I had a conversation with Coach Toole as the Colonials prepare for their matchup with Georgetown. Had some left over material that is still very good content. Here are some of Andy's thoughts....
On where the team stands after the win over Bradley: "Obviously there are some things we need to improve on from the performance last night. Just the fact of success, in terms of the win is important. For seven guys on our team, that was their first division one win. That's more than half our team. I like the progress that we are making, but I want to make sure that continues."
Where the 2-3 zone stands: "I thought we were in a lot better position [against Bradley]. I thought the Lafayette game was tough because the stretch you with all the shooters on the floor. Then we kind of lost our minds a little bit because of over committing to the perimeter and gave up too many layups. We made some adjustments in terms of positioning and went back over some things. Last night was our best team defensive effort. Obviously numbers wise, but even positionally and understanding wise. I thought we were improved from Friday to Sunday at Carolina."
"There are certain things you can't defend with the size. There were a couple breakdowns, a few lack of recognition plays that I didn't in the Carolina game. I thought we did a much better job of doing what we practice and scout and staying true to our positions and applying pressure where it was necessary. Other than the start of the first half, rebounding the ball pretty well against a bigger team."
On Lucky Jones: "We've been telling Lucky the same thing the past six months. Do your job. Do what you do well. You bring a certain skillset and ability to our team that is invaluable. You gotta bring that every night. When you bring that, allow your teammates to bring their skillsets and work within the flow of what we're trying to do. I thinks sometimes when you become a senior, there is a lot more on your shoulders."
"He wants to have his best year yet but he has to understand that he's going to be at the top of every scouting report. He's gotta work harder to get open shots. Make good decisions when he attacks the rim. He's got a lot on his plate but he is figuring out how to handle it."
On Rodney Pryor after his 24 point performance: "He's got great size, and a good stroke. We were able to get him free last night, he worked for shots and his teammate worked to find him. Thankfully he was able to knock them down..... The question will be for us, we gotta find him consistent shots and thats gotta be a combination of him understanding what we are trying to offensively, being ready to shoot those shots quickly, because people aren't going to give him space moving forward as teams start to scout and adjust defenses toward him."
On Kavon Stewart: "I like where he is at. I thought he was a bit too passive in the Lafayette game.... He kind of settled in against Carolina early on. They were pressuring him and he handled it. One of the best things he does is go by people and get into the lane. Sometimes he gets caught in between running offense and creating offense and I think good point guards understand that balance...I think last night he did a much better job facilitating and creating offense. He's gotta continue to find that balance."
On where the team stands after the win over Bradley: "Obviously there are some things we need to improve on from the performance last night. Just the fact of success, in terms of the win is important. For seven guys on our team, that was their first division one win. That's more than half our team. I like the progress that we are making, but I want to make sure that continues."
Where the 2-3 zone stands: "I thought we were in a lot better position [against Bradley]. I thought the Lafayette game was tough because the stretch you with all the shooters on the floor. Then we kind of lost our minds a little bit because of over committing to the perimeter and gave up too many layups. We made some adjustments in terms of positioning and went back over some things. Last night was our best team defensive effort. Obviously numbers wise, but even positionally and understanding wise. I thought we were improved from Friday to Sunday at Carolina."
"There are certain things you can't defend with the size. There were a couple breakdowns, a few lack of recognition plays that I didn't in the Carolina game. I thought we did a much better job of doing what we practice and scout and staying true to our positions and applying pressure where it was necessary. Other than the start of the first half, rebounding the ball pretty well against a bigger team."
On Lucky Jones: "We've been telling Lucky the same thing the past six months. Do your job. Do what you do well. You bring a certain skillset and ability to our team that is invaluable. You gotta bring that every night. When you bring that, allow your teammates to bring their skillsets and work within the flow of what we're trying to do. I thinks sometimes when you become a senior, there is a lot more on your shoulders."
"He wants to have his best year yet but he has to understand that he's going to be at the top of every scouting report. He's gotta work harder to get open shots. Make good decisions when he attacks the rim. He's got a lot on his plate but he is figuring out how to handle it."
On Rodney Pryor after his 24 point performance: "He's got great size, and a good stroke. We were able to get him free last night, he worked for shots and his teammate worked to find him. Thankfully he was able to knock them down..... The question will be for us, we gotta find him consistent shots and thats gotta be a combination of him understanding what we are trying to offensively, being ready to shoot those shots quickly, because people aren't going to give him space moving forward as teams start to scout and adjust defenses toward him."
On Kavon Stewart: "I like where he is at. I thought he was a bit too passive in the Lafayette game.... He kind of settled in against Carolina early on. They were pressuring him and he handled it. One of the best things he does is go by people and get into the lane. Sometimes he gets caught in between running offense and creating offense and I think good point guards understand that balance...I think last night he did a much better job facilitating and creating offense. He's gotta continue to find that balance."
