Maui Jim Maui Invitational
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Rick Barnes
Detrick Mostella
Tennessee Volunteers
THE MODERATOR: Coach Barnes is joined by Detrick
Mostella.
really good early. I thought one of the worst spans we
played defensively was during the first four minutes of
the second half. We didn't come out of the locker room
with the kind of energy we needed. We fought back.
We kept our poise even when we'd been down.
COACH BARNES: It's obviously a hard-fought
basketball game. I keep saying I really like our team.
We keep getting better and better each time out.
Certainly coming here and playing against the level of
competition is proving that our guys can compete.
Didn't close the first half the way we wanted to. We've
got a couple guys that are playing too tentatively,
where they're not looking to shoot the ball, and when
that happens, that leaves -- part of the reason we
turned the ball over 25 times.
And now we've got to learn to win games. Two big
possessions coming out of the time-out, we drew up
the play they were going to run, we wound up edging
and gave that basket up, and the last play of the game
we didn't really execute. We were wanting to drive the
ball for two. They got in too far. We had two different
looks for the three, and we didn't execute that. That's
how fine a line it is.
But for a young group of guys, we'll learn from it. Long
way to go in this season. Regardless of how we come
out of this tournament, we're going to find out a lot
about us, and I think we're finding that out.
Oregon - 69, Tennessee - 65
Overall, just some really good things. I'm really proud
of John Fulkerson today. I thought he really came in
and hadn't played very much, learned how to work
through fatigue.
But 25 turnovers is too much, especially from guys that
shouldn't be turning the ball over. As bad as we were,
we kept telling our guys to keep playing defense. The
way we were, we couldn't find a way to get it done. We
put ourselves in position, but we just didn't finish it.
Q. Detrick, what's been the key for you coming off
the bench and being such a spark in the first half,
both yesterday and today?
DETRICK MOSTELLA: Just coming in and playing my
role and just playing as hard as I can. If I play as hard
as I can, I let everything make up for it. I feel like the
last couple of days, I just needed to prepare differently
mentally. On the mental side, just come in and play my
role.
THE MODERATOR: We'll dismiss Detrick back to his
team and take questions for Coach.
Q. Rick, is this progress from yesterday in terms of
being able to rally and force overtime?
COACH BARNES: Defensively, I thought we were
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Now we've got to find a way to win, and we certainly
have the pieces and the ability to do that.
Q. Coach, you just kind of mentioned it. You have
a relatively young team, and you're giving these
ranked teams a run for their money. What has
impressed you so far about your guys?
COACH BARNES: I think we've got a group of guys
that they're learning as we go. They have been eager.
They listen, not quite well enough still, but they are
trying to be a good team. I think our culture is really,
really good. I think that they are starting to understand
it's a big difference between high school and college
and how you have to play out long possessions on
defense.
We might have had our best rebounding effort of the
year against a team that is known for their rebounding,
but it's so much a learning process. But the fact that
we were playing against a very high-level group of
players in this, it's going to help us because I do think
our guys -- one thing that we've talked about is making
sure they understand they're good enough. I do think
they understand they're good enough now. Now they
have to understand what goes into winning at this level.
Q. Rick, on Brooks' game winner, surprised there
when he pulls up, he had time, expecting he
probably drives it in? And just your thoughts on
what you've seen out of Oregon as a whole.
COACH BARNES: Again, I think they've got a lot of
players, like most teams this time of year, they're still
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searching where they want to be as a team, their
rotations. This is a tough game to play. I thought both
teams played hard, really fought their hearts out.
Dana is a terrific coach. Known him for a long time.
He's obviously done a terrific job with that program.
Like I said, it's early for us. We're with a young team.
But every year you start over. You do, you start over.
You've got to get things going. I know they've lost a
couple games, but I know the first one -- I mean, think
about it. They lost to, what, Baylor and Georgetown,
two pretty good teams.
We all open the season with these tough games, but I
love what they do offensively. They try to keep you off
balance with their defense, but the fact is they're a
good team, and us playing against them, I think, is
going to make us a better team.
everywhere.
Again, we hope we can get a win out of here before we
leave, but the fact is, the way this tournament's ran, I'm
not sure there's a better preseason tournament with
what they do with the interest, and I think they should
always try to get cold-weather teams to come because
I think their fans want to get out of the cold weather
and get here.
The fact is it is what it is. I think they're going to keep
playing it up until, what, 2030, which is only going to
get better. But everything, the infrastructure is as good
as you see in the NCAA Tournament.
