During the OSU postgame podcast, Kenyon talked about how teams now have Iowa scouted and have been able to stop the plays Iowa runs for Jok and Uthoff.
He also said this is the time of the year where the 3rd, 4th and 5th guys have to step it up. Kenyon mentioned that 3 of the 4 years he was at Iowa they had 5 guys averaging double figure scoring so opponents never knew who the hot shooter would be at any given time. Against OSU, Gesell stepped up as the third guy, but, as Kenyone stated, "we got a subpar game from Anthony Clemmons and not a whole lot from the bench. Right now Iowa has become very predictable."
Other Murray comments:
Uthoff is taking off balance shots when he doesn't have to take off balanced shots.
You have to see how other teams are guarding you now and then adjust. When looking at film, Iowa players (and coaches) need to determine what they can do differently to combat the way teams will guard us.
On Mike's play at the basket at the end of the game: Kenyon stated that Mike needs to have a feel for if someone is coming from behind and either go up and get fouled or take it to other side for a reverse lay up.
In the final 3:48, Iowa got outscored 10-2. Kenyon then asked, "How many good shots did Iowa get in that last 3 minutes? Not very many."
"I don't understand how you lose the best 3 point shooter on the other team. That drives me nuts. Even if you are in a zone, you shadow him and say, 'hey, the ball swings away, you've got to be shadowing him. Defensively, guys have to be more locked in and understand who can hurt you in those situations."
"There's got to be a renewed focus on the defensive end. Going back to the Wisconsin game, the Indiana game and this game, other teams have been able to run and do whatever they want offensively. We can't allow teams to shoot 44% because we are not shooting that well now so we've got to get stops. Right now Iowa is having a tough time finding buckets.....Maybe the defense can then generate some offense where Iowa can get out and run."
"We've seen Fran's style but I don't know what he is like behind closed doors but sometimes a coaching style can affect kids differently. When things are going good and the shots are failing, it's really easy to play then. But when things tighten up, players will play off their coach. If there is any tension or indecisiveness on the coaching staff as far as what they are going to run, players feed off of that too and you become a product of the environment that you are in. There are so many factors that go into it. We don't know what's changed in the last 4 weeks. There's a lot of factors we can sit here and speculate about; I think it comes back to the simple fact that they've got get back to guarding people and making it tougher on the other teams to score."
Some more Murray quotes:
"You have to have a counter because you know by this time of the year everybody has seen so much film on you, it's just like in football; we talk about scouting reports and taking away a team's tendencies and that's what they are doing to Iowa and there has to be something else that they have to be able to go to and we just haven't seen that. It's kind of been the same script every game and teams have caught on to them."
On what he experienced with Tom Davis and switching things up:
"Lot of times when your motion is not working, we go to play calls every time down the floor. That's just another different wrinkle. A team is not used to you running set after set after set and those kinds of things can help to shake things loose when you can get 2 to 3 options off one set and you have an open look and I thought they struggled to get open shots today. Something's got to change."
On why the motion offense has gone stagnant:
"Teams are getting more physical with Jok and Uthoff coming off those screens where the defenders are riding right on their hip; they are forcing them off those screens, so they are not getting the looks they once got. That's what I saw against Wisconsin; Wisconsin bodied up and was physical with Iowa in the 2nd half and I thought that you saw that in Ohio State with how they got after them. Iowa likes to play with space. Teams have figured out they have to close down that space and make Iowa uncomfortable, a lot like what happened to Uthoff in the 2nd half vs Iowa State. Thomas stayed under him and did not give him any space."
More thoughts from Kenyon:
"They didn't box out today (vs OSU). It comes back to fundamentals. It comes down to closing down driving lanes, it comes down to who is going to hurt you from the perimeter. and its going to come down to boxing out. So, understanding the scouting report, taking away the lane, which they didn't do (vs OSU) and rebounding. Those THREE things; if they can do that, they'll be able to win."
"Adam is so much better on the move. you get him more on pick and roll opportunities.Even if they hedge it, it gives Adam time to roll and when the help comes in the paint on the roll, now you have yous shooters coming in to the basketball. Adam made his HS career because he ran pick and roll with Marcus Paige; when he's had good games, its because he's been in on that action and he's been moving. He's not a back to the basket kind of guy. You have to get him moving. That's how you get him more involved. That's the wrinkle. We've got to get a big guy involved. There's nobody (on the OSU roster) physically that could stay with him. If he's moving to the basket, there's nobody big enough, strong enough to keep him from getting to the rim. That way you start putting pressure on their big guys inside."
