Colorado-Milwaukee Quotes
Colorado Head Coach Tad Boyle
Opening Statement
“Anytime you win going away like that, and look, I think Milwaukee is a really good team, I think they're going win a lot of games in their league. Tonight, we obviously shot the ball well, offensively, we were as good as we've been all year tonight. With that being said, we still have a lot of room for improvement. 19 offensive rebounds given up is something that's not acceptable. We gave up 11 threes against a team that we knew was a good shooting team, that's too many, so those are the two areas where I'm dialing in because what I've got to do with these guys is make them understand that we can maybe get away with some things early in the season with our schedule that we're not going to be able to get away with as we move forward and guess what, we're moving forward right now to a really good well coached Richmond team. I know nothing about their personnel but when we go down to Florida, it's going to be a different animal in both games, no matter what happens and who we play, so I'm pleased. I love how our veterans are playing. It was great to see Cody [Williams] come out aggressive. He's obviously a special player, it's great to see RJ Smith coming off a redshirt year shooting the ball like he did and gain some confidence so we’ve got to keep getting better and not be satisfied with where we are and if we continue to do that, and share the ball, another 25 assists night, it's a fun way to play, it's fun to watch as fans even as media, it sure fun as a coach when your guys share the ball and move it.”
On if Cody Williams was more comfortable
“I don't know. You'd have to ask Cody that. I don't know, he's not the kind of kid that gets nervous at least I don't think but it was his first college game and the thing I love about him is he makes the right plays, and look, KJ has been doing the same thing, making the right simple plays. If you just do that the game is pretty easy but I've seen Cody do that since I started coaching this summer, he just makes the right plays with the ball, but tonight he was aggressive, which is great and we want him to continue to be aggressive. We want all of our guys, we want to be in attack mode on offense. Under control take what the game gives you. That's really simple.”
On Eddie Lampkin’s ability to create lanes offensively
“No doubt. He's a force down there. He's somebody that they’ve got to worry about and nobody likes guarding him, I can promise you that. I know that in practice. Nobody wants to guard Eddie in practice. Joe Hurlburt does a phenomenal job when a big walk-on Greg Gerhardt does it, they do great jobs of banging and battling with him but there are no opponents that want to guard that guy, so he created some double teams tonight. He's obviously a great passer, he likes to pass and that's infectious, I think. It doesn't start with him, but man, you have a post guy that's not a black hole down there that gets the ball and creates, and even from the high posterior, he made a really nice bounce pass to KJ [Simpson] for a layup. Eddie's energy, his enthusiasm, and his presence, whether it's on the low block or just on the floor defensively, he's a great talker. He's really starting to come along and it's been hard for him because he's been out for so long so, there was a little rust on his game, there's no doubt.”
On how it feels to be a buff right now
“It’s a great time to be a Buff. There's no doubt about it. I remember back to 2016 I think it was when our football team was rockin’ and rollin’. It was really fun. Obviously what JR [Payne] has done with her program and elevating it to national prominence is exciting. It's a great time to be a Buff. Danny Sanchez and the soccer team with the NCAA tournament. we know what Coach Wetmore has always done with his programs. There are some high-level athletes on our campus and we've got some of them but we don't have all of them. It's a great time to be a Buff.”
On if his emotions are setting the precedent for the rest of the season
“Absolutely. We gave up like five threes in a four or five-minute stretch it felt like. The whole idea was to take away threes and we had a lineup in there that was switching ball screens and when you're switching ball screens, no way should you give up a three, no way. The transition we talked about it and number three, [Zach] Howell on the scouting report, he's a shooter, he is a shooter and we let that shooter make five threes. That can't happen. We helped out of the corner on him one time, we missed switching opportunities, and we’ve got to get better. That was building throughout the second half and I just want these guys to know down the road, we're going to run into teams like this that have a little bit more firepower inside and maybe Milwaukee had a night, but also can shoot to three and so when we run into those teams, we better be ready to guard better.”
On holding BJ Freeman to 9 points
“Number one, we needed to do a good job collectively on him, everybody. But J’vonne Hadley was phenomenal. Luke O'Brien did a really good job I thought in the second half when he was on him and J’vonne was out so credit goes to those two guys. Cody had him a few times, Tristan [Da Silva] had him a few times, but he's a good player. The key is he only got 12 shots up, he was two for 12. We just wanted to be everything, be tough. Just make him work for everything he gets because he's a good player and he's going to get some but don’t hold him to single digits. That's not going to happen a lot I don’t think this year. He's a good offensive player. They’ve got a lot of good offensive players. That team's gonna win a lot of games in their league, I really believe that. Time will tell but I just watched him on tape. They play hard, they're tough, they can shoot it. They're good, but we played really well tonight.”