Q. (Off microphone)?
COACH BARNES: Was I surprised? At the end of the
game I'm not surprised by anybody. I'm sure when I
look at it on tape -- they were driving the ball really
hard. We knew that. I think we were expecting them to
drive the ball more.
I think we were caught with our hands down a little bit.
He went up and knocked it down. I don't think you're
going to take both of them away from him. Up to that
point, both teams were really driving and putting
pressure on the rim.
You look at him early, I thought he was a little tentative,
wanting to shoot the ball from there. I thought he was
wanting to get it closer to the rim. But got to give him
credit. Raised up and knocked it down.
Q. Coach, you've been here several times with
three different programs. Can you just speak to
the Maui experience and how much you'd like to
come back in the future.
COACH BARNES: Well, it's great. You look around,
and everything about this has become a big-time event.
I can remember being here 20-some years ago. This
wasn't here, what we're doing now. We'd stand out
here in the hallway, the way they've worked to make
this facility what it is today, and the way everything's
handled at just a first-rate manner and everything that
you do.
And the thing that I realized walking in -- I've been
here, and I'm not sure I'd say that -- I'm coming to do
my job, but I could feel the players were excited
because they've grown up watching this, and now they
can say they've been a part of it. You know, I love
Dave Odom. I think he's a guy that will attract the
coaches to come back because, as you know now,
there's so many of these tournaments going
Rev #2 by #370 at 2016-11-22 21:34:00 GMT
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Maui Jim Maui Invitational
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Dana Altman
Casey Benson
Dillon Brooks
Oregon Ducks
Oregon - 69, Tennessee - 65
THE MODERATOR: Coach Altman is joined by Dillon
Brooks and Casey Benson.
COACH ALTMAN: We're not playing very well, but we
had to find a way to win the game. So any way we
could do to figure out a way to win was really important
for us. Fortunately, Dillon made a couple of plays down
the stretch.
But it shows how far we have to go. 21 turnovers,
didn't execute down the stretch. Defensively, we take
chances and get ourselves out of position. We're not
playing good basketball. I think we can get a whole lot
better because I've seen these guys play and I know
what they're capable of. Between the coaching staff
and the players, we've got to get much more
disciplined. We've got to get much more ball
movement and playing for each other, and we're just
not doing a good job of that right now.
We obviously read too many press clippings, and we're
not playing anywhere near that level and anywhere
near the level we're capable of playing.
So it's going to be a growth. We found a way to win
today, which was critical. We've got to try to find a way
to win tomorrow against either Chaminade or
Connecticut, and then we've got to get back and get
some home games, and we've got to grow as a team.
But we've got a long way to go, but I am glad that they
found a way to win the game.
Q. Dillon, on that last one, did you think about the
drive? Were you going to pull it up? What was
kind of going through your mind with seven
seconds on the shot clock? Were you kind of
figuring they might guard the drive, and you
wanted to get a shot up?
DILLON BROOKS: They were bunched in, and we
weren't really in no plays or nothing. So I just shot one
I've been practicing a lot when I've been hurt, and it
fell.
Rev #2 by #370 at 2016-11-22 21:38:00 GMT
Q. How about the one at the end of regulation?
Happy to get a chance again in the overtime after
the one in regulation came just short?
DILLON BROOKS: Yeah, I knew I had to redeem
myself. I left it short. That's me being out of shape.
But my players, you know, they gave me confidence,
and they made big plays before I made that big play,
with Casey's and one. Casey knocked down two free
throws. Guys were -- Chris grabbed a rebound,
blocking shots, same with Jordan.
We just had a couple missed errors, and we let
Tennessee back in the game.
Q. How are you feeling in terms of through two
games? How's the foot? Are you kind of feeling
like you're getting back into it out there?
DILLON BROOKS: Yeah, I'm feeling good. I'm feeling
great. My foot doesn't hurt at all. I'm just ready for this
next game and ready to get back and work and work
with these guys and get better and get to that level that
we need to be at.
Q. Casey, thoughts on coming off the bench today,
that kind of adjustment for you? And in that
overtime, you were really aggressive driving to get
a couple of baskets.
CASEY BENSON: Yeah, at the end of the day, just
whatever helps our team win games. At this point,
obviously, we kind of had a rough start. So whatever I
can do to help our team win. That's what I wanted to
do today.
Q. Can you talk about being aggressive in the
overtime.