On Iowa's offensive approach:
"If they (the opponent's D) make an adjustment, I make an adjustment. If I put pressure on the basket with the dribble or the roll, that's going to force the defense to go help or else we are going to get layups; so, do you want to give up layups or do you want to give up 3's. That way you are getting your shooters moving and everything is about rhythm. I just think you have to get Adam involved, whether he is scoring or not; you're forcing the D to make adjustments and that's going to get your guys open. When he's been involved with screen and roll plays and he's scoring the basketball, Iowa is better; there's no doubt about it. "
Regarding if the team is tired:
"Everybody is tired. Practices are a lot shorter. Practices are about fine tuning, about getting your body healed, resting; players have to go watch film; practices this time of year may be an hour long. It's upon the player to watch film with the coaches and evaluate how you are playing. If you are playing like crap, its up to the player on how am I going to change that. One thing Chris Street taught me early on is that you always have to be evaluating your game. And he would sit and watch film on why he didn't get 10 or 11 rebounds this game. What did I do different from game 1 to game 2."
On Uthoff stating that he didn't know there the team's confidence was at:
"Then you don't have a pulse on your team. You're the leader of the team. There's got to be somebody on that team that has their finger on the pulse on how everybody is feeling. It comes down to leadership from those guys."
Other thoughts:
"I guarantee you that in this loss, the coaches probably feel worse than the players and that can't happen. And you won't win if the coaches are always feeling worse than the players. You will never win a championship at any level."
"Wagner is getting 8 minutes per game. Make those 8 minutes count. If someone comes in the lane, let him know that this is our paint. Same thing with Uhl; guy goes to the rim; you are 6'9! If I can't block the shot, I am going to make sure you don't get it up. You just have to play that way. Playing with Jess and Kingsbury, if you went to the lane....we know Kingsbury would ride you into the bench. We were not opposed to laying a hard foul on you so you knew you couldn't come into the paint."
"Unless you are the Golden State Warriers, you can't make your identity on offense. It's got to be on defense, rebounding and toughness."
Kenyon sat right behind the bench during the Wisconsin game. "The one thing I never saw was one of the guys come off the floor, to the bench, and be animated toward the other guys on the bench. That's non existent. There's got to be someone other than Fran that has got to get pissed off. "
On the fact that some guys don't respond well to Fran yelling at them and that they turtle up: "It's sports, though, too. Come on, man. Then they don't need to be here and that's a whole new issue that we can get into, there."
"If you are in any kind of relationship, boyfriend, girlfriend, you are going to get yelled at at some point in time. And Fran is not going to change who he is. The players knew the way Fran was when they signed here. But now does it become a case of in one ear, out the other?"
"In 4 years at Iowa, we never lost a Senior game. None of our seniors ever lost. And there is a reason for it. It's the last time they dress and get to play in front of that great crowd at Carver Hawkeye Arena. I loved playing at Carver Hawkeye. If you can't get amped up for your Senior game, then you never deserved to wear the uniform."
He also said this is the time of the year where the 3rd, 4th and 5th guys have to step it up. Kenyon mentioned that 3 of the 4 years he was at Iowa they had 5 guys averaging double figure scoring so opponents never knew who the hot shooter would be at any given time. Against OSU, Gesell stepped up as the third guy, but, as Kenyone stated, "we got a subpar game from Anthony Clemmons and not a whole lot from the bench. Right now Iowa has become very predictable."
Other Murray comments:
Uthoff is taking off balance shots when he doesn't have to take off balanced shots.
You have to see how other teams are guarding you now and then adjust. When looking at film, Iowa players (and coaches) need to determine what they can do differently to combat the way teams will guard us.
On Mike's play at the basket at the end of the game: Kenyon stated that Mike needs to have a feel for if someone is coming from behind and either go up and get fouled or take it to other side for a reverse lay up.
In the final 3:48, Iowa got outscored 10-2. Kenyon then asked, "How many good shots did Iowa get in that last 3 minutes? Not very many."
"I don't understand how you lose the best 3 point shooter on the other team. That drives me nuts. Even if you are in a zone, you shadow him and say, 'hey, the ball swings away, you've got to be shadowing him. Defensively, guys have to be more locked in and understand who can hurt you in those situations."
"There's got to be a renewed focus on the defensive end. Going back to the Wisconsin game, the Indiana game and this game, other teams have been able to run and do whatever they want offensively. We can't allow teams to shoot 44% because we are not shooting that well now so we've got to get stops. Right now Iowa is having a tough time finding buckets.....Maybe the defense can then generate some offense where Iowa can get out and run."
"We've seen Fran's style but I don't know what he is like behind closed doors but sometimes a coaching style can affect kids differently. When things are going good and the shots are failing, it's really easy to play then. But when things tighten up, players will play off their coach. If there is any tension or indecisiveness on the coaching staff as far as what they are going to run, players feed off of that too and you become a product of the environment that you are in. There are so many factors that go into it. We don't know what's changed in the last 4 weeks. There's a lot of factors we can sit here and speculate about; I think it comes back to the simple fact that they've got get back to guarding people and making it tougher on the other teams to score."
Some more Murray quotes:
"You have to have a counter because you know by this time of the year everybody has seen so much film on you, it's just like in football; we talk about scouting reports and taking away a team's tendencies and that's what they are doing to Iowa and there has to be something else that they have to be able to go to and we just haven't seen that. It's kind of been the same script every game and teams have caught on to them."
