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Postgame Quotes – Stanford 59, UCLA 53
POSTGAME QUOTES
Stanford 59, UCLA 53
Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion)
January 3, 2024
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach
opening statement
“We can’t shoot 21 percent in the second half of a game and have any chance to win. The fact that you don’t get blown out is a miracle. Obviously we’re struggling mightily on the offensive end to shoot the ball into the basket. The teams are packing it in on us, and we’re struggling to shoot it in. Second thing, our turnovers are just destroying us. Two straight games where we turn the ball over, 24 percent of our possessions. We had no chance to win. Absolutely no chance to win. The way we shoot the ball, we need every shot that we can [get] so we can get every foul or every rebound. We can get fouled more and get more rebounds. Tonight, I thought our effort to go rebound was terrible. I know we had 11, but three of them Stanford knocked out of bounds. We had eight live ball – I’m talking about offensive [rebounds] – we had eight live ball rebound possibilities out of 39 shots. No chance, not with the way we shoot the ball.”
on if Stanford packed the paint after UCLA’s scoring run to open the game
“Probably. I’d have to look at the film. Obviously, we got some layups. We struggled to do simple things. We worked on getting Berke [Buyuktuncel] the ball versus the switch. We’re not very smart. We just don’t see it. We had that opportunity with Brandon Williams with the point guard on him. Our aptitude is a big issue for us right now. The most important thing for a teacher is for his students to have aptitude, or they can’t learn or can’t apply. Your rate of progress and development is way too slow. If a team makes the adjustments, we struggle to adjust to instruction on the fly. That’s an issue for us. We get Berke the ball – I get it, he’s a freshman. But he gives up two straight layups and throws a cross-court pass. I told him real simply, ‘If you don’t get double-teamed, just score. I don’t even care if you miss it. Just score.’ I’m trying to develop somebody who can score the ball. He’s a better passer out of there than Adem [Bona], but he decides to throw a cross-court pass. We invent new ways to turn it over. Kenny [Nwuba] gets in the game – our oldest, smartest guy, supposedly, our most trained player – he fouls 98 feet away from the basket on a rebound. They’re struggling to score and we’re up eight. We immediately fouled them on two rebounds 98 feet from the basket when they cut it to four. And on the next possession, Kenny set an illegal screen. So, he played 45 seconds in the first half [and] he had two fouls and a turnover. And one of the fouls was 98 feet from the basket. It is what it is. You just got to keep trying to get better. I know you’re going to ask me about the guys’ confidence. It is what it is. Can’t call your mommy. She can’t help you. You’ve got an opportunity of a lifetime. It may not last forever, depending on your performance.”
on the Bruins’ defensive effort
“Again, it’s not baseball. I would agree with you. But Clayton Kershaw throws shutouts and the Dodgers can score one and win. And Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer were playing for my man John Savage, and he can get one run and win. In hoops, you got to score. Holding them to 36 percent and 30 percent from three isn’t a bad effort at all. I thought the 17 free throws hurt us. Those are free points that we’re not good enough to give those away. I thought those hurt us. I would agree with you. You got to be able to get 60 [points]. The way for us is we got to stop turning the ball over. Before everybody wants to call me and say, ‘Somebody has got to make a shot for you.’ I’m well aware of that, but you got a better chance when you don’t turn it over. I’ve been in this position and I’ve been doing this a long time. I won five games in a row in the Big East at Cincinnati and never shot over 37 percent. Three of the teams we beat were ranked, but we didn’t turn it over and we rebounded it. But to your point, obviously, defensively it’s hard to throw a shutout in basketball.”
on UCLA’s zero fastbreak points
“It kills you. But I will tell you this, Stanford is a team – I know [Maxime] Raynaud got four offensive [rebounds], but they sprint back. He got someone confused on some switches. We had a guard on him. But they’re a team that sends literally three or four guys back when they shoot, so it’s really hard to get on the break against them on a miss. But it’d be nice to get some live ball steals where we could get out and run.”
on walking the line between confidence and teaching with freshman Ilane Fibleuil
“It is what it is. That’s on him, not me. I tell them all, ‘It’s hard. So, you can quit or go home or make an excuse and transfer like 1,900 guys. Or you get better and look in the mirror.’ But you’ve got to look in the mirror first. The first time you touch a ball and you try to be Michael Jordan. You’ve been told to get in there and make open shots, rebound and play defense. First time you touch the ball and you try to be Michael Jordan, look what happens. Great kid, but we got a lot of guys that are struggling right now on the aptitude. The fallacy is that freshmen get better as the year goes on. Forget the once percentile. For the rest of them, it’s harder as the year goes on because it gets harder to win because there’s scouting reports, the games mean more and it’s more physical. Coaches have figured out who they should play and who they should sit. So, it’s harder on them as the year goes on. People know how to exploit their weaknesses. Sebastian Mack isn’t shooting 10 free throws a game anymore. It’s just an example. It’s harder on the young guys as the year goes on. It’s a real fallacy that they’ll get better. No, no. The games get much tougher to win. But look guys, let’s be honest, [if] you can’t score, you can’t win. And for us, 16 turnovers is ridiculous. I say that, with all due respect, they’re packing it in [the paint]. There is no press. There is no trap. So, why are you turning the ball over? What would the reason be? I mean, I’d understand if you’re playing a team that’s pressing you all over the floor.”