On how much moving the ball is a product of the new offense
"I think that's a great question. I just mentioned it to Mark Johnson on the radio that I think it might have a little something to do with it. I think our spacing is better. Our cutting is better. Our ball movement is better. We've got a presence inside with Eddie that they have to worry about. That helps spread the floor for everybody else. Our guys are just making the right plays. When you make the right plays and you make open shots, you get an assist. You have to have a good pass and a good shot. We talked last year about our effectiveness from the three point line as a team. I think you've seen some of those guys really work on their shooting. RJ comes in, Cody makes a couple of threes, and I trust his jumpers are better. Luke's jumpers are better. Hadley's jumpers are better. Julian is a good shooter. We've always known that. We have multiple guys that can make threes. When you have six guys in double figures like we did against Grambling, and we did tonight, you're hard to guard. Part of it's the new offense. I think part of it's our players really improving their games in the offseason, and buying into ball movement and spacing."
Could you really have gotten much more out of these first three games?
"I mean, yeah, we could have held them to six offensive rebounds and six threes. I think one of the things I talked to the team about is that we know KJ, Julian, and RJ can play in ball screens. There's no doubt Tristan can also play in ball screens because he's six foot ten. Cody is really good in ball screens because he can make plays and they're both such willing passers. Not that our guards aren't, but Cody had a matchup that we wanted to go at tonight, and we opened the game with it. We opened the second half with it, and he did a great job of finishing. It's nice when you call a play for a guy, and he finishes the play and makes the shot. That's a result of good players. A lot of good things, but we cannot be satisfied."
On how pleased you were with your team's defense in the first half of his game?
"Especially with our veteran group that started, I'm really pleased. I think we drop off a little bit when we get past that. Although I think RJ Smith is very capable and they did a good job defensively tonight. With freshmen, you're gonna have breakdowns. That's what makes Cody so special as a freshman defensively. He's like a veteran. Most freshmen come in and they make freshman mistakes. One of the reasons we brought Luke and Julian off the bench is to get some freshmen in there with him. Those two guys are veterans. They know how to play. Just a little thing like Assane was taking the ball out and we knew they're pressing. Julian and RJ were our guards and Luke came to get it. We turned it over. Luke should have been taking the ball out. Now that's my fault for not catching it. But that's something our players have to understand. If Luke takes it out, and Assane's back, we probably don't have that turnover. It's just those little things that we got to sharpen up and think about, but I love this team. I love coaching this team."
On what becomes the challenge now as a team going down to Florida
"Number one we're gonna take tomorrow off. We practice in the morning during the first semester as you guys know. It's hard after a game like this to get them up at 7:30 in the morning. We're taking tomorrow off, we'll reconvene on Thursday. We'll watch this film for things we need to get better at. We'll have a good practice Thursday, practice Friday, then we'll travel. We're practicing in Orlando on Saturday and Sunday. We got four days of practice for us. We'll do a lot of skill work, a lot of shooting, and a lot of rehab. We need to keep our edge, and our sharpness."
Colorado Players
Cody Williams, Fr., G
On if he had first game jitters last week/felt more comfortable this week
“I definitely felt a little more comfortable tonight. Just watching film and talking to my teammates, really seeing what they see out there. For me it was just kind of just go out there and play my game - be aggressive. It helps that we have an unselfish team that is not afraid to get you to open and set screens for you, move the ball and get open… I think that just allowed me to get into my groove and just play basketball.”
On being aggressive tonight and if it helped his rhythm
“Oh yeah. Being aggressive, attacking and getting a feel for your shot to get to the rim and get to the mid range. And it helps, I know two of my baskets I got open because Eddie (Lampkin) ducked in or he'll have a wild and lay up. So I think just our movement and unselfishness really helped me get into a groove.”
On if his injury affected him tonight at all
“No, it felt good out there. Me and the coaches, our team doctors, and strength coach, we all agreed that if I wasn't 100%, I shouldn't step on the floor just because as a hindrance to my team. It’s also not fair to the other guys who were prepared 100% and ready to go. I didn't want to be a liability out there, just wanted to wait until I'm fully healed and it felt great out there. So I'm all good.”
KJ Simpson, Jr. G
On what impressed him about Cody as a true freshman
“I say this all the time - I think the biggest thing is that Cody's unselfish. I think that the first game he was just trying to get a feel for everything, obviously. It's a lot different from high school ball. He came out, he showed out. It wasn't just all points - he did things that don't show up on the stat sheet. He gave great assists, he contested great sides, played great defense, he's just unselfish and he’s willing to do anything to win. When you have a guy like that, and we have multiple guys like that on this team, it's hard to beat.”