CASEY BENSON: Just wanted to make plays and take
what the defense gives me. Ball went in the basket,
made some free throws, and helped our team get the
win. I was excited about that. Tyler made a great pass
on the kick out, which led them into a close-out
situation and was able to get to the rim.
THE MODERATOR: We'll dismiss players back to their
teams and take questions for Coach.
Q. Coach, do you feel like there were certain
mistakes made against Georgetown that were
corrected in this game?
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COACH ALTMAN: It's a grind right now. Nothing's
coming easy. We got a lot better start. We were trying
to transition, and guys were just trying to make plays
that weren't there. So I think the first half, we were
maybe 1 for 7, 1 for 8 in transition. We had some
pretty good opportunities.
Everybody's just trying to do too much right now. They
don't trust their teammates to make plays. So the ball's
stopping with everybody. Everybody wants to make a
play individually, and that's just not good for ball
movement. So our ball movement's very, very poor. I
can't get them to understand. We've had a very
efficient offense running the same thing in years past
because of our ball movement. We've struggled to get
the ball movement.
I think eventually we'll get that going. Got to try to do
something to help them by tomorrow, but our ball
movement's got to get a lot, lot better, and we've got to
start making more plays. 9 assists, 21 turnovers -that's not an efficient offense.
I thought defensively there for a long time in the second
half, we really did a good job. They were stuck on 32
for a long time. But we just weren't getting anything at
the other end.
Q. Did you think Dillon was going to shoot that?
Did you think he was going to drive it?
COACH ALTMAN: I thought he was going to drive it.
When he pulled it up, it was one of those no, no, great
shot. I really like the shot he got at the end of
regulation. He squared up and had a 15-footer
uncontested. I mean, we'll take that. Pick and pop and
15-footer, nobody there, end of the game. It's a pretty
good play.
No, it was one of those that I was hoping he'd drive and
make the play for somebody or get to the free-throw
line.
Q. Coach, can you just speak to the Maui
experience and how much fun you guys have had
and how much you might like to come back in the
future.
COACH ALTMAN: We're not having much fun because
we're not playing real well. That's always a big part of
it. This is the greatest tournament. This is my first
time. I've never had an opportunity at Creighton, and
Coach was good enough to invite us.
This is the best tournament I've ever been in, and I'm
sure some other promoters won't like me saying that,
but it is. It's a great location, great environment. The
teams this year, unbelievable. Wisconsin and North
Carolina. The opportunities -- even in the losers
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bracket, you're playing Tennessee, a Southeast
Conference school.
No, the teams -- the hospitality is unbelievable. Maui
Jim and their sponsorship of it, the people at the hotels,
people here at the gym, I'm not sure we've ever been
treated better. Great tournament. We'd sure love to
come back sometime and represent our school and our
program a little better because we are a better team. I
think eventually we'll get there. We've got four starters
back from a Final Eight team. Elgin Cook was a good
player, and Dwyane gave us something, but those four
guys are still pretty good.
Dylan Ennis is a lot better than what he's playing.
Payton Pritchard, Kavell, Keith -- we're going to make
some progress. Right now we're stuck in the mud, and
we got to get through tomorrow and figure out a way to
grind one out again tomorrow and then hopefully get
back and put some things together.
We've got a little home streak. We've been out on the
road. Baylor on the road. We've been out a little bit.
We need to get home.
We're just not very fundamentally sound right now.
That's my fault. We've got to get a lot better. I've got to
be a lot more demanding.
We will. I've got faith in these guys. Chris, Jordan,
Dylan, Tyler, Casey -- these guys have been through it.
They've been through it. They've won a lot of games.
They finished second in the Pac-12 and first. They
won a tournament and went to the finals in the other
one. They'll bounce back. We've just got to get
through tomorrow and get back.
Q. Switching up the starting lineup and talk about
Casey in the overtime, he got really aggressive
there for you.
COACH ALTMAN: We're not going to be settled on a
lineup here for another month. We're going to move
guys around. When you're not playing efficiently, you
just try to shake things up, and Payton played pretty
good. Casey had been struggling a little bit. Just
trying to free him up. That's the best offensive game
he's had. There's nothing to it. Those guys are more
concerned about who's starting than I am.
We've got nine or ten guys. We've got to figure out the
rotation. Somebody else, Dillon Brooks comes back
100 percent, somebody else -- we're going to have
rotation problems here. So they're going to be either
all about the team and want to come off the bench, or
I'll just have to go a different direction. This is about
us. This is not about individuals. This is about us
getting better. We'll have to find a way that way.
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