Head Coach Chris Mack, Guard Carlik Jones Talk Clemson
(Photo of Carlik Jones, Chris Mack: © Scott Utterback/Courier Journal via Imagn Content Services, LLC)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Following some last-minute schedule changes made by the ACC, the Louisville men's basketball program is now gearing up for a midweek game instead of having a week off after their 70-65 win vs. Duke.
Next up for the Cardinals (10-3, 5-2 ACC), instead of hosting Boston College this weekend, they will hit the road and face Clemson on Wednesday, Jan. 23. Tipoff is scheduled for at 9:00 p.m. EST on Fox Sports South.
Related: Points of Emphasis: Louisville vs. Clemson
Before the Cardinals face the Tigers, head coach Chris Mack and graduate transfer guard Carlik Jones took time to meet with the media. They discussed their upcoming matchup against Clemson, their changes habits in practice, the relationship Jones has with David Johnson, Kobe Bryant, and more.
Below is the transcript from their press conference as well as the video:
Head Coach Chris Mack
(On if he has been able to see a little bit more change in recent practices and since he changed up the starting lineup vs. Duke)
You know, we had a bad practice before we played Miami. I made that pretty clear. I don't think we've had bad practice habits for the most part, I don't feel like guys get comfortable for the most part, but we are, in some positions, very new. There are a lot of - I don't want to call them bad habits, but lack of habits. So that leads to inconsistency. I just felt like it was important, at that time, to really get into our players mind that you play like you practice. This isn't Allen Iverson in the 76ers, guys haven't been playing professionally for 8-10 years, our guys are still developing habits. If we don't bring it in practice, and we don't practice with a purpose, there has to be some type of penalty. Otherwise, your team is going to go out and not play very well. Because you are, on game night, who you are on the practice floor every day. That was that was the reason for the change. We didn't have a whole lot of time between Miami and Florida State. We didn't even have the ability to practice because we got in so late. But I liked our response since, and it's my job to keep that standard up all throughout the year.
(On if he has been able to plan properly for the Tigers considering the schedule switch)
Yeah, we've done everything that we can so far. We've got another practice here in about 30 minutes. Clemson runs a lot of stuff offensively. They obviously have changed their defense from a year ago, they've been one of the best defensive teams pretty much all year. I know the numbers don't bear it out the last three games, but they've also played three of the better league teams here lately. I understand what Clemson brings: full court pressure. They're going to deny your catches offensively, they're going to try to spread you out. Aamir Simms is a very unique player at his position. He's experienced, and they have a lot of guys that can shoot. Last year they shot I think 38 threes against us in the home game, so we're playing a really good team tomorrow that, like a lot of teams, goes through a struggle. Came after COVID. so I expect Clemson to be better than they have been.
(On where he wants to see Carlik Jones improve as the season continues)
I think, if you mean on the basketball court, I think that he can shoot the ball better. I think his pull up game has been a little inconsistent throughout the season, compared to what I see in practice every day. Again, I'm nitpicking because he's a terrific player and he creates a lot of things for us. I think he needs to be a little bit better defensively, able to guard both penetrators and guys that can score. But I think, more importantly than any of the things on the court, that I think he'll keep improving on is just his ability to take ownership of our team and be comfortable as a leader. That's where we really need him to excel.
(On what they have been doing to combat Clemson's full court press defense)
I don't think we've struggled with that. I think we've had a couple times where we didn't meet our passes, but I wouldn't necessarily say struggle with it. They pickup man-to-man full court, and we're gonna have to be able to bring the ball up and get us into the offense, and we've been working on that in practice.
(On the system that Carlik Jones & David Johnson have where they decide who initiates the offense)
Well, both of them have the ability to play make. We wanted to make sure that our offense centered around those two making plays for one another, for their teammates, for themselves. A lot of what we've been doing throughout the year has been ball screen centered, and we will continue to do that. Yes, it is a luxury to have more than one guy on your team that's considered a playmaker, and we're going to continue to go with that strength of ours.
(On what the "#GirlDad" initiative means in terms of his relationship with his daughters when reflecting on the anniversary of the death of Kobe Bryant)
It's just a reminder how terribly sad the event was a year ago. For as many special and talented people as I've gotten to meet in the game of basketball, it was unfortunate I never had the chance to meet Kobe Bryant. But I know how much he cared about being a part of his daughter's experiences, obviously basketball being a huge part. It's different. My daughters don't play basketball anymore, they're more into volleyball. But I've always tried to take them on recruiting trips, I've always tried to involve them - you spend so much time away from your family during basketball season, outside of the season with recruiting, I mean you name it, visits with recruits. So, I thought that Kobe really tried to do everything he could, even as a player, to involve his family. Even taking the helicopter, ironically, was because he didn't necessarily want to fight the traffic and be in a car for two hours all the time, so that he can spend more time with his family. It's obviously a sad day to have the anniversary, but when that hashtag came around a year ago, I think it grew dad's a lot closer to their daughters, an appreciation for who he was as a dad as well.
