybe even the ones that were in college. Some basic things.

One of the biggest areas we're not going to make the jump -- you know, there is almost times we've got to go back to a summer camp teaching fundamentals on day one in station type of work because it's just not engrained yet.

We spend time at that, but it's just not engrained yet. A lot of this stuff is certainly correctable. The free throw shooting, the shooting, things of that nature.

What's got to happen for this team is they've got to come together and talk on the floor. We've got to be able to execute basic switches with communication. We've got to be able to take away elements of a game plan, take away strengths, and especially the one thing we've really done is really short circuited how much we give them preparation-wise, because -- especially for the other team, based on the fact that we have so many new guys.

But the things we do focus on we got to do a better job with. So I don't have an answer of how long it's going to take, but we do have a great group of guys that work extremely hard. It's just a matter of building some to togetherness and toughness that eventually turns into some resolve and some unity.

Q. Tom, your defensive numbers before today looked decent for the first three games. Was a lot of this just about what Georgia Tech does or a matchup, and how much do you think it's going to carry over against Virginia or Northwestern or Providence?

TOM CREAN: Well, I have no idea how it's going to carry over. I would hope that it wouldn't. That would be nothing that we want to carry over. We have defended better. We just didn't take away strengths of the opponent tonight, individual strengths as much as we should have.

Q. Tom, what was the chief problem with defending Devoe? Obviously he was at the top of your game plan.

TOM CREAN: Getting on his left hand consistently. It's as simple as that. He can score with his right hand. He really doesn't dribble real well with his right hand, and we just let him get to his strength.

We never made him uncomfortable for extended periods of time, and we didn't make Usher uncomfortable. They're veterans, ACC champions. They've been through a lot. They're really goo players. They've got a good team, really good team. We just never made them uncomfortable enough, and we got to get that corrected.

Q. Can you talk about the play of Jabri...(Indiscernible)

TOM CREAN: I'm really sorry, but I really -- try again if you will, because I couldn't hear anything other Jabri.

Q. Can you talk about his performance, scoring ten points, the confidence that he gained?

TOM CREAN: Yeah, we need that. We needs Jabri to play well. I'm glad to see him shoot the ball. He made some good defensive plays, and we need him to be able to be an efficient contributor, and that's a very good start for him tonight.

Q. Aaron Cook kind of took it on himself today, I guess taking some of the blame for what happened on the court. You like to see that from him, to try to be a leader like he's trying to be right now?

TOM CREAN: Yeah, absolutely. And I want to see the resolve of changing, right? He's a tremendous leader. So I'm not privy before I come in here to see what was said by the players in the press conference, but it doesn't surprise me.

But we have a lot of -- there are things we do really well, but a lot of basic elements of basketball that we've got to get better at. You know, we just do.

Again, it's a daily process. We've got some guys that have been in Division I. Obviously the roles they have here they didn't have at their other places; but at the same time, there is a lot of basic things of basketball that they don't quite understand yet, but they're really working hard to get it.

So that becomes a factor. So it's never on just one person. It starts with me and it trickles down from there. But when we did, when we did guard the way we were supposed to guard we did a pretty good job. We do charges, we put them in tough, different situations.

We've got to be locked in longer. There is just no doubt about that.

Q. Hey Coach, in spite of the result tonight I think the guys did a pretty good job responding to the high stakes of an intense rivalry, especially considering the current state of their development as a team like you mentioned. I thought the energy and effort were definitely there. Aside from that, what was your biggest takeaway from tonight as game?

TOM CREAN: I'll have to go watch the film, ans as soon as I'm done with this I will. I think I've covered it. I think when we made the game easy on offense and we cut and we didn't over-penetrate we did some really good things.

There is no question we are going to see a couple calls or noncalls in the game that would've turned the tide, in a sense of goal tending calls and things of that nature. That's going to be part of the game, and unfortunately some of those things happened at really crucial times.

I think we'll see that, but there is nothing we can do about it now. But bottom line is we've got to get ourselves ready over the weekend to go play some really good basketball teams in New Jersey in a short period of time.

Q. Hey, Coach, at one point in the second half I saw you throw your hands up to get the crowd going and get everyone riled in. I notice that gets the momentum going for the offense. How important do you think that was in an environment like tonight?

TOM CREAN: We had a great environment. Yeah, I was really excited to see that kind of crowd here. I'm just sorry we couldn't send them home with a win. But they had a lot to do with our energy. They were fantastic. Hopefully they go home and say you know what, this team works really hard, they just got a lot to learn.

I think Mike said it best. We got ten new guys out there, and the returner that we had is not out there, PJ Horne. But we're learning. We're a way better team, night and day different team than where we were when we went to Charlotte for the exhibition.

It's four games in. There is a lot of learning to do. There is a lot of basketball to be played. Like I said earlier, too, we can't just play it, we got to think it.

Part of thinking it is talking. That's where we have got to make strides, consistently. Quickly, but consistently.

Q. Georgia Tech, in particular Devoe, had a very efficient game. They shot 60% from the field; 53% from three. Was it just a matter of them making shots, or it was something scheme-wise that was just freeing them up to make so many shots tonight?

TOM CREAN: That's really been the topic of the whole conversation here, is that we didn't do a good job of taking away strengths. In the case of Devoe, taking way his left hand, and in the case of Usher being alert to his cutting.

So those are basic basketball things. When you have a guy that you want to -- well, when we did put pressure on the ball in the entry pass to the high post we had some good fortune. When we didn't, they were able to play relaxed.

You can't get let a good team not feel you consistently. They were times they did, but at the end of the day, we make those free throws at crucial situations, I think we're talking a different story, too.

We just missed free throws. The 12 of 24 is not nearly as important as the time of the 12 and 24; that set us back a little bit.