What No. 25 Men's Hoops Said at Wednesday's Media Session
November 28, 2018 | Men's Basketball
by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications
STARKVILLE – No. 25 Mississippi State will face its first true road test of the season when the Bulldogs travel to face Dayton.
Friday's matchup will tip at 6 p.m. CT, and the 13,455 UD Arena is near a sellout. The game will be televised by the CBS Sports Network cable channel and streamed online courtesy of www.CBSsports.com/cbs-sports-network. You must be subscribed to CBS Sports Network via your cable provider to view the online stream. Jason Horowitz and Steve Wolf will serve as the announcing team.
Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the men's basketball program. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets by searching 'HailStateMBK' on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Head coach Ben Howland along with Nick Weatherspoon and Robert Woodard II met with the media on Wednesday prior to practice. Below is a transcript of the session.
Mississippi State Men's Basketball Media Session
November 28, 2018 – Humphrey Coliseum
Head Coach Ben Howland
Opening Statement
BH: "Tough game coming up. They're good. Dayton has a very good team and a phenomenal home atmosphere. This will very much reciprocate a SEC away game in late November. That's why we are doing it. Watching them, Dayton play, they're incredibly physical. I watched their game against Virginia last night. After I think after 14 minutes, Virginia had about 10 points gone in the first half. It's a physical knock-down, drag-out [style of play.] They're very athletic with big wings. Really big physical, strong, physical twos, threes as starters."
"Their point guard is outstanding, a young man from Memphis. [Jalen] Crutcher, who obviously played well against us here last year in their comeback. He's an outstanding player. [Josh] Cunningham is their best player inside. That guy is really good, a first-team all-preseason pick out the A10 (Atlantic 10). That guy is a player. We have our hands full. It will be fun. There will be 13,500 great basketball fans there. It will be a great atmosphere. I wish all of you in the media could go."
Q: It is a typical Anthony Grant defense out of them with pressing and harassing full court?
BH: "You know they press on free throw situations quite a bit in terms of run-and-jump and man-to man. They will show a zone-diamond press if they're down late in the game like they showed against Oklahoma. They really get into you physically. Their defense is very tough. They've really recruited to being a good defensive team in terms of the size of their wings. They're big and physical everywhere you look."
Q: Any update on Abdul Ado?
BH: "Abdul [Ado] is going to try practice some today. It will be limited in nature, but we'll see how it goes … The better update is actually tomorrow after he has gone on it an hour or so and see how the ankle responds. Yesterday, he was out there one-on-zero with the trainer and did some things. He's tough so he will give it a go, and we will see where we are after today. We don't know for sure if he's playing or not playing yet."
Q: Are you looking for Nick [Weatherspoon] to take more shots?
BH: "What I think is that he [Nick Weatherspoon] is taking the best shots. I commend his basketball IQ in terms of good shot, bad shot and taking good shots. Today, we had him shooting in the morning. He shot great and so do all of our guys. Like I thought Lamar [Peters] today. Lamar shot 80 percent from three catching and shooting. He knows that he did a better job in our last game at letting the shot come to him. The ones he missed were ones he got a little hyped up because he hit a couple. Then, he may take one he probably shouldn't take. When he is open the way he is shooting right now – this is on 150 attempts, he made 80 percent of them this morning. Tyson Carter, the same thing. I watched every one of Tyson's shots and Lamar's shots on the season with them over the last two days. They see the difference when they are open. They are both really good shooters. I think they have worked so hard, and they are so anxious to get it going. I can't tell you how many countless hours they put in the gym in the offseason. Nobody put more time in the gym in the offseason than Tyson and Lamar in our program. I think now we are settling down. They know they are going to get in. When they get open shots, count it."
Q: How helpful for the freshmen is it to have so much experience around them?
BH: "I think it really helps them. When they come in [the game] the other team isn't keying in on them. A year from now, they are keying on them. They can continue to grow. They are great kids. I can't tell you how fun it is to coach those two. Reggie [Perry] is in here this morning lifting at 8:15 and shooting from 9:00-9:40. These guys are phenomenal to work with and to coach. You have seen growth in his jump shot, and it's really improving. He was shooting without a lot of lift through the summer. That is how he kind of always did it. You can see at the level when the guys are going so much faster you have to have more lift on your shot and get a little lower on the catch. He's learning to do that. I was so excited this morning. I was really pumped up. It is so fun to watch players grow before your very eyes. That is what is fun about this job. They want it so bad. It is so fun to coach guys that are coachable. That is what makes it fun."