On what he experienced with Tom Davis and switching things up:
"Lot of times when your motion is not working, we go to play calls every time down the floor. That's just another different wrinkle. A team is not used to you running set after set after set and those kinds of things can help to shake things loose when you can get 2 to 3 options off one set and you have an open look and I thought they struggled to get open shots today. Something's got to change."
On why the motion offense has gone stagnant:
"Teams are getting more physical with Jok and Uthoff coming off those screens where the defenders are riding right on their hip; they are forcing them off those screens, so they are not getting the looks they once got. That's what I saw against Wisconsin; Wisconsin bodied up and was physical with Iowa in the 2nd half and I thought that you saw that in Ohio State with how they got after them. Iowa likes to play with space. Teams have figured out they have to close down that space and make Iowa uncomfortable, a lot like what happened to Uthoff in the 2nd half vs Iowa State. Thomas stayed under him and did not give him any space."
More thoughts from Kenyon:
"They didn't box out today (vs OSU). It comes back to fundamentals. It comes down to closing down driving lanes, it comes down to who is going to hurt you from the perimeter. and its going to come down to boxing out. So, understanding the scouting report, taking away the lane, which they didn't do (vs OSU) and rebounding. Those THREE things; if they can do that, they'll be able to win."
"Adam is so much better on the move. you get him more on pick and roll opportunities.Even if they hedge it, it gives Adam time to roll and when the help comes in the paint on the roll, now you have yous shooters coming in to the basketball. Adam made his HS career because he ran pick and roll with Marcus Paige; when he's had good games, its because he's been in on that action and he's been moving. He's not a back to the basket kind of guy. You have to get him moving. That's how you get him more involved. That's the wrinkle. We've got to get a big guy involved. There's nobody (on the OSU roster) physically that could stay with him. If he's moving to the basket, there's nobody big enough, strong enough to keep him from getting to the rim. That way you start putting pressure on their big guys inside."
On Iowa's offensive approach:
"If they (the opponent's D) make an adjustment, I make an adjustment. If I put pressure on the basket with the dribble or the roll, that's going to force the defense to go help or else we are going to get layups; so, do you want to give up layups or do you want to give up 3's. That way you are getting your shooters moving and everything is about rhythm. I just think you have to get Adam involved, whether he is scoring or not; you're forcing the D to make adjustments and that's going to get your guys open. When he's been involved with screen and roll plays and he's scoring the basketball, Iowa is better; there's no doubt about it. "
Regarding if the team is tired:
"Everybody is tired. Practices are a lot shorter. Practices are about fine tuning, about getting your body healed, resting; players have to go watch film; practices this time of year may be an hour long. It's upon the player to watch film with the coaches and evaluate how you are playing. If you are playing like crap, its up to the player on how am I going to change that. One thing Chris Street taught me early on is that you always have to be evaluating your game. And he would sit and watch film on why he didn't get 10 or 11 rebounds this game. What did I do different from game 1 to game 2."
On Uthoff stating that he didn't know there the team's confidence was at:
"Then you don't have a pulse on your team. You're the leader of the team. There's got to be somebody on that team that has their finger on the pulse on how everybody is feeling. It comes down to leadership from those guys."
Other thoughts:
"I guarantee you that in this loss, the coaches probably feel worse than the players and that can't happen. And you won't win if the coaches are always feeling worse than the players. You will never win a championship at any level."
"Wagner is getting 8 minutes per game. Make those 8 minutes count. If someone comes in the lane, let him know that this is our paint. Same thing with Uhl; guy goes to the rim; you are 6'9! If I can't block the shot, I am going to make sure you don't get it up. You just have to play that way. Playing with Jess and Kingsbury, if you went to the lane....we know Kingsbury would ride you into the bench. We were not opposed to laying a hard foul on you so you knew you couldn't come into the paint."
"Unless you are the Golden State Warriers, you can't make your identity on offense. It's got to be on defense, rebounding and toughness."
Kenyon sat right behind the bench during the Wisconsin game. "The one thing I never saw was one of the guys come off the floor, to the bench, and be animated toward the other guys on the bench. That's non existent. There's got to be someone other than Fran that has got to get pissed off. "
On the fact that some guys don't respond well to Fran yelling at them and that they turtle up: "It's sports, though, too. Come on, man. Then they don't need to be here and that's a whole new issue that we can get into, there."
"If you are in any kind of relationship, boyfriend, girlfriend, you are going to get yelled at at some point in time. And Fran is not going to change who he is. The players knew the way Fran was when they signed here. But now does it become a case of in one ear, out the other?"
"In 4 years at Iowa, we never lost a Senior game. None of our seniors ever lost. And there is a reason for it. It's the last time they dress and get to play in front of that great crowd at Carver Hawkeye Arena. I loved playing at Carver Hawkeye. If you can't get amped up for your Senior game, then you never deserved to wear the uniform."
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