Billy Donovan Press Conference Quotes
Monday, February 23, 2015 | Men's Basketball
Head coach Billy Donovan gave an update on the team heading into Tuesday's game at Missouri during his weekly Monday morning press conference. See what he had to say below.
On Dorian Finney-Smith's status…
He's out. He's not playing tomorrow, so we'll have to revisit again after this game. We've got to take off on Wednesday so I'll have an update on I guess on Thursday if we do media on Thursday but he's out for the game.
On what you're looking for from Kasey Hill…
I think one of the things that he has got to get better at…he's one of the nicest kids I've ever coached, one of the nicest kids I've ever been around. He's one of those kids that really wants to do well for all the right reasons. There's not a selfish bone in his body. He's all about the team. I would say inside of our team he's probably if not the most well-liked guy, one of the most well-liked guys. But where he's really struggled is decision making, reading defense, understanding when he gets in the lane how he needs to play in the lane. I still think he goes in there off one leg a lot of times and he kind of gives away what he's getting ready to do. I think sometimes he gets in there, he's easy to guard. If you saw the Vanderbilt game at the end there he made a great play, he drove, played off two feet, he made a little runner, he needs to do more of that. And I think one of the things, we've struggled on the fast break in terms of converting on the break. And a lot of times that has a lot to do with your point guard and I think his biggest struggle, his biggest challenge has been reading defense and seeing things when he's playing. I try to help him with that and for me personally it's been really, really hard. There's just certain guys that have a very, very natural gift in terms of being able to read and see things as they're developing. For example, Jake Kurtz on our team is phenomenal at it. He's really, really good at it. He's got a great understanding, a great feel. That's one of the areas I think for Kasey, we've got to try to find a way as a staff to try and help him do some of those things because in the game as a point guard it's never going to be from Point A to Point B to Point C. You say, okay do this every single time and it's going to work, you know. Defenses do different things, they coverage different things, they rotate different ways, they provide help from different areas, they switch certain things, so you know, it's no different from a quarterback being back there and having to go against zone, go against man, go against blitzes, go against all different coverages. When you're a point guard, you're going against constantly different coverages, and for me as a coach it's easy to see through my eyes and I played the position. I was able to see those things. That's something he really has had a hard time with and has really just struggled with. And there's times where he does get in there and it works out great and there's some other times where it doesn't work out great. I think that's the first thing.
I think the second thing he's got to get better at is he's got to become way, way more disciplined on defense. You know, he still is one of those guys where, you know I almost call it like, it's like you see in mini basketball sometimes. A kid makes a mistake and he runs back and tries to make up for his mistake instead of just doing the next best thing. You know, he's always a lot of time, sometimes compounds mistakes because when he does make a mistake, he's trying to get it back because he wants to do so well so bad. And I think if he can get more disciplined and understand that as a point guard you're going to make mistakes when the ball's in your hands, but there's still some things you can do when you make a mistake or a poor choice, and sometimes you've got to stop compounding them by being undisciplined. So those would be the two areas: his ability to read defense and his discipline.
On concerns about Kasey Hill's physical and metal fatigue in first year starting…
I'm not really concerned about that with him because our season went so long last year. He obviously played a significant amount of minutes on our team and maybe he didn't have the kind of responsibility or pressure on him as he had this year because Scottie [Wilbekin] was back there to kind of absorb it and take some of that weight from him as a freshman. But I'm okay with him right now. You know, he's like anybody else. He's got some ailing injuries right now. He's got some tendonitis in his ankle that he has to deal with and maintenance every single day but that's no different than any other player in the country this time of year. There's nothing physically or mentally I feel like this guy's just worn down or beaten down at all. I just think that he's having to absorb a lot right now. He's having to absorb a lot and I think as a coach you never want your point guard to feel like he's going through it by himself. You want to try to help him through film and those kind of things. And to his credit, like I said the one thing I would say about him is I question his commitment level during the course of the season. And I really addressed that with him and explained it to him and talked to him about that, so you know, in the Vanderbilt game he misses those two free throws late. Well I get done with media and I'm over at the arena and I come back up here and he's in the gym shooting free throws at 10:30 at night. You know, that's a commitment level by him that I think he's growing in that area where maybe in the past he would not have done it. So he's trying and he's working at it. But it's been a challenge for him. But I do think that he wants to get better.
I look at it this way. A lot of times when you're evaluating kids, you know certainly sometimes in AAU situations, some of the AAU situations are hard on the AAU coaches because you have kids from different parts of the state or even some kids from different states, trying to get guys together, trying to practice, trying to do those things. Sometimes it's very, very difficult. The biggest challenge I think for most kids when they come to college is can you play against coaching? Can you play against coaching? So from game to game, the coaching changes so to speak on how the teams want to play us, you know. We'll play a team on Saturday in Tennessee that's all zone. You know, we haven't played against a team that's been all zone. We'll play a team in Missouri that does a lot of different things with their coverages. So you have to play against coaching. And a lot of times in high school as you mentioned when you're really gifted, talented and athletic, sometimes you're not going against it as much as you're going against it now. And there's got to be an ability to be able to read and make decisions, make choices, make plays being able to do that, and maybe earlier on in high school at the level he's at, you know, he's not had to do that. And I think the same thing can be said when you go from here to the next level up there, to an NBA level or an overseas level. There is an adjustment coaching wise that these guys have to go through, different kinds of coaching. And I think a lot of players that are really gifted, that's what happens is the coaching comes into the game by the opposing coach of how they're going to play and what they're going to do. Can you play against that? And that's been something I think he's had to really learn and adjust to quite a bit.
