What Kenny Payne, Louisville Players Said After 91-50 Exhibition Win vs. Simmons College

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Kicking off year two the Kenny Payne era of the Louisville men's basketball program, the Cardinals overcame a slow start in their exhibition opener against Simmons College, coming out on top with a 91-50 victory over the Falcons.

Here's what head coach Kenny Payne, guard/forward Curtis Williams and center Dennis Evans to say following the win:

Head Coach Kenny Payne

(Opening Statement):

“I thought that game was one that we could build on, a game that we needed to identify and evaluate what guys can comprehend which concepts. But at the end of the day, I needed to know who I can count on to fight. Who can I count on to be disciplined? Who can I count on to know the plays and execute? That was, for me, the disappointing thing. I knew they were nervous going into the game – no disrespect to Simmons – but more to do with playing in front of people for the first time, playing an opponent for the first time. I wanted them to embrace being anxious about that. But I thought it would fuel them to play with a sense of urgency that I thought we didn’t have. But at the end of the day, we evaluate that and evaluate how many guys I can count on. Is the number seven, eight, nine? I want the number to be 12, 13, 14. The great thing is I can identify who is who and who can help us win games.”

(About seeing new combos and yet letting certain groups play extended time together):

I think I draw the line by telling them before hand that I have 12, 13 starters and you are going to determine how I evaluate who I roll with. Obviously, you know, and we all know that in order to be a great team you can’t play 12 guys. It has never been done before. That is a hard truth. The ones that buy into the system and understand what we are doing and play with fire. To be honest, I am a little disappointed that Dennis Evans goes out there and has a presence, when I need Brandon Huntley-Hartfield and Emmanuel Okorafor to have a presence. Until Dennis is able to figure out the pace of college basketball, they should be dominating that spot. And they didn’t. They looked tentative. They looked apprehensive and unsure at times and that bothers me.”

(About Curtis Williams’ versatility)

“I like the fact that Curtis learned a lesson from the Red-White game to this game. I like that because he started the first half off playing to score. In the second half, he got a couple of buckets in the flow, playing in rhythm. He didn’t force shots. I need him to understand that is how college basketball is. Now, there is another piece of his offensive game that he needs to get better at and that is passing the ball. I feel like he will compete, he is learning. He is not afraid. But I need him to know exactly what he is doing – when or where.”

(About turnovers)

”I think it is more carelessness, to be honest with you. Unforced turnovers – you have three options, and you choose the worse option and they get the ball. Tre White comes off a handoff and he has a shot. He takes a dribble; he has a floater. He takes another dribble, and he has a turnover when they steal the ball. Teams are going to collapse on us defensively and we have to know and be willing passers and when the shot is there you take the shot, and we have two on the glass. The same with Ty-Laur (Johnson) if the play is for you to come off a ball screen and take back dribble and throw it back, you cannot create offense within your own mind that is not what the other four guys are doing that creates a bad situation. We had a lot of that tonight.”

(About whether tendencies were noticed in practice, or had to wait until the team played a different opponent?)

“I saw a little bit of it, a little bit of casualness but that's normal when you play against each other all summer. I’m not making excuses. Simmon scored 30 points in the paint. We’re big, strong, and athletic. If you’re giving up 30 points in the paint, you’re not focused somewhere. They scored 20 points off our turnovers. So, exactly how good are we? Focus on being vicious. Focus on being desperate. Focus on taking care of the ball and getting good shots and let's see where we end up. How good can we be if we get a group of guys who can focus on the little things it takes to be a great team? That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”

(On the thought process behind his substitution methods)

“For me, I’m evaluating. I’m evaluating each player and need to know who I can count on. This is the team's first time playing against another opponent and in front of fans. For me, I must know, how will Curtis (Williams) handle this. How will Koran Davis handle this? How will Ty-Laur (Johnson) handle this? How will Ty-Laur run the offense and know what we’re doing at all times? Will he veer off because that’s what he did in high school, and he was good enough to get away with it? There is a big jump between high school and college. So, I need to know who I can count on to do what and play with discipline. So, to me, that is what my evaluation was about as far as platoon substitution. Finding out which guys can play within the system, breaking down the film at the end, and saying, “You’re behind in this area. Why were you hesitant to run this play?” I need to evaluate you with the light on. What will you do?”

(Thoughts on the cohesiveness and the overall chemistry as a team playing their first opponent)

“There were ebbs and flows. At the end of the first half, you saw what we could be as we went on a 24-1 run. That shows that we can be desperate defensively, get out in transition, and execute the offense, and get good shots. I need this team to do this regularly, not just in spurts.

(On if he could identify any tendencies as to why the game was up and down)

“Until I see the film it's hard to break it down. We had six assists in the first half and five of them came from Skyy (Clark). That’s not how we play. I need for us to have 15 assists as a team. Guys are going to try and do their own thing at times thinking they can make the play. What does that do to your team when you feel like that?”

Guard/Forward Curtis Williams and Center Dennis Evans

(How good did it feel to get the start tonight and were there any nerves for you with this being your first game?)

Curtis Williams: “I feel like I got all my nerves out last week, as you can see. I started off bad but picked it up the second half. (Kenny Payne) just giving me the start today boosted my confidence and it helped me a lot, and just going hard in practice, it paid off.”

(Dennis, just take me through how you felt and how comfortable you are getting within this system?)

Dennis Evans: “It's getting a bit easier as time goes along. Right now, I'm still adjusting to the pace and how quick the plays are, but you could start to tell I'm starting to get the hang of it. I'm learning where I'm supposed to be at the right time and starting to figure it out.”

(What was it like to get in a game in front of people, in front of a crowd, against a different team than yourself?)

Curtis Williams: “For me, it felt amazing. Just not having to go out there and play the same guys we’ve been playing in practice every day, finally getting to go against somebody. Coming together as a group and going to war with my guys, I loved that tonight.”

Dennis Evans: “It was just really exciting. You know, getting to go out on the court against a real opponent for the first time. Playing hard, playing to our advantages, playing through our mistakes, a lot of fun.”

(You all started off slow out of the gate with turnovers and missed shots, what was the message during that stretch and after the game as well?)

Dennis Evans: “The message was we have to crack down on turnovers, really take care of the ball, and make sure we run things correctly. We started off a bit jittery, but we ended up picking it up towards the end.” Curtis Williams: “We just need to come in and be like ready to play. If we came in with the right mind space, we wouldn't have that many turnovers, so we just have to come ready to play next.”

(What do you expect physically or in terms of physicality? In the early part of the season, it seems like you all are prepared to get minutes, but what do you expect in terms of trying to be more physical and how are you preparing for it?)

Dennis Evans: “We know that physicality is going to pick up so we're making sure we're getting extra hours in the weight room, making sure we're getting in the prep work to be right on the court when it's time for that pressure to come.”

(What is the best version that you as a player will look like for this season? If you feel like you hit your potential, what would that look like?)

Curtis Williams: For me, I just try not to worry about myself and pick others up with me. Making sure I'm bringing the whole team with me, not just scoring, and when things are going bad being able to let everybody know to just keep going. That's pretty much it.

Dennis Evans: I pretty much think that it's never going to stop, but I think it's going to be me being confident with what I'm doing. Rebounding, blocking shots, and talking to my teammates, just getting better at that and moving on the court.

(Photo of Kenny Payne: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)

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