INDIANA UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 29, 2023

CJ Gunn

Anthony Walker

Postgame Media Conference

Indiana - 74, UIndy - 52

Q. C.J., a lot of good things going on in the first half. You were one of the bright spots. How did it feel to be one of the guys that was actually getting something done? But you guys turned it around in the second half. What was the key to that as well?

CJ GUNN: It was just, you know, it's a blessing to be back out there on the court. We've been beating up on each other all summer. Finally to go against another team to showcase what we can do as a team out there, it was a great time. Had a lot of fun.

Q. Anthony, coach suggested that there was a little bit of motivational talk in the halftime locker room. Can you share anything from what he had to say to you guys?

ANTHONY WALKER: Yeah, I mean, he is who he is. Real Coach Woody came out. He wanted us to play Indiana basketball like he's been coaching us all summer and the way he's coached since he's been here. That's exactly what I feel like we did in the second half.

Q. Seemed like your length kind of sticks out on both sides of the floor. How does that impact -- what kind of advantage does it give you on both sides of the floor?

ANTHONY WALKER: For sure. That's something Woody stated at the beginning of the year when he assembled this team, put the team together. This team is a lot taller than last year and a lot longer. We plan to use it to the best of our ability on offense and defense.

CJ GUNN: We've just got to help each other , be in the gaps on defense and get deflections. As a team, I feel everybody on the floor can guard the 1 through 4, and as a team that's a capability that differentiates us from everybody else.

Q. Proverbial first game and it's a chance to not only play against somebody else but learn the tendencies your teammates playing against somebody else. What do you feel this team learned about itself? What do you feel you learned about mixing with these guys against a different opponent?

ANTHONY WALKER: Right. Me, personally, I think that first half that we played was probably the best thing that could have happened to us coming out as our first game, knowing that we need to play basketball to the best of our ability against everybody. We need to play as hard as we can against everybody.

So us being able to take that punch that they gave and come together and work as a team in the second half and pull it through, I think it was something that was really important.

Q. C.J., first game of your sophomore year, how was it different from your freshman season and are you more comfortable this time around, your first game?

CJ GUNN: Of course, I'm definitely more comfortable just practicing and being out there with the guys. Like we said, this is a whole different team. I'm as comfortable as ever out on the floor. We missed a couple shots, but that's not much, we are just going to keep going. We've got Marian on Friday. That's where my head's at.

Q. Gabe was really active defensively today. What kind of effort do you guys need to see from him on a consistent basis in order to be successful, especially on the bench unit?

CJ GUNN: We just need it every night. His effort and his defensive pressure, that does nothing but it's contagious to all of us. Seeing him work and seeing him apply pressure on the ball, it makes us want to get stops and get deflections and get steals. We need that type of energy coming off the bench to lift us up as a team.

ANTHONY WALKER: Especially coming from a freshman. For him to come out his first game, apply the pressure he did made a statement for the team and other guards and our perimeter players on defense. So it was very important for him to do that.