On the team losing focus during games…
I think what happens, and what is a perfect example, is we're up by two and LSU comes down and scores. We are coming down across half-court and Kasey [Hill] throws a lazy cross-court pass that [Jarell] Martin steals and goes down and puts the ball between his leg and dunks it, and changes the total momentum to close out the half. Those undisciplined kind of things get in your head. There are times when we play really, really good basketball, but then there are times when we don't. I think they are battling, fighting and trying to do it, but we are just not able to do “it”, so to speak, long enough. Several times in the game we had to battle through a double-point deficit. I would hope that there is enough pride in our locker room that when they get down like that that they are going to fight instead of quit. Now, they battled and fought, but there are stills things we need to do. Even coming into the second half, I think it was a seven-point game, we had the ball to start the half and [the lead] goes right back up to double-digits and we get it back down to six or whatever it was. We had some opportunities to make some shots; we just didn't make them. We have some things that we end up doing that just shoot us in the foot. I look at it this way: We are challenged on offense; we are. I think if you look at the guys that are playing and you look at shooting percentages from the three-point, free throw and field, it's a struggle. But, that doesn't mean that you can't be successful. What it means is that you have to be really committed to the things you have control over. Not missing a free-throw line block-out when it is a six-point game and the guy misses back-to-back free throws and the second one we give up another offensive rebound, which leads to a three-point play. So the game goes from a six-point game to nine. Those are the kind of things where what are you thinking about on the free throw line at that point in time. It has happened before. It is not like this is the first time. It happened in the Vanderbilt game at Vanderbilt where we cut the lead to five and we don't block out on a free throw and it goes to eight. I never have really been a big moral victory guy. I try to phrase it as what can we control, and what can we get better at?
On if the team is getting better at staying focused…
No, that for me has been the part where, I think I said this a week or two ago, that the coaches are trying to get to them, and have them see in a lot of areas, ways, shapes and forms and try to expose it to them, and then ultimately there needs to be a commitment level. I have not seen from the start of this year to now this great growth by our team. Now, one of the things I would say we have gotten better at is there were some times when we got up versus Miami or against UConn or against Kansas where we got teams who made runs on us and we kind of hung our heads and got down and got defeated. We didn't battle. I feel like we are battling better. That is an area we have gotten better at. We are battling better for 40 minutes than maybe we did earlier.
On the accomplishment of being on the verge of 500-career wins…
It feels like I have been doing this for a long time. I think maybe Kevin [Brockway] asked me this after the Vanderbilt game, or whenever it was. I think all that stuff, to me, is just a reflection on players that have been around me, the coaches that have been around me, the administration and the commitment. I really, really look at it as not necessarily going on my record, but there are a lot of other people that have contributed in a big time way to all of the those things. I am just a part of it and I think you are only as good as the people around you. I really believe that to be true.
On what he sees in Missouri…
They have had some injuries. Wes Clark went down with an injury, and he was a really, really good point guard. [Kieth] Shamburger has gotten in there and done a really nice job for him. [Johnathan] Williams at the power forward spot is a handful. He played a lot last year as a freshman and they go to him a lot more. He is scoring from inside, scoring from the free throw line and they are letting him shoot some threes. [Ryan] Rosburg was another guy that started for them last year and is a big, strong physical guy. I think our frontcourt will be really challenged in this game. They really look to pound it inside. [Montaque] Gill-Caesar is a guy that can shoot the basketball. [Jakeenan] Grant is a long athlete. They have some length and some size with their team. I think [head coach] Kim [Anderson] has done a really, really good job coaching this team. I think they have been in a lot of their games. Their roster has consistently changed, but I think going up there it will be a challenge for our team with where we are right now at this point in time.
On defending Jonathan Williams III…
It's a real problem for us. He is a real handful. He is going to be a handful for us because he is a lefty and I am not saying his game is like [Jarell] Martin of LSU, but there are certain guys you can throw the ball to at the three or the four and they can manufacture plays. He is one of those guys. He can catch it from behind the three-point line and drive it. He can catch it with his back to the basket and go make post moves. He can catch it, step away from the basket and shoot threes. So, there is really nothing that he can't do wherever he catches the ball that he can go make a play. When you are going against a forward like that, it is really difficult, because then you start to worry about the three-point line, and once you start sending guys to him, his ability to pass and get the ball to the open man comes into play.
