What Louisville's Mike Pegues, Jae'Lyn Withers Said After 63-57 Loss at Notre Dame
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville was nearly able to snap their current losing streak, but faltered down the stretch at Notre Dame, resulting in their first six-game skid since the 1990-91 season.
Here's what interim head coach Mike Pegues and forward Jae'Lyn Withers had to say following the loss:
Interim Head Coach Mike Pegues
(Opening statement)
Well, obviously we dug ourselves a hole in the first half that was really hard to climb out of, although we did go back up one late in the game. I was proud of the group of the way they played in the second half. I thought that there was so much fight, grit and toughness on the floor in the second half. It was good to get over the hump initially, but we got to be able to be smarter and make better plays down the stretch than we did. I thought that we took some rough shots down the stretch that didn't necessarily fall in line with what we wanted to get as a group. Wasn't the best shot for us. We had some guys in the locker room take full responsibility for that. I take responsibility for a couple of sets down the stretch that we didn't quite execute because Notre Dame showed us a different coverage. I got to be better down the stretch. But larger part, I'm just so, so happy for our team. We competed, we got after it, and we got back in the game. So many times before, we've cracked and we didn't bounce back at all. We bounced back, and that's got to be the standard. I've got to find five guys that understand that that is the standard. We shortened the rotation in the second half for a reason, and I'm gonna continue to do that going forward. I'm only gonna play the guys who are going to get after it. The problem with our group this year, is you don't know who those guys are from one day to the next. It's our job, my job, as the head coach to try to figure that out, and weed those guys out that aren't going to get after it and compete, and keep the guys on the floor that are.
(On the emphasis on the paint to start the second half)
If you watch the game, we literally threw the ball in the paint the first two possessions of the first half. We threw it to Sydney Curry, and we didn't get much out of it. Actually, he got an assist the first play, and on the second possession he got stuck under the basket. Our game plan was to get the ball in the pain. We wanted to go right at Paul Atkinson, because Nate Laszewski was out of the game. Unfortunately, Syd couldn't get going tonight, offensively or defensively. We played Rose (Roosevelt Wheeler), he's our leading rebounder in limited minutes, but Rose isn't necessarily a guy that you want to go to in the paint. Especially because Paul Atkinson, when Roosevelt Wheeler's just coming back from a concussion. He's really not a go-to post up threat just yet at all, but he's working on it. We felt more comfortable putting the ball in Jae'Lyn Withers' hands, who had a good thing going. He had some really good plays in the first half. Dre Davis, he traveled once in the first half, so we went throwing the ball in the post in the first half. We were just able to make more plays and convert in the second half. But the plan was always to get the ball in the paint.
(On the threes started to get jacked up in the final minutes)
I saw us fight, and I saw his claw. I know some guys haven't made shots the way that they've been capable of making shots in the past, and that's unfortunate. Because all we can do as coaches, is continue to encourage those guys, and all they can do as players is continue to just stay with it, and get in the gym. Trust me when I tell you our guys shoot the ball all the time, and they shoot game shots. As a shooter, it comes in waves sometimes. Guys will miss 20-30 in a row at times, some of the best shooters. Unfortunately, we have a few guys that are stuck in the mud in that regard. But we just can't take bad ones, and we took a couple of bad ones down the stretch. Those guys know who they are, and they admitted that. They didn't do it out of selfishness, they did it because they were trying to make a play. As much as I appreciate them being aggressive, and trying to make a play, at the end of the day, we have to make the best play for Louisville basketball. Some of those shots certainly were not.
(On of that stretch was them getting desperate for a win)
Absolutely. You swing for the fences, you try to knock it out of the park, you're trying to put the dagger in, and all of that. Can't do that, you got to hit singles. You got to be smart, and you got to take good ones. I thought that Dre's transition three was a good shot, because it was a rhythm. I know he's not a terrific three point shooter, but when he gets his feet set, he's capable of making one. He had played well, I didn't mind that one. We've already talked about the one shot on the left corner, Mason's three in transition wasn't a good one. He knows it, he admitted it. Again, we took some rough ones. I know I had a rough one late as well. We got to do better. We got to we have to understand what the best shot is for Louisville basketball down the stretch, and not try too hard.
(On J.J. Traynor finally getting to see the court, and if he could play a bigger role down the stretch)
I tell you what, J.J. had two of his best practices all year, in the last couple practices. I'm gonna play him provided that he plays like that, and he's tough, and he's gritty, and he plays hard, and he mixes it up - which he did the last couple days in practice, and he obviously did today. We need more of that. We just need guys to come in off the bench, and play hard, and do things the right way. J.J., throughout the year, despite not playing, he's done things the right way. He hasn't come in and moped, our pouted.