UCLA freshman guard Sebastian Mack
on what happened after the great start offensively
“I would say we got a little comfortable. But I mean, we can’t let that happen anymore. We have to go out there and score.”
on the turnovers in the second half
“I would say, to be honest we are burying ourselves. I feel like we started to pick it up a little bit, but now we have to get over this hump.”
on trying to shoot the three more instead of driving to the basket
“I’ve been working on that. That’s why I have the confidence to shoot it a little bit. For me, I just have to keep working, keep building on it, just listening to coach and keep doing what he is asking me to do.”
UCLA sophomore forward/center Adem Bona
on the turnovers in the second half
“We need to be able to take care of the ball. We got a little sloppy today. The more shots we get up the more chances we have to get rebounds and the more chances for us to get points. That [the turnovers] is what held us back today. We just have to limit that.”
on how Stanford handled him after the hot start
“We figured out their game plan was to trap the post. I was trying to get the ball out of there as quick as possible. I turned the ball over in the post, obviously I should be getting the ball out there, find the open man. I think they just packed the post after the first couple points of the game.”
on the struggles offensively
“Like I’ve said if we can get more shots up, there’s chances for it to go in and chances for us to get offensive rebounds, and if we do we can get more shots up. Then we have more chances to score. I think it just comes down to the turnovers.”
on the struggles to get transition baskets
“To be honest with you, I can’t tell. I believe we have a faster team this year, and I believe we should be getting more fastbreak points, but I think it comes down to us not taking care of the ball. We had a couple fastbreaks, we turned it over. I think as a team, we just have to work together and take care of the ball. We need to know the moves our teammates are going to make, we just kept running into each other. I think it just comes with time, more time in the gym together. We are getting the fastbreaks, but we are turning the ball over, or we are not capitalizing on it.”
Stanford head coach Jerod Haase
overall statement
“This is a real big deal. This is the last time that Stanford will be in Pauley. Our guys just really stood the course. The second half, we really executed the game plan. We did just enough. We rebounded. We played defense.”
on the turning point in Wednesday night’s game
“Honestly, it was just a slow turning point. We were down 10-0. It was a slow progression through the rest of the game. It was just a gradual climb.”
on where they go from here
“I think we go back and watch film. We really want to validate the Arizona win. I have a saying that I say to the guys. Do your job to the best you can and you’ll have continued growth. If we do that, the wins and losses will take care of themselves.”
Stanford 59, UCLA 53
Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion)
January 3, 2024
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach
opening statement
“We can’t shoot 21 percent in the second half of a game and have any chance to win. The fact that you don’t get blown out is a miracle. Obviously we’re struggling mightily on the offensive end to shoot the ball into the basket. The teams are packing it in on us, and we’re struggling to shoot it in. Second thing, our turnovers are just destroying us. Two straight games where we turn the ball over, 24 percent of our possessions. We had no chance to win. Absolutely no chance to win. The way we shoot the ball, we need every shot that we can [get] so we can get every foul or every rebound. We can get fouled more and get more rebounds. Tonight, I thought our effort to go rebound was terrible. I know we had 11, but three of them Stanford knocked out of bounds. We had eight live ball – I’m talking about offensive [rebounds] – we had eight live ball rebound possibilities out of 39 shots. No chance, not with the way we shoot the ball.”
on if Stanford packed the paint after UCLA’s scoring run to open the game
“Probably. I’d have to look at the film. Obviously, we got some layups. We struggled to do simple things. We worked on getting Berke [Buyuktuncel] the ball versus the switch. We’re not very smart. We just don’t see it. We had that opportunity with Brandon Williams with the point guard on him. Our aptitude is a big issue for us right now. The most important thing for a teacher is for his students to have aptitude, or they can’t learn or can’t apply. Your rate of progress and development is way too slow. If a team makes the adjustments, we struggle to adjust to instruction on the fly. That’s an issue for us. We get Berke the ball – I get it, he’s a freshman. But he gives up two straight layups and throws a cross-court pass. I told him real simply, ‘If you don’t get double-teamed, just score. I don’t even care if you miss it. Just score.’ I’m trying to develop somebody who can score the ball. He’s a better passer out of there than Adem [Bona], but he decides to throw a cross-court pass. We invent new ways to turn it over. Kenny [Nwuba] gets in the game – our oldest, smartest guy, supposedly, our most trained player – he fouls 98 feet away from the basket on a rebound. They’re struggling to score and we’re up eight. We immediately fouled them on two rebounds 98 feet from the basket when they cut it to four. And on the next possession, Kenny set an illegal screen. So, he played 45 seconds in the first half [and] he had two fouls and a turnover. And one of the fouls was 98 feet from the basket. It is what it is. You just got to keep trying to get better. I know you’re going to ask me about the guys’ confidence. It is what it is. Can’t call your mommy. She can’t help you. You’ve got an opportunity of a lifetime. It may not last forever, depending on your performance.”
