Postgame Quotes - UCLA vs. Baylor (Nov. 20, 2022)
POSTGAME QUOTES
No. 5 Baylor 80, No. 8 UCLA 75
Continental Tire Main Event
Las Vegas, Nev. (T-Mobile Arena)
UCLA head coach Mick Cronin
The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach
on what they need to do to convert on the offensive end
“We just shot almost 60 percent against the fifth-ranked team in the country. We gave up 80 points and let the other team shoot 45 percent. Gave up 80 points. We shot 48 percent, guys.”
on how he would assess the defense
“We’re bad. We’re not good enough to win either game, defensively. And that’s my job. I have known it was coming. When you lose Myles, Cody, Jules – veteran guys. You got a lot of young guys. We’ve worked hard at it. We’re just not there yet. Not against a team like this. We’re just not there yet. Not enough to win the game. … Mental effort is more important than physical effort. To do what you’re being told to do. We know a side out-of-bounds play is coming, and we let – we went over it this morning – I told the guy at halfcourt he was coming, the defender, we let Cryer come off and bang in a three. We’re just not there yet. I’m more upset with my leadership about it than the younger guys.”
on teaching his players to be humble, and if he must do it
“One thing if you know anything about me, it’s not a problem for me. I tell guys the truth. Not very popular in this era, but I don’t really care. The problem of giving you a truthful answer is they’ll be told that I’m the problem from their outer circle and that they’re all great players. Ultimately, you’ve got to recruit guys that are going to do what they need to do to get better and win games like this if you want to be a real program. But in our era of basketball, it’s O.K. if you win, lose or draw. For a lot of people, it doesn’t matter. They couldn’t care if we win. It’s all about if a guy is getting his and a guy’s stats. But that’s the goal of coaching in this era. You’ve got to overcome it. … Back to humility, we’ll find out. We play Wednesday. It’s a long season. Who you are now is irrelevant to who you are in March. I know these games matter in terms of seeding, but we’re going to find out what we’re made of. Right now, we’re not tough enough to get the job done on the defensive end.
on the problems Baylor presents when LJ Cryer and Adam Flagler are on at the same time
“And George didn’t have a great game although he is a lottery pick. (But it’s because Cryer and Flagler) can both shoot and play with the ball and they’re both under control for the most part. There’s people in the Big IX that think Flagler is the best player in their conference. … Obviously, you can see how devastating it was for them to not have Cryer in the NCAA Tournament last year.”
Junior guard Jaylen Clark
on if he thought lack of offensive execution was the difference tonight
“No. There was a few times coming down in transition we lost our man. I know one time I fell asleep, they kicked it and Cryer had a hell of a night. I think we just have to go back home and lock in on the defensive end. It’s not our talent. It’s just our discipline at this point.”
on if they made defensive adjustments on him after his 17-point first half
“No. We kept playing good. I was just passing the ball. Jaime finally got back in because he got into foul trouble early and we played through Jaime which is how we want to play. So, it was cool.”
on if being in close games against the top teams in the country gives them hope
“I mean we’re not here for false hope or moral victories and stuff like that. At the end of the day, we didn’t get the job done. I believe when we go back home and get the defensive side fixed, I do believe we can play with anybody. Just because we lost by eight or five doesn’t mean anything to us.”
No. 5 Baylor 80, No. 8 UCLA 75
Continental Tire Main Event
Las Vegas, Nev. (T-Mobile Arena)
UCLA head coach Mick Cronin
The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach
on what they need to do to convert on the offensive end
“We just shot almost 60 percent against the fifth-ranked team in the country. We gave up 80 points and let the other team shoot 45 percent. Gave up 80 points. We shot 48 percent, guys.”
on how he would assess the defense
“We’re bad. We’re not good enough to win either game, defensively. And that’s my job. I have known it was coming. When you lose Myles, Cody, Jules – veteran guys. You got a lot of young guys. We’ve worked hard at it. We’re just not there yet. Not against a team like this. We’re just not there yet. Not enough to win the game. … Mental effort is more important than physical effort. To do what you’re being told to do. We know a side out-of-bounds play is coming, and we let – we went over it this morning – I told the guy at halfcourt he was coming, the defender, we let Cryer come off and bang in a three. We’re just not there yet. I’m more upset with my leadership about it than the younger guys.”
on teaching his players to be humble, and if he must do it
“One thing if you know anything about me, it’s not a problem for me. I tell guys the truth. Not very popular in this era, but I don’t really care. The problem of giving you a truthful answer is they’ll be told that I’m the problem from their outer circle and that they’re all great players. Ultimately, you’ve got to recruit guys that are going to do what they need to do to get better and win games like this if you want to be a real program. But in our era of basketball, it’s O.K. if you win, lose or draw. For a lot of people, it doesn’t matter. They couldn’t care if we win. It’s all about if a guy is getting his and a guy’s stats. But that’s the goal of coaching in this era. You’ve got to overcome it. … Back to humility, we’ll find out. We play Wednesday. It’s a long season. Who you are now is irrelevant to who you are in March. I know these games matter in terms of seeding, but we’re going to find out what we’re made of. Right now, we’re not tough enough to get the job done on the defensive end.
on the problems Baylor presents when LJ Cryer and Adam Flagler are on at the same time
“And George didn’t have a great game although he is a lottery pick. (But it’s because Cryer and Flagler) can both shoot and play with the ball and they’re both under control for the most part. There’s people in the Big IX that think Flagler is the best player in their conference. … Obviously, you can see how devastating it was for them to not have Cryer in the NCAA Tournament last year.”
Junior guard Jaylen Clark
on if he thought lack of offensive execution was the difference tonight
“No. There was a few times coming down in transition we lost our man. I know one time I fell asleep, they kicked it and Cryer had a hell of a night. I think we just have to go back home and lock in on the defensive end. It’s not our talent. It’s just our discipline at this point.”
on if they made defensive adjustments on him after his 17-point first half
“No. We kept playing good. I was just passing the ball. Jaime finally got back in because he got into foul trouble early and we played through Jaime which is how we want to play. So, it was cool.”
on if being in close games against the top teams in the country gives them hope
“I mean we’re not here for false hope or moral victories and stuff like that. At the end of the day, we didn’t get the job done. I believe when we go back home and get the defensive side fixed, I do believe we can play with anybody. Just because we lost by eight or five doesn’t mean anything to us.”