On 13-20 from 3-point range & if he had a night where every shot felt great
“I think it's just our preparation. I work with a lot of the guys during practice, we get up game time shots, we don't be lackadaisical. A lot of guys also just stay after, or come early for practice just to practice getting more shots in. So I think it just shows our work ethic out there on the floor.”
On how Lampkin elevates the team
“Cody talked about it a little bit, but he does (elevate the team). He does a lot for us - he ducks in, he creates lanes, and when you have a post presence like that, it's hard for other teams to not suck in and help off their man and then that's what creates open threes for us…but I mean, you just see it out there. His energy is contagious - he's diving on the floor, he's sprinting down the floor, he’s setting good screens…I mean, he just does so much for this team, and that's why it was a stretch to kind of get him here because we knew what he was capable of. I'm pretty sure there's more double doubles to come for sure.”
On the fire offensively
“Yeah, I mean, we're a really deep team. I think that's one of our strengths, I mean, anybody could get going on any given night. We had coach talk about his six guys in double digit figures, and it wasn't all the same guys from the Grambling game who were all in double digit figures. It just goes to show that anybody's ready. We have so many weapons, we have so much firepower, and it's going to be hard to beat us.”
On if being ranked was a goal along the way/is it extra special
“It's great to see our name up there. This team, we really know the talent that we have, we know the work that we put in, and it kind of just goes to show that our hard work is paying off. We like to see that, but at the end of the day, we can't focus on that - we have to play every game and every team the same way and approach it in every way. We also have to understand that now that we have that label bar name, that ranking, that other teams are going to be coming in with more intensity and putting pressure on us trying to get us to backfire and do things that we're not used to doing, so we just have to maintain and stay focused, not really pay attention to that too much…but it is a blessing, for sure.”
On if he’s impressed with the dominance they’ve shown this season in the first three games
“Impressed, I don't know, because I saw it. I saw it happening. I saw the preparation that we've been doing, the practices that we've been having, the competitiveness on this team, and the players that we have, so I kind of saw this coming. Now the thing that I'm stressing and what we have to work towards is ensuring that this carries over. It's easy to do this in the very beginning - everybody's hyped about playing our first games, especially at home, but now we're about to go on the road. We still have a long way to go this season. We just have to carry over and keep the consistency going.”
On having 20+ assists tonight and how much of it is moving the ball on offense
“It plays a lot. It plays a huge role. That's the reason why we kind of implemented it, because we saw a lot of times last year we were kind of standing around, not getting too many guys cutting or moving, it's kind of easy to guard us that way. Something that Cody talked about earlier, when we have guys who are willing to cut who spread the floor and our offense is spaced out, guys sealing in and ducking in and setting our screens, rolling hard, things like that. We have spacing like that, you're gonna get assists.”
On what the focus is going forward
“Yeah, the core group, we're used to those road games. I think we just have to stress to these young guys that you have to prepare the same way. You can't change your approach for a different team, or just because we're on the road - we have to play the exact same way that we are. As we would here, as we would on the road, we can't rise to the level of expectations. You just have to fall back on our preparation.”
Milwaukee Head Coach Bart Lundy
Opening Statement
"Well, I'm disappointed in my group. We didn't guard at all for much of the game. Once we got through to some guys, we did a little better toward the end but obviously, it was way over by that point. I think Colorado is a really good team. There as good a passing team as I've seen in a long, long time. They shared the ball. They have so many guys that can make shots. They understand who they are. That's a really, really good basketball team.”
On not having a rhythm until the very end of the game
"Yeah, we played Providence a couple of nights ago and we played a little bit of isolation basketball. Sometimes that can be a disease and they took some of that stuff away -- got off to a really bad start and [we] just lost our confidence. Got back to playing a little better in the second half, but it was too late.”
On his message to the team at halftime
"Well, you won't believe this, but I said we needed to get stops. We got one stop in our first 17 possessions. We talked about playing really basic. Just really absorbing the scouting report. We went over a couple of their actions. We still didn't guard them but we went over their actions. [We] Talked about sharing the ball, which we didn't in the first half. Really basic stuff. This is about as bad as we played since I took over last year so we have to get better."
On their bench accounting for 54% of their points
"We've got great depth. In fact, we're trying to figure out what our lineups are going to be. It'll probably be way different in January than what you saw tonight so I'm trying to figure that out but [I have] a lot of faith in those guys on the bench."
