Louisville Handles Bellarmine In Final Exhibition Game - SCACCHoops.com

Louisville Handles Bellarmine In Final Exhibition Game

by Card Chronicle

Posted: 11/9/2014 4:45:47 PM


Just five days until the Minnesota opener, which is crazy.

Box Score

And your postgame quotes:

Louisville head coach Rick Pitino

(Opening Statement) "The first half was about as well as we've played all year. That was a great half of basketball in every phase of the game. Pressing, offense, defense, ball movement, rebounding. It was really outstanding. Chris Jones did a tremendous job. All the guys did a great job in the first half. And obviously when you have a lead, your press is not as good, your defense is not as good, but when you can keep a team shooting 32 percent and 1 for 12 from the three like Bellarmine, you're playing great defense because - regardless of Division II, Division I, Division III - they score on everybody. They shoot on everybody and our guys were very focused, very alert with great respect. The second half wasn't as good. Obviously, my substitutions were too many. But the first half, I was really, really pleased and we looked like an outstanding basketball team."

(On Anas Mahmoud) "I don't think he understands our culture. I think he's got talent. I think he'll be a very good basketball player someday. I just don't think he understands our culture."

(On Patrick McSweeney playing for Bellarmine today) "I just think it's a cool thing for a young man. Everybody in Card Nation as well as Bellarmine is going to be...our prayers are going to be that he makes a recovery and gets back to where he's playing for real. So, we're all playing real hard for that."

(Was dynamic of the game different because so many of the players know each other?) "I don't think so. We saw what they did against Cincinnati and we just wanted to make sure that they didn't make the three, we wanted to rebound. We did everything we wanted to do and that was take them out of the game early and they're not easy to do that to. They shoot very high percentage against everyone. To hold them to 1 for 12 was a really good job defensively.

(On Wayne Blackshear being aggressive offensively like he was in high school) "I believe he is about 80 percent of the way there. Remember, in high school you are bigger than everybody else, so you can bully them. He still doesn't have a steal and doesn't have an assist. I think he is 80 percent of the way there. I think he is playing great basketball right now. I think our starters are playing really, really well, now we have to pick up with the other guys."

(On the communication on defense in the first half) "You know, that's the best we have looked and I told them this was the dress rehearsal for Minnesota. If we play that way the whole season like we did in the first half - every phase of the game we were terrific. We really paid attention to the three-point line, which is not easy to do when they (Bellarmine) play five guys at the perimeter at times. We were good on the break, I think we were something like 9 for 12 on the break because we blocked out. We ran our offense great. It's something that I really liked. I don't have to watch the tape to know we played a great first half."

(On Anas Mahmoud seeing playing time) "What I have tried to explain to Anas (Mahmoud) regardless of how you play (for example, he knows never to bring the ball down), he has to learn how to play at the level of intensity that everybody else is playing. That is something that is very tough to teach. You grow up for 21 years playing one way at a pace and then suddenly you are playing at the University of Louisville with a frenetic pace - a very intense way to play-and it is an adjustment period. So, he will be fine. A lot of times it looks like you are not playing hard because you are weak."

(On Mangok Mathiang's improvement) "Mangok's gotten better. What I'm hoping is that Mangok can give us what Montrezl gave us last year - a lot of blocked shots, a lot of dunks, just a lot of hustle plays."

(On if the team is where they expected heading into the opener versus Minnesota) "If we can play the first half like we did tonight - forget the opponent because this team can do it against a lot of others. This team may wear down in the second half and the more talented bigger team will wear them out, but I don't think too many teams can do to Bellarmine what we did in the first half."

(On the 21 total turnovers) "We only had seven in the first half. You can attribute most of those to my brilliant substitution patterns."

(On the performance and improvement of Montrezl Harrell) "He's worked really, really hard on his free throw shooting, his shooting, his three-point shooting. He's worked really hard on all phases of the game. I still want to see him get in the low post and make some good low-post moves as well. But I thought tonight he played really well. I didn't think he played necessarily like he did last year in the first game, but I think he was more like himself from the second game. We got a chance to rest a lot of people tonight. I think besides Wayne nobody played a lot of minutes, which is good.

Minnesota is going to be a really tough game. I know you think a lot of times coaches talk that way but, it's going to be a really tough game. Very tough because they are very experienced, they don't beat themselves. Last year they beat Wisconsin, at Michigan State they are tough enough to potentially win the game, (but) lost in overtime. They beat SMU, (and) Florida State twice. They beat a lot of good Big Ten teams. They've got two centers that are much more physical, much bigger than our centers. Their guards are like our guards. They are very good. Their small forward is a very talented junior college player. We've got a little edge at the power forward spot obviously, but he doesn't really play (inside). He's a pick and pop guy. But this is a heck of an opener for us so I wanted to see what I saw in the first half to get our guys some confidence."

