What Kenny Payne, Mike James Said After Louisville's 83-70 Loss at Clemson
CLEMSON, S.C. - The Louisville men's basketball program was able to hang around Clemson, but could not get over the hump, resulting in an 83-70 road loss to move to 0-6 in ACC play.
Here's what head coach Kenny Payne and forward Mike James had to say following the loss:
Head Coach Kenny Payne
(Opening statement)
First of all, just talking about Clemson, they're a very good team. A veteran team, experienced team. Obvious they will play for each other, they love each other. As a coach, when you're sitting there watching them play, you're hearing them talk to each other. That's what coaches love to see. You just see they're connected. There's a reason why they're in first place in this conference. Because they're connected. They shoot the ball well, they post well, they pass the ball- excellent passing team. And if you're not desperately defending them, they're gonna burn you. I just think they're a hell of a team.
(On if the fouls, particularly on Clemson's P.J. Hall, changed his strategy)
Didn't change our strategy at all. We just tried to do what we could to get back in the game. We knew that they're a good team, they defend well, they're solid. We tried to set great screens, at times we did. We got good stuff out of it. But then, it goes back to the first half where we had so many turnovers, which really hurt us in the game. it really hurt us.
(On what they did differently in the second half)
I thought we played with better pace. I thought we shared the ball a little better. Obviously, 42 points. I thought we got the ball to the lane, made threes off that. I think we're a decent team whenever we can move the ball, and get it in the lane and make extra passes to make people foul us. Whether that's from the post or off drives. I wish we could put two halves together and see where we are. I wish we could prevent teams from shooting 53 percent for the game. You can't win. This is too good of a team. If a team is shooting that high of a percentage, it's very difficult to win.
(On Hunter Tyson)
I love the fact that he's skilled. He can hurt you in the post. He can hurt you on catch and shoot, running off screens. He's just a complete basketball player. Amazing that he's the one guy on this team that we sort of wanted to target. Target meaning know where he is at all times, and he get 28 and 11. That goes to show he plays hard, he's skilled, he passes the ball, he's not selfish. He lets the game come to him, and he's efficient. Hell of a player.
(On where Louisville is in their "connectedness")
I will say we're learning. To be honest with you, we're learning what that is. I'm 300 and whatever in experience, so a lot of this, they don't know. A lot of things about winning basketball, they are learning, and we're learning as we go. We're playing good teams as we're learning, so it makes it very difficult. But the best examples are when you're playing a team like them, and you see how they're responding. You hear their coach talking about moving the ball, which every coach says, and you see the ball passing around, and hard cuts and hard screens, back cuts and and split actions. There's a lot of stuff you've guarding, and they're running it at a pace that, if you're not paying attention, and if you're not anticipating things, they burn you on it. So to answer your question, we're sort of learning that. What it's like to be a team. We got great examples, the problem is, they're your opponents. Which is not so fun.
(On where the players are mentally, knowing they're improving but still losing)
I feel like they're disappointed in the losing. I've said this from day one: when you continue to lose games, and you're in them and you're in a battle, and you come up short, psychologically, that does something to you. You really have to change something about something that you're doing. For me, it starts in practice. It starts two and three days before we ever play a game. When I say that, not when the practices are like a walkthrough. It's when they are intense, it's when they're hard, it's when they're conditioning, it's when it's physical. I want to see guys fight through and concentrate during those times, because that's the only way - the very only way - that it resembles a game. So when we go through and we just walk through plays, and we go through and we walk through what the other team is doing, and we get some shots and we leave. If we're worried about injuries and not practice hard, then we're not going to develop. We're not going to get better, we're not going to be prepared. I want our team to get better in practice. I want us to be a good practice team. I believe if we do become a good practice team, we'll become a good game team. And we're struggling with that right now.
(On what led to their success shooting the ball)
I just think anytime we get the ball in the lane, good things happens. If we just have our head up, and we step into our shots- Again, I'll say this: some people think good offensive teams are good shooting fields. I don't believe that. I believe that good offensive teams are good passing teams. So I want to be a really good passing team. I believe that if you work on your jump shot and continue to work on it, and you shoot the ball and rhythm, every single day in the same every day, we'll be able to make shots. But when the ball is moving, and you get to step into a shot and you're open, there's a pretty good chance you're gonna make the shot. I thought we did that in the second half, I thought we shot the ball from three decent. But the key to it was getting the ball in the lane.
Forward Mike James
(On why he was able to have so much success against a good Clemson defense)
I think I got to the basket pretty good. Posted smaller guards, got fouled, made some free throws. I just used my physicality to get to the line.
(Photo of Kenny Payne: Scott Utterback - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)
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