on the Bruins’ defensive effort
“Again, it’s not baseball. I would agree with you. But Clayton Kershaw throws shutouts and the Dodgers can score one and win. And Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer were playing for my man John Savage, and he can get one run and win. In hoops, you got to score. Holding them to 36 percent and 30 percent from three isn’t a bad effort at all. I thought the 17 free throws hurt us. Those are free points that we’re not good enough to give those away. I thought those hurt us. I would agree with you. You got to be able to get 60 [points]. The way for us is we got to stop turning the ball over. Before everybody wants to call me and say, ‘Somebody has got to make a shot for you.’ I’m well aware of that, but you got a better chance when you don’t turn it over. I’ve been in this position and I’ve been doing this a long time. I won five games in a row in the Big East at Cincinnati and never shot over 37 percent. Three of the teams we beat were ranked, but we didn’t turn it over and we rebounded it. But to your point, obviously, defensively it’s hard to throw a shutout in basketball.”
on UCLA’s zero fastbreak points
“It kills you. But I will tell you this, Stanford is a team – I know [Maxime] Raynaud got four offensive [rebounds], but they sprint back. He got someone confused on some switches. We had a guard on him. But they’re a team that sends literally three or four guys back when they shoot, so it’s really hard to get on the break against them on a miss. But it’d be nice to get some live ball steals where we could get out and run.”
on walking the line between confidence and teaching with freshman Ilane Fibleuil
“It is what it is. That’s on him, not me. I tell them all, ‘It’s hard. So, you can quit or go home or make an excuse and transfer like 1,900 guys. Or you get better and look in the mirror.’ But you’ve got to look in the mirror first. The first time you touch a ball and you try to be Michael Jordan. You’ve been told to get in there and make open shots, rebound and play defense. First time you touch the ball and you try to be Michael Jordan, look what happens. Great kid, but we got a lot of guys that are struggling right now on the aptitude. The fallacy is that freshmen get better as the year goes on. Forget the once percentile. For the rest of them, it’s harder as the year goes on because it gets harder to win because there’s scouting reports, the games mean more and it’s more physical. Coaches have figured out who they should play and who they should sit. So, it’s harder on them as the year goes on. People know how to exploit their weaknesses. Sebastian Mack isn’t shooting 10 free throws a game anymore. It’s just an example. It’s harder on the young guys as the year goes on. It’s a real fallacy that they’ll get better. No, no. The games get much tougher to win. But look guys, let’s be honest, [if] you can’t score, you can’t win. And for us, 16 turnovers is ridiculous. I say that, with all due respect, they’re packing it in [the paint]. There is no press. There is no trap. So, why are you turning the ball over? What would the reason be? I mean, I’d understand if you’re playing a team that’s pressing you all over the floor.”
UCLA freshman guard Sebastian Mack
on what happened after the great start offensively
“I would say we got a little comfortable. But I mean, we can’t let that happen anymore. We have to go out there and score.”
on the turnovers in the second half
“I would say, to be honest we are burying ourselves. I feel like we started to pick it up a little bit, but now we have to get over this hump.”
on trying to shoot the three more instead of driving to the basket
“I’ve been working on that. That’s why I have the confidence to shoot it a little bit. For me, I just have to keep working, keep building on it, just listening to coach and keep doing what he is asking me to do.”
UCLA sophomore forward/center Adem Bona
on the turnovers in the second half
“We need to be able to take care of the ball. We got a little sloppy today. The more shots we get up the more chances we have to get rebounds and the more chances for us to get points. That [the turnovers] is what held us back today. We just have to limit that.”
on how Stanford handled him after the hot start
“We figured out their game plan was to trap the post. I was trying to get the ball out of there as quick as possible. I turned the ball over in the post, obviously I should be getting the ball out there, find the open man. I think they just packed the post after the first couple points of the game.”
on the struggles offensively
“Like I’ve said if we can get more shots up, there’s chances for it to go in and chances for us to get offensive rebounds, and if we do we can get more shots up. Then we have more chances to score. I think it just comes down to the turnovers.”
on the struggles to get transition baskets
“To be honest with you, I can’t tell. I believe we have a faster team this year, and I believe we should be getting more fastbreak points, but I think it comes down to us not taking care of the ball. We had a couple fastbreaks, we turned it over. I think as a team, we just have to work together and take care of the ball. We need to know the moves our teammates are going to make, we just kept running into each other. I think it just comes with time, more time in the gym together. We are getting the fastbreaks, but we are turning the ball over, or we are not capitalizing on it.”
Stanford head coach Jerod Haase
overall statement
“This is a real big deal. This is the last time that Stanford will be in Pauley. Our guys just really stood the course. The second half, we really executed the game plan. We did just enough. We rebounded. We played defense.”
on the turning point in Wednesday night’s game
“Honestly, it was just a slow turning point. We were down 10-0. It was a slow progression through the rest of the game. It was just a gradual climb.”
on where they go from here
“I think we go back and watch film. We really want to validate the Arizona win. I have a saying that I say to the guys. Do your job to the best you can and you’ll have continued growth. If we do that, the wins and losses will take care of themselves.”