I want to make something very clear about J.J., because I know there's a lot of questions out there about him. To start the season for the first six games, J.J. was coming back from a hamstring injury, and he was not at his best. He was not at his best to start the season, and some guys passed him early on. So I didn't feel comfortable starting J.J., or certainly even playing J.J. in the first six games. Then coach Mack comes back, and now he's the head coach up until four games ago, where I'm the head coach. During that time where Coach Mack was the head coach, we thought J.J. was not necessarily out-playing Matt Cross, who has some big plays for us throughout the season. Not necessarily playing out-playing Jae'Lyn Withers, or Malik Williams who had a good stretch, and Sydney Curry or Roosevelt Wheeler. We didn't necessarily think he was out-playing those guys during that stretch. Then I come back, and now I'm the head coach for four games. Against Duke and Carolina, I thought we had a good thing going, and J.J. hadn't quite done anything in practice to lead me to believe that he should play. Then we go to Syracuse. Prior to Syracuse, J.J. was in the midst of thinking about trying to get a redshirt, and that's his right. In an effort to make sure that he could potentially get that redshirt year back, he asked me, "Coach, I don't know if I should play." He didn't want to play, so that's why I didn't put him in during the Syracuse game. Of course, I won't put that kids in, in that situation. Especially if he's a good kid. Fast forward to today, I text J.J. and said, "Have you made a decision? What do you want to do?" He said, "Coach, I think my chances of getting a waiver are slim to none, and I want to play." Incidentally, he had two really good practices - literally his two best practices of the year. We've got some things going on with some other guys at that position now. So it opened up a situation for him to play, and I'm proud of him. Because the kid has been through a lot. He's battled, he's fought through not playing, which is hard. I want to see him continue to battle and fight in practice, and out-compete guys the way that he did against Notre Dame tonight. If he does that, he's gonna continue to play. I hope that clarifies things.
(On why Samuell Williamson didn't play)
Coach's decision.
(On the reason behind Jae'Lyn Withers' resurgence over the last few games)
I want him around the basketball. I want him playing around the basket, I want him posting, I want him using his athleticism and his size. He's unique, he can post big guys, smaller guys, he can make a three when he's wide open. He had a big one tonight, but I want the focus of his game to be about playing in the lane, and not floating around on the perimeter. That's my charge to him, and I need him to meet me in the middle on that, and continue to compete around the basket, and be tough in that lane. We're gonna be alright if he does that. If he's not, me and him are gonna have problems. I'm happy for him, because he played hard tonight and played well. But it centers around him getting in the lane, and playing around the basket. He's got to play inside out, and if he does that, he's gonna continue to have success.
(On what response he wants to see from his guys with a long space between games coming up)
I'm gonna give them a couple of days off, because I think it's important that we all kind of get away from it a little bit. It's been a rough road. We've had a four game stretch since I've been head coach, and a lot has happened. I think we need a breather. This break couldn't have come at a better time. I'm gonna give the guys Thursday and Friday off, we'll get a skilled workout on Saturday where guys will come in and work hard, and get a really good sweat in, and improve their individual skill sets. Ball handling, shooting, passing, the whole nine. Then we'll have a three day prep for Miami, and we're gonna be so competitive Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. We're going to get after each other. I'm gonna find out who I can - see, here's the thing. If I get 13 guys really competing at a high level, then that makes it hard for me to decide who I want to play. But again, it has to be every day. It has to be not only on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, but then it has to manifest itself on Wednesday, and Thursday and Friday. I need some everyday guys that's gonna come in and be the right way, but we're gonna find out. We're gonna separate the meeks from the guys that are going to really be tough. We're going to do that over the course of our preparation for Miami, starting on Sunday.
(On Malik Williams' first game back from suspension)
It's not easy. I'm not going to sit here and vilify Malik Williams. He's been through a lot, obviously with the suspension, and he's got to get his rhythm back. He's got to get in the groove. But every guy in that locker room must understand that it has to be mind, body and spirit. You got to be invested fully. I know that that was hard for him to be that way today, and hopefully that can change over the course of the next couple of days.
Forward Jae'Lyn Withers
(Photo of Noah Locke, Mike Pegues: Matt Cashore - USA TODAY Sports
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