On if he has ever had any scary situations on private planes…
I have had a few. We had one – I don't know where we were going – that the pilot came back and said, 'The left engine is out. We need to land.' I said, 'Well, that's probably a good idea to land.' So, we landed with one engine and obviously you get concerned with that. I had really, really bad turbulence one time in Colorado, which was really, really bad, really bad. I wasn't even sure if we could land. I always look up at the pilots and when those guys start getting concerned, I start getting concerned. Those guys were a little concerned up there in the front. But nothing where we have ever had a crash landing, thankfully. I trust the people here.
On what are his top-five victories of his career…
I would say the magnitude of winning national championships those two years was probably right there. Back with [Udonis] Haslem and [Mike] Miller, the Butler game to kind of get to a Final Four was probably at least provided us with a chance to move forward and advance. I think beating Duke there to advance in the tournament, that year. I think for Patric Young, Casey Prather, Will Yeguete and Scottie Wilbekin as seniors and getting so close three-straight years, and being there and seeing those guys standing on the court and going to a Final Four, those are things that are meaningful. The wins when you have the most on the line are the most meaningful and when you get to see a culmination of a year, and able to get over some humps, those would be a couple that come to mind.
On whether Dorian Finney-Smith's suspension is his decision or administration's…
It's my decision with the school. Obviously anytime I suspend anybody, I always speak to Jeremy [Foley] about it and speak to our administration. So I always keep them involved in what we're doing. I just think that there is a certain way that you have to go about playing here. There is a certain culture and standard that's here, that I think has a direct connection on winning and success. One thing I've always appreciated with Jeremy is that in terms of the program and the way we view and want to try and do things here, I feel like since day one we've always been on the same page. I think anytime that you have someone you have in a leadership role that you share a commonality in terms of those kinds of things, you always have support there. Anytime I make those kind of decision, Jeremy is always involved in it. I can since I've been here, I can say, “look we need to do this,” or Jeremy has brought something to my attention, I don't think we've ever been in a disagreement in how to handle it. To me, when you have someone in a leadership role like that you want to have that person be kind of a sounding board. So for me that's been really positive.
On what he's looking for from his front-court defense against Missouri…
The ball is going to go inside and certainly, the big thing is going to be, can we defend without fouling. I mean, [Jarrell] Martin took more free throws than our entire team did in the [LSU] game. So our ability to defend without fouling is going to be really, really important. Our ability to rebound the basketball against [Ryan] Rosburg, [Jakeenan] Grant, [Keanau] Post, they are very, very physical up front. They are able to get second-chance opportunities. They are strong enough that they are able to get close to the basket. So our ability to change post position, our ability to provide help when we can, our ability to keep them off the backboard. I would say that they are a very, very physical team. Even those guys who don't have those really, really huge numbers, [Johnathan] Williams does because he's very gifted offensively. [But] there's not these huge numbers but they're still a problem. I think last year, [Ryan] Rosburg came in here and I think he had eight points against us in the first half. So when you have guys who can catch the ball in deep post position close to the basket, you're going to put yourself in a position to foul or give up a lot of easy baskets. So our post defense in this game is going to be really important.
On whether it's tough to not see a lot of growth from the beginning of the season…
Yeah, it's hard. Calling it like it is, if there is anything that would be hard, I would that, that's hard for me because you invest as much as you can to try and help these guys grow. And that was one of the things that I had said earlier, I think a week or two ago was, the whole commitment part, when something is right there in front of you, you've got to make that kind of decision to be really, really committed to it. In terms of what goes in to winning. I think to start the year this is what I saw, I saw guys that had their own view of what it was going to take for us to be successful. And now that, that's not the case, the commitment level has amped itself up from where they thought it was at. And we have not. You say this to yourself as a coach, you have a responsibility for your team as you want guys to grow and develop. I think since I've been here, we've always prided ourselves on guys getting better. And there is a lot of guys that you can trace back to that have made huge jumps and have made great commitments and have gotten better throughout their career. They've just continued to get better. There is a lot of them there. There's a lot of guys that were not McDonalds All-Americans that have obviously panned out and are playing in the NBA right now because they just had great commitment. I think that that has been an eye-opening thing for our guys in terms of seeing what it takes to be a really, really good player at this level and what it takes to win at this level. I don't want to say that they've refused it or that they've bucked it but they have not embraced that kind of commitment. They just have not. That to me has been… When I was their age, I just loved the game. I loved it. I love it. That's why I got into coaching. I know as a coach that this is what I do for a living, I don't expect them to have the same level of commitment that I have. I get that. Most players don't. But the commitment level to be successful at this level is much, much greater than where we are at right now. If I have fallen short in terms of trying to get them to see it and trying to see why it's important to be committed. And how it's important to see that the guy standing next to you is valuable and important to you. I think that their legacy as a team is only going to be carried on by what kind of impact they make to each other inside that locker room. That's really what it comes down to. So that's been for me, that I've not be able to get them to have that kind of commitment level. That's been the question I've always raised and thought about this season is, can you really make a person be committed to what it takes? I don't know if you can or you can't. I'm trying every day to try to get them to see that. But from a discipline, commitment standpoint, we're not at the level that we have to be at to be a really, really good team. We're just not. That's why we're at where were at right now.