Guard Nick Weatherspoon
Q: What do you tell the freshman about going on the road for the first time since you were in their shoes a year ago?
NW: "I would say that basically the way I see it, it's you against the world. You can't go into it expecting to get calls. A lot of things that you do at home, you're not going to get away with on the road. You almost have to play a perfect game on the road to beat teams like that. We know that [Dayton] Ohio is a basketball city so it's going to be pretty tough to win up there. We know it's going to be packed, and you have to come ready to play."
Q: You're shooting as well if not better than anyone on the team, and Coach Howland says that's a credit to your basketball IQ. Are you looking to shoot more with the way you are shooting right now?
NW: "No, I'm just shooting when I'm open and shooting when I feel like I can knock shots down. I know there are some shots, they [the coaches] actually get mad at me for not taking because they think I should take it. I'm trying to be unselfish with the ball so I just pass to whoever's open. If I'm wide open, I'm going to shoot it.
Guard Robert Woodard II
Q: How comfortable do you feel on the floor six games into your career?
RW: "I feel very comfortable. My teammates really helped me out during the summer. That was the main part that made me feel at home over the summer. The fact that they have confidence in me and confidence in my game just helps my confidence. So, being on the floor with them makes me very comfortable."
Q: Coach [Ben Howland] said that there was a 'welcome to college basketball' moment for Reggie, did you have one of those?
RW: "I don't think so. I think that my main transition was getting used to my own teammates before actually getting on the floor against anybody else. It is a lot more physical, I can say that. It has given me a drive to play hard and be more physical on the court."
Q: Do you feel like your role has been more important over the last two games with Abdul [Ado] being out?
RW: "I guess you can say that. It's basically all about doing whatever Coach [Howland] needs me to do to help this team win and help be an impact on the game. Everybody has a role now that Abdul is out. We all have to have our own responsibilities that we have to do to pick up some slack that he gave us. Everyone really has to play their part and play their role."
STARKVILLE – No. 25 Mississippi State will face its first true road test of the season when the Bulldogs travel to face Dayton.
Friday's matchup will tip at 6 p.m. CT, and the 13,455 UD Arena is near a sellout. The game will be televised by the CBS Sports Network cable channel and streamed online courtesy of www.CBSsports.com/cbs-sports-network. You must be subscribed to CBS Sports Network via your cable provider to view the online stream. Jason Horowitz and Steve Wolf will serve as the announcing team.
Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the men's basketball program. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets by searching 'HailStateMBK' on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Head coach Ben Howland along with Nick Weatherspoon and Robert Woodard II met with the media on Wednesday prior to practice. Below is a transcript of the session.
Mississippi State Men's Basketball Media Session
November 28, 2018 – Humphrey Coliseum
Head Coach Ben Howland
Opening Statement
BH: "Tough game coming up. They're good. Dayton has a very good team and a phenomenal home atmosphere. This will very much reciprocate a SEC away game in late November. That's why we are doing it. Watching them, Dayton play, they're incredibly physical. I watched their game against Virginia last night. After I think after 14 minutes, Virginia had about 10 points gone in the first half. It's a physical knock-down, drag-out [style of play.] They're very athletic with big wings. Really big physical, strong, physical twos, threes as starters."
"Their point guard is outstanding, a young man from Memphis. [Jalen] Crutcher, who obviously played well against us here last year in their comeback. He's an outstanding player. [Josh] Cunningham is their best player inside. That guy is really good, a first-team all-preseason pick out the A10 (Atlantic 10). That guy is a player. We have our hands full. It will be fun. There will be 13,500 great basketball fans there. It will be a great atmosphere. I wish all of you in the media could go."
Q: It is a typical Anthony Grant defense out of them with pressing and harassing full court?
BH: "You know they press on free throw situations quite a bit in terms of run-and-jump and man-to man. They will show a zone-diamond press if they're down late in the game like they showed against Oklahoma. They really get into you physically. Their defense is very tough. They've really recruited to being a good defensive team in terms of the size of their wings. They're big and physical everywhere you look."
