Indiana's Xavier Johnson: 'I Heard The Boos, And I Know Where It Was Coming From'
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana point guards Xavier Johnson and Rob Phinisee played a big role in the Hoosiers' two wins this week, and after Sunday's win over Minnesota, they got to talk about it for three minutes in the postgame press conference.
But on Tuesday night, they got to talk about all things Indiana basketball for more than 30 minutes on Episode 6 of the "Point Guard Podcast'' on HoosiersNow.com. There was a lot of great stuff to discuss
Especially those boos. Yes, the boos.
Johnson was struggling during the Notre Dame game on Dec. 18 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, and Hoosiers ''fans'' let him know about it, showering down boos for a while.
It's been a couple of tough weeks for Johnson, the Woodbridge, Va., senior who transferred to Indiana from Pittsburgh this summer. That's why Sunday's outstanding performance felt so good.
"I didn't play great, but it was a good little get-back game because I had been struggling,'' Johnson said. "I think it started with that Notre Dame game when I got booed ,honestly. After that, we went home (for Christmas break), and that gave me confidence just being around my family, because I hadn't seen my dad and my family in six months. That was a confidence booster for me. Them talking to me, and my dad talking to me, that gave me confidence when I came back because I'm a better player than what I've shown.
"I knew where it was coming from. I knew what kind of position I was in when I came here. After the game, I was actually laughing at it, and I was asking Rob, 'Did I really get booed?' They were telling me, 'yeah, I heard a couple of them,' and we started laughing and joking around about it. I asked coach after the game if he ever got booed, and he said, 'yeah, it's part of the game.' I know that I'll play better now, so I'm cool with it.''
Here are the highlights of the show, with the full video below. Enjoy it.
Xavier Johnson quotes
— on Indiana's defense playing so well
"One thing that starts it all is our defense. That's always going to be our strength. We're always going to bring our A game on defense, and even if we're not making shots, our defense can carry us. It makes us happy too, because when we see them not making shots, it's a confidence booster for us, and it helps on the other side too. We can just go and play at a high level.
"For us on defense, we've pretty much seen everything honestly, and we have a great coaching staff, so we really prepare for everything too. They do a great job, and we listen to what they have to say.''
— on the close calls on the road
"In the game we lost, we realized that with three or four possessions, we might be undefeated. Coach mentions it all the time. Every possession matters. I think we've learned a lot from all of that.''
— on getting wide open shots
"It was kind of surprising that we were that wide open. They dared me to shoot the ball, and me and Rob, we stepped up with confidence and shot the ball.''
— on Mike Woodson pushing them
"He's really helped the last couple of months. He's always on me and Rob, but he wants us to get downhill and create and get our teammates involved. That's one that coach preaches about, getting a stop and running from there. I think I'm one of the fastest point guards around, and we've got a lot of good shooters.
"That's one thing we're always working on in practice, driving and kicking, and Trey (Galloway) has been a really good spark plug these last few games coming in.''
— on teammates leading
"We hold each other accountable a lot, on both ends of the floor. We have our little breakdowns, and we'll get on each other. Coach Woodson always talks about how the good teams are player-driven teams. I think we do that.''
— on preparing for Iowa on Thursday
"We're going to play the same way we do. They shoot the ball fast and get the ball up, but that gives us more opportunities too. Our defense will carry us. I think we play great when we push the ball. We were just have to lock in on defense and make good decisions on offense. I think that's what's going to win us this game.''
Rob Phinisee quotes
— on feeding off the Assembly Hall crowd
"I feel like we really felt it during the Ohio State when we were making that run in the second half. I think the crowd kind of spooked them a little bit.''
— on flipping defense to offense
"I've alway said we are at our best when we makes stops and get out in transition. That's the easiest way to score. Early in the season, we were struggling to close out games a little bit. Once the Big Ten started, we're doing a better job with the scout and covering their actions. Our defense is much better.
"Even the help from the other wings is big too. Having Trayce and Race back there to cover up any mistakes is a big thing.''
— on Johnson being booed from tough fans
"We've been through it, and we haven't had good seasons in the past. IU fans, I feel like it's either they either love you or they hate you. We know how it feels. We support X and lift him up, and we all stick together.''
— on Minnesota daring him to shoot
"I just felt like the way they were playing us was disrespectful. They were all the way in the lane. I saw the way they were guard X, and I told myself that when I'm open, I'm going to shoot every time. When I'm on the bench, I always look at how they're guarding guys. Just seeing that from the bench helps.''
— on guarding each other
"Just guarding each other throughout the summer helped both of us for just working on our on-ball defense. It's really a team effort with how we play defense.''
— on having former IU players around, growing as a team
"We've seen Randy Wittman and Quinn Buckner, and a lot more players than what we had in the past. Isiah Thomas, he was here at Hoosier Hysteria. They talk about the family atmosphere when they were here and how they were a close group. That's when a team is at its best. We've learned a lot from that, and we're a really close group now.
"We really do get along well. Obviously, it's easier to be happy when we're winning. The summer, that was the biggest thing, just being together in the Bahamas. We were on the court more, and we were able to do a lot of bonding things. That made a big difference.''
— on veteran accountability
"This is by far the oldest team that I've been a part of, and that makes it easier on everybody. Guys know what to expect, and what to do when it comes to practice, or lifting hard. Everybody wants to win, and they're doing everything it takes to make that happen.''
— on Trey Galloway's return
"Trey on the defensive end, he plays the passing lanes really well and he really excels in transition. He makes other players better. Adding him, he makes us a lot more dynamic, especially as we go forward.''
— on getting some road wins
"It's huge, winning on the road. Coach mentioned that at the end of practice today, that we have to carry what we did on the road. These two games are really big for us for contending in the Big Ten. We've had success there at Iowa. The coaches, they're on us right now. They really want us to get that first win. I really like playing at Iowa City, so I'm really looking forward to it. I feel like, even their defense, they try to speed things up with their 1-2-2. We need to stop them in transition because they like to play fast.''
Watch the entire 'Point Guard Podcast'
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