A few excerpts from Chris Mack?s pre-Butler press conference:
You?re not the only program playing six or seven guys, but obviously every coach would like to have more in hand. How close are you to having more in hand?
I?d like to think we?re closer than we were a week or two weeks ago. I think our freshmen are progressing. Unfortunately, fans don?t get to see that progress because it?s been happening in practice. They haven?t earned the right to get into the games to show that progress. But not everybody?s freshmen around the country play. Not everybody has a Jared Sullinger. A lot of kids have to go through some tough times, through a learning process, in order to figure out the intensity, the demand at this level, is different from what they?ve ever experienced. Not even close. Not even remotely close. I wish we didn?t have as many close games as we?ve had so that those kids could get their feet dipped in a little bit of game experience, but we haven?t necessarily had those opportunities. I think they?re getting closer, but again not to the point yet where they?re going to get playing time.
How will you know when they?re ready?
When I see the understanding of what we?re doing out on the basketball floor. It doesn?t have to be perfect. Believe me, our juniors and seniors aren?t perfect. But for the most part, they understand where they need to be, how they need to handle screening actions, how they need to jump ball screens, how they need to communicate. That?s what we have to see in practice, to the point where we feel like, ?You know what. He goes in the game, he?s going to make a positive contribution.? We may not have planned on necessarily needing those freshmen as early as we need them, but we need them and we need some production quickly from our bench, whether you?re a freshman or whether you?re a senior. Because there are other guys coming off the bench, too. Not just our freshmen.
Do you think Tu Holloway, as productive and consistent as he?s been, fits into that mold a little bit of delegating more, balancing more and and trusting the system to kind of spread the wealth?
Yeah, I think everybody shares part of the responsibility of making our offense click. You?re not just exempt from it because you?re our leading scorer and a go-to guy. I want Terrell to take shots when he?s open and I want those shots to be created by his teammates and by our offense, and he knows that. I think for the most part he?s done a pretty good job. It?s the times of controversy and the times of conflict, when we?re stagnant, that I think he wants to wear that Superman?s cape and say, ?I will get us going.? And that is a recipe for disaster. And Terrell doesn?t do that out of spite, out of selfishness. He just does it like, ?I want to win the game.? And we have to figure out how to do that as a team. And I think we?re getting there. But again, game nights are really important. That?s what you?re judged by.
You?re not the only program playing six or seven guys, but obviously every coach would like to have more in hand. How close are you to having more in hand?
I?d like to think we?re closer than we were a week or two weeks ago. I think our freshmen are progressing. Unfortunately, fans don?t get to see that progress because it?s been happening in practice. They haven?t earned the right to get into the games to show that progress. But not everybody?s freshmen around the country play. Not everybody has a Jared Sullinger. A lot of kids have to go through some tough times, through a learning process, in order to figure out the intensity, the demand at this level, is different from what they?ve ever experienced. Not even close. Not even remotely close. I wish we didn?t have as many close games as we?ve had so that those kids could get their feet dipped in a little bit of game experience, but we haven?t necessarily had those opportunities. I think they?re getting closer, but again not to the point yet where they?re going to get playing time.
How will you know when they?re ready?
When I see the understanding of what we?re doing out on the basketball floor. It doesn?t have to be perfect. Believe me, our juniors and seniors aren?t perfect. But for the most part, they understand where they need to be, how they need to handle screening actions, how they need to jump ball screens, how they need to communicate. That?s what we have to see in practice, to the point where we feel like, ?You know what. He goes in the game, he?s going to make a positive contribution.? We may not have planned on necessarily needing those freshmen as early as we need them, but we need them and we need some production quickly from our bench, whether you?re a freshman or whether you?re a senior. Because there are other guys coming off the bench, too. Not just our freshmen.
Do you think Tu Holloway, as productive and consistent as he?s been, fits into that mold a little bit of delegating more, balancing more and and trusting the system to kind of spread the wealth?
Yeah, I think everybody shares part of the responsibility of making our offense click. You?re not just exempt from it because you?re our leading scorer and a go-to guy. I want Terrell to take shots when he?s open and I want those shots to be created by his teammates and by our offense, and he knows that. I think for the most part he?s done a pretty good job. It?s the times of controversy and the times of conflict, when we?re stagnant, that I think he wants to wear that Superman?s cape and say, ?I will get us going.? And that is a recipe for disaster. And Terrell doesn?t do that out of spite, out of selfishness. He just does it like, ?I want to win the game.? And we have to figure out how to do that as a team. And I think we?re getting there. But again, game nights are really important. That?s what you?re judged by.