Q: Any update on Abdul Ado?
BH: "Abdul [Ado] is going to try practice some today. It will be limited in nature, but we'll see how it goes … The better update is actually tomorrow after he has gone on it an hour or so and see how the ankle responds. Yesterday, he was out there one-on-zero with the trainer and did some things. He's tough so he will give it a go, and we will see where we are after today. We don't know for sure if he's playing or not playing yet."
Q: Are you looking for Nick [Weatherspoon] to take more shots?
BH: "What I think is that he [Nick Weatherspoon] is taking the best shots. I commend his basketball IQ in terms of good shot, bad shot and taking good shots. Today, we had him shooting in the morning. He shot great and so do all of our guys. Like I thought Lamar [Peters] today. Lamar shot 80 percent from three catching and shooting. He knows that he did a better job in our last game at letting the shot come to him. The ones he missed were ones he got a little hyped up because he hit a couple. Then, he may take one he probably shouldn't take. When he is open the way he is shooting right now – this is on 150 attempts, he made 80 percent of them this morning. Tyson Carter, the same thing. I watched every one of Tyson's shots and Lamar's shots on the season with them over the last two days. They see the difference when they are open. They are both really good shooters. I think they have worked so hard, and they are so anxious to get it going. I can't tell you how many countless hours they put in the gym in the offseason. Nobody put more time in the gym in the offseason than Tyson and Lamar in our program. I think now we are settling down. They know they are going to get in. When they get open shots, count it."
Q: How helpful for the freshmen is it to have so much experience around them?
BH: "I think it really helps them. When they come in [the game] the other team isn't keying in on them. A year from now, they are keying on them. They can continue to grow. They are great kids. I can't tell you how fun it is to coach those two. Reggie [Perry] is in here this morning lifting at 8:15 and shooting from 9:00-9:40. These guys are phenomenal to work with and to coach. You have seen growth in his jump shot, and it's really improving. He was shooting without a lot of lift through the summer. That is how he kind of always did it. You can see at the level when the guys are going so much faster you have to have more lift on your shot and get a little lower on the catch. He's learning to do that. I was so excited this morning. I was really pumped up. It is so fun to watch players grow before your very eyes. That is what is fun about this job. They want it so bad. It is so fun to coach guys that are coachable. That is what makes it fun."
Guard Nick Weatherspoon
Q: What do you tell the freshman about going on the road for the first time since you were in their shoes a year ago?
NW: "I would say that basically the way I see it, it's you against the world. You can't go into it expecting to get calls. A lot of things that you do at home, you're not going to get away with on the road. You almost have to play a perfect game on the road to beat teams like that. We know that [Dayton] Ohio is a basketball city so it's going to be pretty tough to win up there. We know it's going to be packed, and you have to come ready to play."
Q: You're shooting as well if not better than anyone on the team, and Coach Howland says that's a credit to your basketball IQ. Are you looking to shoot more with the way you are shooting right now?
NW: "No, I'm just shooting when I'm open and shooting when I feel like I can knock shots down. I know there are some shots, they [the coaches] actually get mad at me for not taking because they think I should take it. I'm trying to be unselfish with the ball so I just pass to whoever's open. If I'm wide open, I'm going to shoot it.
Guard Robert Woodard II
Q: How comfortable do you feel on the floor six games into your career?
RW: "I feel very comfortable. My teammates really helped me out during the summer. That was the main part that made me feel at home over the summer. The fact that they have confidence in me and confidence in my game just helps my confidence. So, being on the floor with them makes me very comfortable."
Q: Coach [Ben Howland] said that there was a 'welcome to college basketball' moment for Reggie, did you have one of those?
RW: "I don't think so. I think that my main transition was getting used to my own teammates before actually getting on the floor against anybody else. It is a lot more physical, I can say that. It has given me a drive to play hard and be more physical on the court."
Q: Do you feel like your role has been more important over the last two games with Abdul [Ado] being out?
RW: "I guess you can say that. It's basically all about doing whatever Coach [Howland] needs me to do to help this team win and help be an impact on the game. Everybody has a role now that Abdul is out. We all have to have our own responsibilities that we have to do to pick up some slack that he gave us. Everyone really has to play their part and play their role."
Players Mentioned
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