On Seton Hall’s game plan:
“We came in and wanted to try to work Fatts (Russell) a little bit, roll him in the post. The first play of the game, we don’t throw it in, we were wide open and we take a stupid shot. It’s just tough. These guys, give Rhode Island credit, they played good. We had our opportunities, you just can’t shoot the free throws the way we did in the second half. You have a chance to go up three, you have a chance to go up four, you have a chance to cut it to one and you just miss free throws. That’s part of my worries of being on the road so much, those kinds of things. But it’s good, we’re learning a lot — I’m learning a lot — about this team and kind of how we have to play.”
On lack of offense negating Seton Hall’s defense:
“Absolutely. Going into the season, I knew what our biggest issue was going to be, that all these guys want to be the man, and it’s not just something (where) you’re going to walk on the court. Just because you’re shooting a lot doesn’t mean you’re the man, and we’re playing really selfish offensively right now. I think we’re taking a lot of bad shots. When we’re passing the ball and everything, it’s great. The ball’s sticking in everyone’s hands, it’s not one guy. It’s sticking in everyone’s hands, and we’ve got to get a little more continuity on offense.”
On not having practice time to work on set plays:
“I talk to guys all the time in the game. I always do that, that’s nothing. I just think doing things, trying to get back into competitive shape — Sandro worked really hard, but he got a little gassed. Again, a team makes a run — and this is kind of for me, too, I’m still trying to figure out where to go. That just doesn’t come automatically, and you need games for that. I need to know who I can trust and who I can throw the ball to, and going into this, I knew that was something I was going to have to figure out.”
On Sandro Mamukelashvili:
“I don’t think Sandro played well. I just think — my expectations for him — he’s one of the best players in the country. I just think he has to play with a little bit more poise. He’s getting a little more sped up at times, and that’s natural. He’s now responsible a lot more for creating offense, and again, that’s something that’s going to take a little time. Just because you have the ball in your hands doesn’t mean you’re trying to score, and I think we’re all struggling with that a little bit. They didn’t have the ball in their hands last year at all, so it comes down to it. I just hate to say it. We’re down three and we miss four straight free throws. You can’t win anywhere when you miss free throws.”
On what Jahari Long has to do to enter the rotation:
“He’s gotta practice, and you know, the quarantine really, really, really hurt two people: Jahari Long and Ikey. In those two, I saw the biggest drop from how they were playing to when they got out of quarantine. It’s just dramatic. I’m still shocked with Jahari, because he was aggressive, he was mentally sharp. Putting a healthy kid in a dorm room for 14 days and not letting him out, it’s almost criminal, to be perfectly honest with you. It’s just not right. What we’re doing is idiotic. And for me with Jahari, it took me a while to get going mentally, and for him — I couldn’t imagine sitting in a room for 14 days, it’s not like it was an apartment, he was in a room for 14 days — I just think mentally, he’s mentally lazy right now. That’s what it does to you, that’s what quarantine did to Jahari. He’s working hard in practice — we practiced yesterday and he was great — but I’ve just got to somehow wake him up mentally, and it’s going to be hard. I’ve got to show a little more trust in him, I’ve got to let him play through mistakes, that’s on me. I’ve just got to snap the mental thing back out with Jahari.”
On facing Oregon Friday:
“Dana (Altman) called me when we setting this up, Dana called me and said, ‘Hey, I’m talking to Bruce (Pearl), he lost a game.’ I knew this trip was going to be hard, it is what it is. But my whole point of — obviously you have to get games, but my other point was being ready for December 11, being game sharp for December 11. And we’re still, I would say we’re about a quarter of what we need to be, and we’re going to go out there and we’re going to battle. We’re playing harder, we’re just not playing well. It’s one of things that we’ve just got to — I’m going to be patient — I just don’t like that the ball’s sticking on offense too much. That’s my only complaint. They’re working hard, doing a lot of good things, I think they’re fighting, I think I’m starting to see them be in a little bit better game shape, they’re not gassed during timeouts. The difference from tonight’s second half and Iona’s second half is dramatically different. I just gotta be a little more patient with these guys.”
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