Guard Carlik Jones
(On if he has noticed any additional enthusiasm and optimism in practice since breaking the two game losing streak, and last-minute scheduling of the game vs. Clemson)
As far as the feeling after beating Duke, it was kind of just a great feeling to get get back in the win column. To kind of get that bad taste out of our mouth, especially from the Miami loss. A game that we definitely felt like we should have won, but we didn't come out ready to play. And then likewise with Florida State, we didn't come out ready to play against them. They kind of jumped on us, and we got in a hole and wasn't able to pull out of it. But it just feels great to get back in the winning column, and I think the momentum from that will keep us going a little bit. Then as far as the game (vs. Clemson), me personally, I never complain about games. It is a little different for to just be thrown on to our schedule. I think coach Mack said that we weren't supposed to play them until like another few weeks. But I'm all for the games. Of course, I'd rather play games before practice, but practice also gets us ready and gets us better.
(On if he has the same motivation as he did in high school and at Radford)
I will still say the same. I still feel like I'm proving myself. Don't get me wrong, I do you know see some of the accolades and appreciate some of the accolades that I'm getting, but I'm still hungry. I'm still motivated to still be always the best player on the floor, the best leader I can be, and a winner. So I think my motivation and my me being determined is all still the same.
(On what people weren't seeing about his game while still in HS)
Honestly, I've put a lot of thought into that. I truly don't know. I've tried to come up with a few things, I try to think what was necessarily my size. Maybe the fact that I didn't shoot it that well from three when I was in high school. But, I really haven't haven't wrapped my head around, because i'm still the same size I was in high school. I mean, I might have gotten a little bigger as far as weight and muscle, but I'm still the same height. Then my first two years of college, I didn't shoot the ball from three as well, but I was productive. I scored the ball, I helped my team win, and stuff like that. So, honestly I don't know.
(On how it feels to get recognized by the Bob Cousy Award)
It feels amazing. Like I say, just knowing how much work I've put in, how much unseen hours I've put in in the gym and stuff like that, and and for to finally be recognized is a great feeling. But I try to let it not get me big-headed, or I try not to let it stop me from being so hungry, or getting to where I want it to be as far as what the season and as an individual goes.
(On if he has gotten to watch much of Clemson)
No, I really haven't gotten to learn too much. I know we talked a little bit about the kind of things they do, like how they kind of play. I heard today they play through their big man, I think his name is Aamir Sims, I don't know if I pronounced that right, hopefully. But I know that they're a good team. I know you can't really sleep on anybody in this conference. You have to pull up to every game with the respect of the other team and just, like I said earlier, just readiness. I did play against Clemson a few years ago with Radford, and I do remember some of the players that are on the team. So, I'm kind of familiar with some of the players on their roster. I'm definitely looking forward to this game.
(On if the competition in practice has carried over after the Duke win)
Yes, I definitely think its carried over. Honestly, I think it's a good thing. I feel like it's definitely impacted the team. Guys are, I feel are, practicing and playing harder. I guess guys feel like they're really - now is their time to to earn their minutes and stuff. I don't think it's good that it's just now clicking with them, that practicing hard and what you're doing practice earns you minutes and stuff, but I'm glad that that Coach Mack kind of put that out for everybody to hear. Now I guess nobody feels comfortable. A lot of people, I feel like, got comfortable with their spots, and just thought that, 'Oh, nobody can take my spot, this is my minutes' and whatnot. But with Coach Mack saying that, I think it just made everybody hungrier, and it made everybody want to compete more. Little do people know, when you're competing against your teammates every day, y'all both are fighting for minutes. You're not only fighting for minutes, but for yourself. But you're also making each other better. I think if we keep doing that, we'll be a pretty solid unit.
(On the chemistry with David Johnson)
I feel like our relationship has gotten stronger. The more and more we practice and play together, we just learn each other's strengths, weaknesses, what we like, what we don't like, would we rather catch the ball, where we want the ball, and stuff like that. I think that's huge, especially for us to be a backcourt. Then as far as switching on, bringing the ball up the floor, that started between us. Coach Mack just told us that if we we're gonna do that then we need to know both positions. I think me and Dave kind of told him, 'well, at the point guard position we kind of need to know everybody's position, because if we don't, we can't tell who, where to go and where they need to be,' But it started on our own. If I'm getting pressured or something like that, and nobody's guarding Dave, I'll just tell Dave to come grab it and stuff like that, so I think that's pretty good.
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