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CROSSROADS CLASSIC: BUTLER VS PURDUEDecember 16, 2017LaVall JordanPaul JorgensenKelan MartinIndianapolis, Indiana Purdue - 82, Butler - 67 LaVALL JORDAN: I think opening statement is Purdue is a really good basketball team. There's a reason that they are having the season that they're having, trending the way that they're trending. Matt's a really good coach, and they've had a good program for a long time now. I thought the second half there was a lot to be proud of, the way we fought back and played with a little more energy, a little more grit. We didn't have that in the first half, and that's where we've got to be better as coaches. That one's on me to just make sure we start games with the same mentality, with the same aggressiveness, and try to get the same quality on both ends of the floor that we did late. So I think it's a big lesson to learn. We didn't handle the pressure well. Obviously, 17 turnovers is not a formula for us to beat anyone let alone a really good team like this one. Big week ahead of us. We've got two more games, but we've got a lot of time to go back and get better because there's certainly some things we need to address and work on and improve. Q. Coach, aside from the obvious, what did you need to do better to have more offensive success? LaVALL JORDAN: Like I said, I think their pressure really affected us, especially early. We didn't execute. They ran us off some cuts, ran us off some screens and the ball screens, and we dribbled it off our foot a few times. So we just didn't handle that well. We had nine turnovers at halftime, and a lot of it was just we played sped up due to them pressuring us. We didn't respond like we have before when we've gotten some pressure like that. So we've got to do a better job with that. We've got to simulate it in practice and improve in that area. That was a big area. Q. Just wanted to ask Kelan. As you address where you are this season, you've had some good wins, some tough losses, but where do you find the most room for growth with this team right now given what might have surfaced today or stuff you've seen the past few weeks? KELAN MARTIN: Just bringing energy out in the beginning of the game. We came out kind of sluggish. They upped the tempo. Like my coach said, they pressured us, and we turned the ball over a little bit. The same energy we had in the second half, that's what we need to have start of the games, and I think we'll be pretty good with that. Q. Coach, playing a team like Purdue, what does that do for you guys down the stretch when you get into Big East play, playing teams like Villanova and Xavier? LaVALL JORDAN: It gives us a test to see where you are. Obviously, you get exposed to some things you need to work on and see guys respond. The goal is to win and learn. So we didn't do that, but you still have to learn regardless. I think there's a lot to draw from positively from this one, and then definitely some areas that, like I said, we need to improve on. Q. Coach, Joey was somewhat effective in the first half in his limited time. I don't know if he even got in the game the second half. If he did, it was briefly. What was the rationale in not using Joey as much in the second half? LaVALL JORDAN: Joe brings great energy. That's something that he brings to this team. He got to the glass, I think got an offensive rebound. He's a big body. So it was just a coach's decision with matchups. I thought Cat was really helping us on the offensive glass. We weren't shooting the ball great, but he was giving us second opportunities. Obviously, we tried to get Nate some shots. He can make those shots. He didn't make them today. So it was a matchup thing as anything. Q. Coach, this is just your 11th game with this program, but in this short amount of time, what have you learned that's not just going to make this team better long term but that's going to make you a better coach long term? LaVALL JORDAN: Well, I think just how to get us be more prepared coming out of the gates. Like I said, the energy in the second half, if you look up, when we went up by one, we got more active, we picked it up and started to press. But to be a little more demanding so that we start games better. When you're playing good opponents, you can't afford to take a possession off. I thought we got lost defensively on some screens, and we hadn't had that happen. They played at a rate maybe we haven't seen before in terms of pace and cutting and movement. So just got to require more, kind of see the areas that both sides, and I have to grow, and our staff has to grow. And each, I think, that's the commitment all these guys have is to improve individually. Q. For the players. You guys mentioned the pressure Purdue was putting out there. Just what specifically about them defensively was disruptive today? What were they doing? KELAN MARTIN: They played a lot in the passing lanes. They like to deny a lot. We just had to use backdoor cuts and just get open. We couldn't just stand around. I thought we did a better job second half with that, just moving the ball around. We had open shots, but they didn't fall, but that happens. PAUL JORGENSEN: Yeah, and I think our pace in the first half was a little slow with cuts and all that stuff. So I think in the second half, once we started moving faster and playing with some confidence, you know, obviously, we were much better. So we've just got to work on that from the gate, and I think we'll be in good shape. Q. LaVall, did you sense at all that Kamar was pressing today at all, or was it just kind of one of those days for him? He had a couple of late baskets, but before that, he was shooting about 10 percent, I think. LaVALL JORDAN: I don't know if he was -- Kamar Baldwin is a really good basketball player, and he's a big part of what we've been doing here, last year, this year, and he's got to be a big part of it. Everybody has a night or a day, and I thought -- I didn't think he took bad shots. Maybe a little bit rushed. Defensively, I thought he tried -- he impacted the game, like he always does. So it was just we all have to get better. Now, I think, as a whole, I thought early we let the offensive end affect us on the defensive end, and that's a mental toughness thing that we have to improve on, where it's going to be nice when the shots aren't falling. We've had those nights already this season in 11 games. We can't let dictate our effort and execution on defense. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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