On sitting his starters after the first timeout
"Just the same -- basketball is a pretty simple game. Guard as hard as you can. If you understand the actions the other team's trying to run and you sprint the floor and you share the ball. I didn't think we were doing any of that. The next five -- I don't know if they were any better. I have to watch the film. This is hopefully some growth for us."
On what Colorado was doing well that they couldn't stop
"They just made us pay for everything. Shot after shot after shot. We actually -- we're a pretty good defensive team and they shredded us. It was frustrating. I think it was frustrating for our guys. Offensively, we got impatient because they were scoring so it was really a tilted floor for us. I don't know if that makes sense but we try to tilt the floor the other way and they tilted the floor on us so we were playing fast, unproductive basketball and they were playing productive basketball."
On Colorado's confidence
"I mean, you just have to impact the ball a little more than we did. We've got good individual defenders, but we were getting straight-lined -- We were giving up straight-line drives over and over again. I just think there are times that mid-major teams play up and they come in with the wrong mindset and it can go sideways quickly. When you're playing up, you have to control the game. We weren't able to do that at all, obviously."
Milwaukee G Zach Howell
On if they had lost their confidence by halftime
"We really never counted ourselves out until -- if you're down 30 [points] with 10 minutes left, you can't really come back. I think last year we had -- [Head] Coach [Bart Lundy] made a point the other day [that] we had the most comebacks [in the Horizon League] so we really never feel like we're down and out. We still believed we could win the game at halftime. We believe in ourselves and we stay together even if we're for down and stuff isn't going our way.”
Opening Statement
“Anytime you win going away like that, and look, I think Milwaukee is a really good team, I think they're going win a lot of games in their league. Tonight, we obviously shot the ball well, offensively, we were as good as we've been all year tonight. With that being said, we still have a lot of room for improvement. 19 offensive rebounds given up is something that's not acceptable. We gave up 11 threes against a team that we knew was a good shooting team, that's too many, so those are the two areas where I'm dialing in because what I've got to do with these guys is make them understand that we can maybe get away with some things early in the season with our schedule that we're not going to be able to get away with as we move forward and guess what, we're moving forward right now to a really good well coached Richmond team. I know nothing about their personnel but when we go down to Florida, it's going to be a different animal in both games, no matter what happens and who we play, so I'm pleased. I love how our veterans are playing. It was great to see Cody [Williams] come out aggressive. He's obviously a special player, it's great to see RJ Smith coming off a redshirt year shooting the ball like he did and gain some confidence so we’ve got to keep getting better and not be satisfied with where we are and if we continue to do that, and share the ball, another 25 assists night, it's a fun way to play, it's fun to watch as fans even as media, it sure fun as a coach when your guys share the ball and move it.”
On if Cody Williams was more comfortable
“I don't know. You'd have to ask Cody that. I don't know, he's not the kind of kid that gets nervous at least I don't think but it was his first college game and the thing I love about him is he makes the right plays, and look, KJ has been doing the same thing, making the right simple plays. If you just do that the game is pretty easy but I've seen Cody do that since I started coaching this summer, he just makes the right plays with the ball, but tonight he was aggressive, which is great and we want him to continue to be aggressive. We want all of our guys, we want to be in attack mode on offense. Under control take what the game gives you. That's really simple.”
On Eddie Lampkin’s ability to create lanes offensively
“No doubt. He's a force down there. He's somebody that they’ve got to worry about and nobody likes guarding him, I can promise you that. I know that in practice. Nobody wants to guard Eddie in practice. Joe Hurlburt does a phenomenal job when a big walk-on Greg Gerhardt does it, they do great jobs of banging and battling with him but there are no opponents that want to guard that guy, so he created some double teams tonight. He's obviously a great passer, he likes to pass and that's infectious, I think. It doesn't start with him, but man, you have a post guy that's not a black hole down there that gets the ball and creates, and even from the high posterior, he made a really nice bounce pass to KJ [Simpson] for a layup. Eddie's energy, his enthusiasm, and his presence, whether it's on the low block or just on the floor defensively, he's a great talker. He's really starting to come along and it's been hard for him because he's been out for so long so, there was a little rust on his game, there's no doubt.”
On how it feels to be a buff right now
“It’s a great time to be a Buff. There's no doubt about it. I remember back to 2016 I think it was when our football team was rockin’ and rollin’. It was really fun. Obviously what JR [Payne] has done with her program and elevating it to national prominence is exciting. It's a great time to be a Buff. Danny Sanchez and the soccer team with the NCAA tournament. we know what Coach Wetmore has always done with his programs. There are some high-level athletes on our campus and we've got some of them but we don't have all of them. It's a great time to be a Buff.”