Bellarmine Head Coach Scott Davenport

"What that young man (Patrick McSweeney) did out there in front of 20,432 (people) took a lot of courage. He is an amazing young man; he is all that's good about young people. One of the officials came over and thanked me for what we did, said it was a really special day and he is glad to be a part of it. It's amazing young people that have opportunities in front of them and mess them up. What that guy would do to have an opportunity like a lot people have and don't take advantage of. This was an experience of a lifetime for our players, Louisville's players and everybody in this community today.

(How good is Louisville defensively?) "Well we made them look really good. People ask me about their team and you can pick apart individuals but when they play that well together at both ends, they're a heck of a basketball team, they just smother you. They protect the rim so well that they can smother you so easily. For us to simulate that, even going to Cincinnati you get a taste of it, but to simulate the physicality and the overall quickness. I got on Chris Jones because he made that shot. I said what are you doing and he said I was trying to miss it. You know you're in trouble if they're trying to miss the first three and they make it."

(You were supposed to win the tip weren't you?) "Yes! It went downhill from there, the whole day. We need to practice better. Tough day. Our kids didn't quit and that a positive. You couldn't simulate that in practice. So it was great for out basketball team. We over-penetrated, tried to shoot over people, tried to take challenged shots. We shot 56.6 on Monday night and we shot 38.6 tonight that tells you about the caliber of defense, they are a super defensive team. What you have to understand about defense is it all start with your front line - the front line of your defense. With Rozier and Chris Jones and Anton Gill it very seldom gets to the rim very easily. They are a very effective team. It's great for us, we went through 80 minutes this week, Monday and Sunday, against just relentless full-court pressure that we won't see all year, so this was great for us. Like I said all week we are so appreciative for the opportunity. The city of Louisville and this community won today. The University of Louisville won on the basketball court but this whole community won. If we just keep putting young people first and making them better.

(On Patrick McSweeney being mad that he missed the three) "He was crushed, and if you had been in practice the last two days, I was too because counting on us being ahead 3-0. Think about it like this: somebody said is that putting a lot of pressure on him, having him shoot a three? You think what that young man has been through the last ten years, he's worried about pressure? No. He was embracing the thrill of a lifetime and he was going for it, just like we're all going for him to get some great treatment and great news. Coach (Pitino) was amazing before the game. Like I said all week, that guy impacts lives. He's impacted my life and I know he helped us impact a life of a very special young man today."

(On what this opportunity meant for Patrick McSweeney) "I think we can all learn a tremendous lesson on being appreciative, and he was appreciative. If he said thank you once, he has said thank you from Wednesday night, when Doug and I went over and invited him to join us for this and to come to practice and etc. If he has said thank you once, he has said thank you a thousand times. I wonder how many people in here thanked anybody today for anything, and that young man has thanked us over and over. Pregame meal, thanking everybody. He went over to the pregame meal with Jake, `thank you Jake this is great,' hung out with our guys, `Coach, thank you Corbin, appreciate it.' He had the manager passing him the ball and he's thanking our manager. How many of us have thanked enough people today?"

(On impact Patrick had on Bellarmine's team) "Life's lessons. It's life's lessons. I think that's what athletics, that's what college, that's what growing up is all about. And our players are learning life's lessons through a super young man, Patrick McSweeney. I'm proud of them, I'm proud of our guys. They have handled it much better than I have, because it just rips my heart out and they're right there for him. They have given and given and given and that's life lessons right there for them."

(On Jake Thelen having a good first half and not taking a shot in second half) "One, the guy, coaching in the other locker room, he's in the hall of fame. And two I think I played him too many minutes, that's my fault. He's such a special young man. We're all going to go crazy because he shot 60 percent today. When you shot 73.7, he's 11 out of 13 against Cincinnati, so in those two games he went 14 for 18. Yeah, it's pretty shabby with this game. But he still led us in rebound and led us in assists. Here's a guy that shot 73.7 last year, he's the best shooter in the world and he led us in assists both games, and that's being a complete basketball player. He's a special guy. We have a chance to really, really be a special team. We've had great preseason practices, and I told them before the game on the court, my last words to them, that I love coaching this basketball team and I'm really, really proud to be able to say I'm your coach. And this score is not going to change that. We got mauled by a great basketball team that's going to go play and open up the season in a real tough opener. We knew this was coming. And they can't wait to practice Tuesday. We're off tomorrow, they can't wait to practice and that tells you what kind of guys they are."

 

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