Chris Mack, Dre Davis Talk Start of Exhibition Play
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - After several weeks of practicing against each other over the course of the offseason and into the preseason, the Louisville men's basketball program is finally playing an actual opponent.
Ahead of the start of the regular season on Nov. 9, the Cardinals are set to host a pair of teams in the KFC Yum! Center for exhibition matchups.
First, Kentucky State will come to town on Friday, Oct. 29, followed by West Georgia on Wednesday, Nov. 3. Both games will tipoff at 7:00 p.m. EST, and will be streaming on ACC Network Extra.
Prior to their upcoming matchup with the Thorobreds, head coach Chris Mack and sophomore guard/forward Dre Davis took time to meet with the media.
Below is the transcript from Mack's time during the press conference, as well as the videos for both him and Davis:
Head Coach Chris Mack
(On how many minutes he expects players to play at a time in the new offensive system)
I think we've talked a lot about, not maybe total minutes in the game, but just a stretch. I think early on in the season, especially as we go through the exhibition games, and guys not having played against opponents for the very first time, referees, the whole nine yards. I think tomorrow night, if they're going any longer than four to six, we're not getting what we can out of our players. We're not getting maximum effort on both ends of the floor if they're feeling okay after four to six minutes.
(On how prepared he believes his guys are for the start of exhibition play)
I think there's a lot to be said about just having to go through it, and learn from real life, real game situations. As a coach, you never feel like you're quite satisfied with where you want to be for the first time you rolled out against a real team. But, I know as a player, you feel like after three or five days of practice, you're ready to go. I'm really interested to see how our guys respond tomorrow, and how much we carry over all the things that we've been working on. There are some areas that will really come to light, that we have to work on and get better. We still have a lot of our preseason remaining before November 9th rolls around.
(On what particular things he wants to see his guys execute)
I think you want to see all of it. A lot's been made of our offense, we've talked about that. We've put in a lot of - the majority of our defense, we want to se great effort on that end of the floor. We want to see guys playing together, and I'm sure we're gonna see some good, and see some not so good moments all throughout tomorrow night. It's our job to try to figure out where we need to continue to grow, and not be satisfied. Again, tomorrow's more of a starting point for our staff against real competition.
(On how the team has gelled together with so many newcomers)
We have really good, agreeable guys, that play for one another, and try to do with the coach asks. But our attention to detail needs to improve. Some of our younger guys still don't necessarily get that. That'll get exposed as we play different teams. Again, we're far from a finished product. I think you start to figure out how as a coach, who's a little bit further along, who needs to have a more of a sense of urgency. But just excited about getting kicked off tomorrow. I know the guys are tired of probably playing against one another, and I can respect that and understand that. You're matched up with the same small forward for a month or so. You want to see somebody.
(On Mason Faulkner's availability vs. Kentucky State, and how he has looked in practice)
He will (play). I think the most important thing that we can do for Mason is, now that he's healthy, is to try to get in the best shape that he possibly can get into. For so long, it was about rehabbing his ankle, recovering from surgery. Not that he's not past that point, but he's certainly been released to full play, full live contact, and he has been for about 10 days or so. Now, it's up to him. It's one thing to be released, but now to get your wind, and to keep your concentration, and to stay sharp while you get tired. We're going to use the exhibition time, both games, for him. Especially to make sure he continues to get in better shape. He's a big part of our team. He may not play as many minutes as he may during the regular season, I don't know. But he's definitely going to be out there.
(On Dre Davis being listed as a "probable starter")
Kenny (Klein) asked me to put down the guys who I thought - I really haven't submitted anything. We could have our second exhibition game, and it could be a completely new lineup. We're constantly trying to figure out who plays well together. who would like want to come off the bench. We're nowhere near cementing where we need to be. But Dre's had an incredible offseason. I've talked about him as being one of our more improved players. Whether he starts or whether he comes off the bench, he's always gonna be a big part of our team.
(On the one-time transfer rule)
I think it's had a great impact. I think that some programs have lost players, some have gained some really good players, and everything in between. I don't know, without getting on a soapbox, that's the best thing for student-athletes. I know that there's a fair share of people who say it is fair because coaches can leave. I don't know if that's necessarily true. I transferred myself, and had to sit out a year. I think it was one of the best things I could have ever had for my personal growth and development, despite having some tough injuries once I was eligible. But it's here to stay, and so we have to accept that, and figure out how to best utilize it.
(On if the one-time transfer rule will impact the way he recruits)
It might.
(On if the increase in pace of play will have a positive impact in recruiting)
I hope so. I think that sort of remains to be seen. I think that a lot of players say they want to play fast, but then they actually get to press the gas button when they're on the floor, and actually run without the ball. Seems very difficult at times, as we sort of learned over the last three or four months. But the game is a lot paced, both internationally at the highest level - although it may not look like it if you're actually in person. It's 24 second shot clock, that thing moves quick. Ball gets up and down the floor, athletes get up and down the floor. Without overstating it, I think that it's been a good change for our team. Again, I'm anxious to see how many times we turn the ball over in the Yum! Center.
(On if their conditioning is up to par with the pace they want to run at)
I don't know. I know that we have deliberately played a ton of up and down - Four minutes, six minute, eight minute, 10 minutes stretches. I think our guys were gassed in the red-white scrimmage. That's probably a bunch of factors: First time they'd ever gone that long, our team being split up in two, and then you add in the fact that it's the first time in front of fans in the Yum! Center in two years. So yeah, it's gonna be really interesting to see where we are, and who can hold their concentration, and execute the details when they get a little fatigued, and our ability to sort of substitute guys in and out and keep that rhythm. But that's something that we're looking to - that's our identity. That's how we want to play. We're getting there.
(On the niche things he will be watching for during exhibition play)
Again, so many details that we cover in a practice, and you want to see those details executed when guys get tired. There are things on the offensive end, such as taking care of the ball, working for a quality shot, giving great effort on the offensive glass, getting your one and two back on every shot. Those are details that we hammer out every single day in practice, that as a coach, when game night comes on, and the lights come on, we don't want to change. We want to be the same team. Just trying to make sure our team looks the same, as we ask them to be every single day in practice, regardless of the context to the environment.
(On the team has executed the little things so far in the preseason)
We gotta get better. To be very fair, we have to get better. I don't think we're any different than how many Division I teams there are right now.
Guard/Forward Dre Davis
(Photo of Dre Davis: Alton Strupp - Courier Journal via Imagn Content Services, LLC)
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