Indiana Head Coach Mike Woodson Talks About His Five Player Suspensions in the Northwestern Game
EVANSTON, Ill. — The Indiana Hoosiers were all dressed and ready to go on Tuesday night when news broke that starting guards Parker Stewart, Xavier Johnson plus bench players Michael Durr, Khristian Lander and Tamar Bates would be suspended from playing in the Northwestern game.
Without the bulk of its team, Indiana lost 59-51 and are now 16-7 overall and 7-6 in the Big Ten.
Indiana head coach Mike Woodson addressed the suspensions in a post game press conference following the loss. Read the full transcript, or watch the attached video.
Q: On the five players suspended from Tuesday's game...
WOODSON: Well, I'm not going to give you any in house things. They broke rules, and they were punished for it. You know, we're going to be a team, and you set rules that guys got to obey by as a team, and that's what you got to do.
You got to do all the necessary things to help your team win on and off the floor. It just doesn't start on the floor. You got to do all the necessary things off the floor as well so that's where we are.
Again, we have rules, and when you disobey the rules things got to happen and those guys — I wasn't going to let them play today, so we got to go back home and regroup and get ready for Michigan State.
Q: On if the suspension is for one game...
WOODSON: I don't know if it's a one-game thing or not. I got to make that decision if that's something I want to do when I'm heading home tonight, but I thought Trey Galloway played his butt off tonight.
I thought all the guys that played tonight played extremely well. Unfortunately, their teammates let them down by doing the things they've done. We've got to regroup as a team and start getting ready for Michigan State.
Q: On preparing the rest of the team for the game...
WOODSON: Just today. At the shoot around this morning, that's when I was able to prepare them a little bit. I thought for the most part we played our butts off, and I just think the fatigue set in because I just couldn't go anywhere else with our ball club, and you've got to give them no question credit. They played their butts off the second half.
Q: On how Woodson feels about the suspension...
WOODSON: Disappointed because I'm strictly about team, and those guys in the locker room know I'm very upset about it, so we'll regroup. It's my job to get them ready. We'll regroup and bounce back.
Q: On why the suspended players dressed...
WOODSON: Because they're still on our ball club. They're still a part of our team. They weren't deserving of playing tonight.
Q: On Trey Galloway...
WOODSON: He hasn't played much point for us, but he handles the ball adequately enough to be able to get the ball up the floor and get us into sets, and I just think the fact that he didn't have a relief tonight, fatigue started to set in, and he didn't have much coming down the home stretch.
He got in foul trouble, a couple of fouls they called on him. I don't know if they were fouls or not but they made the calls, and he ended up fouling out. I thought he played well while he was on the floor.
Q: On not going to the rest of the bench...
WOODSON: Our team as well, I try to treat them the same as I treat guys that are on scholarship. I mean they're part of the family, and they're valuable as well. They go through practice everyday and put up with me and the staff, so I felt good.
I just didn't go to them. I limited — I thought if I got in foul trouble I had to use them. I would've used them, but we stuck with what we had until the end, but again I couldn't be more proud of the group of guys that they played their butts off.
Q: More on the suspension...
WOODSON: I'm looking at it as doing the right thing for our university and our team. When you talk about building a team, I'm building a culture here. I'm not here to mess around with guys that don't want to do what's asked of them.
If they don't, then they got to go. That's how I look at it. Ima bring players in here that want to be proud and wear their uniform proudly. That's what it's all about. Do all the necessary things on and off the court. It's not hard to do that.
Related stories on Indiana basketball
- COST OF SELFISH ACTS: Draw the lines. Five Indiana basketball players get suspended, and then Indiana loses at Northwestern in a very winnable game. So now, how much damage do these selfish suspensions do to this Indiana team that's trying to restore some pride and glory back into this program? We'll have to wait to see. CLICK HERE.
- GAME STORY: Indiana coach Mike Woodson suspended five players on Tuesday for breaking team rules, and the other half of his team fought gamely against Northwestern, but came up short after fading in the second half, losing 59-51. CLICK HERE
- LIVE BLOG: Follow Tuesday night's game between Indiana and Northwestern in real time. CLICK HERE
- HOOSIERS SUSPEND 5: Just minutes before Indiana's game with Northwestern, five players were suspended, including starting guards Xavier Johnson and Parker Stewart. CLICK HERE
