INDIANA UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

December 3, 2024

Luke Goode

Malik Reneau

Postgame Media Conference

Indiana 97, Sam Houston 71

Q. Luke, took some time, but you saw some shots fall tonight inside at home. What did it mean to you to be able to do that here and also kind of continue the rhythm that you got into down in the Bahamas?

LUKE GOODE: Yeah, it's just a testament to the process. I believe in myself and know I'm one of the best shooters in the conference, and I feel that way every day.

I go through the same routine I do every day regardless if I shoot well, if I shoot well, and approach the game that way.

It was good to see shots go down. Got to give a shoutout to my teammates. We really moved the ball well in transition. When you get easy transition threes it kind of gets you into a rhythm of the game.

Being able to see some go down at home is definitely great for the confidence, and I think everybody benefits. You saw Miles get downhill. Malik and Ballo got easy looks. It helps the whole team when I'm able to hit shots.

Q. Luke, just going back to your AAU days, you were a guy who when your you get your feet set, you're going to make a good percentage. How impactful is it when you guys run some stuff, maybe you're running and get to your spots, you used to be able to find a spot, get set, and be ready to go.

LUKE GOODE: Yeah, it's super important. Transition buckets are one of the most important parts of the game on offense. It's when the defense isn't set and it's kind of a free for all.

So being able to get my feet set in transition and be able to knock down the shots is huge for our team. That's something I wasn't really able to do at home for the first whatever amount of games.

Coach Woodson and my teammates still have shots in me. Every time I miss a shot, give me high five and say, you're the best shooter that we know. This is what you do.

So it's a lot of confidence that they give me, and I'm very appreciative of that. I think it's a good thing.

Q. Malik, from your perspective having somebody like Luke that can come off the bench and can just be one of those players that can in three or four possessions put nine points up on the board really fast. What does that do when you have that in the starting lineup and then also coming off the bench, being able to run the open floor, being able to score quickly in bunches?

MALIK RENEAU: Yeah, like he said, it just opens up for everybody. Whether Miles is getting downhill, open up little drop offs to the bigs, and stuff like that. It's not only in the game. I mean, Luke shows it in practice every single day, so he gives us that confidence when he's open, we know he's going to knock down the shot.

Even if he miss, we tell him, good shot, keep shooting. He's five out of seven today. Great day for him. That's all I can say. Good job.

Q. Luke, what does it mean to you to be playing in Indiana now at the end of your college career? Today seemed like you had an extra jump in your step after the first couple went down. Were you feeling it that special? Were you that juiced?

LUKE GOODE: Yeah, it's super special. The first game I played at home it was kind of cool. It was like a shock. I have pictures from me behind the bench at the game sitting in my uncle's seat when I was like ten years old. So to be able to wear the candy stripes and go play, it's a dream come true.

I hope people realize that when I go out there and play. I play as hard as I possibly can when I'm on the court to represent this program the way it should be represented.

Being able to go out there and put that mentality with actually being able to hit a couple shots now is definitely a good thing.

Q. Malik, what kind of leadership role has Luke taken so far this season?

MALIK RENEAU: A huge one. He's the one in the huddles, the meetings. He's always saying something to us, giving encouragement to the guys. It's been that way since the summertime. He's been trying to put us in the right position, because he's been on the -- what was it, Elite 8?

LUKE GOODE: Yeah, Elite 8, yeah.

MALIK RENEAU: An Elite Eight team. My bad. Sorry. He just knows what it takes to get to that stage. So just having Luke Goode as one of our leaders on the team just helps us out a lot.

Q. Malik, when you guys only had one big on the floor the offense seemed to flow a little better. Did you notice that at all?

MALIK RENEAU: Yeah, we definitely got to work on the two-big lineup for sure. When there is one big out there it flows better, more space out there for shooters and open up the floor. Yeah, me and Ballo definitely got to work on the two-big lineup so we can be a better presence with the two -- big lineup, too.

Q. After the Louisville game, Coach Woodson talked about being out-toughed. Since then, has the team had some tough conversations about trying to fix that aspect?

MALIK RENEAU: Definitely. I mean, after seeing the two losses we had where we didn't come out, lackadaisical and not ready to play, and being out-toughed.

I mean, we had group meetings and just we knew as individuals we got to pick all our stuff up as individuals.

So that's what we did. It showed today.

Q. Luke, I guess for either of you, Anthony came in and gave you good minutes tonight. How was he able to be so impactful?

LUKE GOODE: Yeah, I think Anthony is one of the best teammates I've ever played with. He is put in tough positions all the time. Being in the lineup, out of the lineup, being called on last year and making big plays. I remember sitting in the living room and watching him come in for that three-game stretch and literally winning the game for the team all three games.

When you have a guy like that that you can depend on that's so selfless to take a step back and not get minutes and still be a great teammate, and then to come in like he did today, it's special.

He played 25 minutes this game after not playing single minute in the Bahamas, and he was still a great teammate. When you have that and you have that winning mentality, you know, it really helps everybody else realize it's bigger than themselves.

That's the selflessness we need to keep portraying to the rest of the team and the rest of the guys.

Q. Luke, back to the Bahamas. I'm sure you guys have watched the games over and over again, the ones you played and lost, Louisville and Gonzaga. After watching them again and playing in the games, why do you think you guys didn't play up to par?

LUKE GOODE: All toughness. I think we have one of the most talented teams in the country. The day that I got here every single guy that's getting major minutes and even the guys that aren't, the talent on this team is ridiculous. I think it's the best talent this program has had in a long time.

At the end of the day, it comes down to who plays the hardest. I think we just didn't play the hardest. It's something we fixed during the week. I think we came out today and played a lot harder on defense. Tweaked a couple things.

Coach Woodson obviously saw something that needed to change, and we changed that today. I think it's continuing to come in every day and be the hardest playing team. I think that's something we got to preach and that's why we lost those games.