On if his emotions are setting the precedent for the rest of the season
“Absolutely. We gave up like five threes in a four or five-minute stretch it felt like. The whole idea was to take away threes and we had a lineup in there that was switching ball screens and when you're switching ball screens, no way should you give up a three, no way. The transition we talked about it and number three, [Zach] Howell on the scouting report, he's a shooter, he is a shooter and we let that shooter make five threes. That can't happen. We helped out of the corner on him one time, we missed switching opportunities, and we’ve got to get better. That was building throughout the second half and I just want these guys to know down the road, we're going to run into teams like this that have a little bit more firepower inside and maybe Milwaukee had a night, but also can shoot to three and so when we run into those teams, we better be ready to guard better.”
On holding BJ Freeman to 9 points
“Number one, we needed to do a good job collectively on him, everybody. But J’vonne Hadley was phenomenal. Luke O'Brien did a really good job I thought in the second half when he was on him and J’vonne was out so credit goes to those two guys. Cody had him a few times, Tristan [Da Silva] had him a few times, but he's a good player. The key is he only got 12 shots up, he was two for 12. We just wanted to be everything, be tough. Just make him work for everything he gets because he's a good player and he's going to get some but don’t hold him to single digits. That's not going to happen a lot I don’t think this year. He's a good offensive player. They’ve got a lot of good offensive players. That team's gonna win a lot of games in their league, I really believe that. Time will tell but I just watched him on tape. They play hard, they're tough, they can shoot it. They're good, but we played really well tonight.”
On how much moving the ball is a product of the new offense
"I think that's a great question. I just mentioned it to Mark Johnson on the radio that I think it might have a little something to do with it. I think our spacing is better. Our cutting is better. Our ball movement is better. We've got a presence inside with Eddie that they have to worry about. That helps spread the floor for everybody else. Our guys are just making the right plays. When you make the right plays and you make open shots, you get an assist. You have to have a good pass and a good shot. We talked last year about our effectiveness from the three point line as a team. I think you've seen some of those guys really work on their shooting. RJ comes in, Cody makes a couple of threes, and I trust his jumpers are better. Luke's jumpers are better. Hadley's jumpers are better. Julian is a good shooter. We've always known that. We have multiple guys that can make threes. When you have six guys in double figures like we did against Grambling, and we did tonight, you're hard to guard. Part of it's the new offense. I think part of it's our players really improving their games in the offseason, and buying into ball movement and spacing."
Could you really have gotten much more out of these first three games?
"I mean, yeah, we could have held them to six offensive rebounds and six threes. I think one of the things I talked to the team about is that we know KJ, Julian, and RJ can play in ball screens. There's no doubt Tristan can also play in ball screens because he's six foot ten. Cody is really good in ball screens because he can make plays and they're both such willing passers. Not that our guards aren't, but Cody had a matchup that we wanted to go at tonight, and we opened the game with it. We opened the second half with it, and he did a great job of finishing. It's nice when you call a play for a guy, and he finishes the play and makes the shot. That's a result of good players. A lot of good things, but we cannot be satisfied."
On how pleased you were with your team's defense in the first half of his game?
"Especially with our veteran group that started, I'm really pleased. I think we drop off a little bit when we get past that. Although I think RJ Smith is very capable and they did a good job defensively tonight. With freshmen, you're gonna have breakdowns. That's what makes Cody so special as a freshman defensively. He's like a veteran. Most freshmen come in and they make freshman mistakes. One of the reasons we brought Luke and Julian off the bench is to get some freshmen in there with him. Those two guys are veterans. They know how to play. Just a little thing like Assane was taking the ball out and we knew they're pressing. Julian and RJ were our guards and Luke came to get it. We turned it over. Luke should have been taking the ball out. Now that's my fault for not catching it. But that's something our players have to understand. If Luke takes it out, and Assane's back, we probably don't have that turnover. It's just those little things that we got to sharpen up and think about, but I love this team. I love coaching this team."
On what becomes the challenge now as a team going down to Florida
"Number one we're gonna take tomorrow off. We practice in the morning during the first semester as you guys know. It's hard after a game like this to get them up at 7:30 in the morning. We're taking tomorrow off, we'll reconvene on Thursday. We'll watch this film for things we need to get better at. We'll have a good practice Thursday, practice Friday, then we'll travel. We're practicing in Orlando on Saturday and Sunday. We got four days of practice for us. We'll do a lot of skill work, a lot of shooting, and a lot of rehab. We need to keep our edge, and our sharpness."
Colorado Players
Cody Williams, Fr., G
On if he had first game jitters last week/felt more comfortable this week
“I definitely felt a little more comfortable tonight. Just watching film and talking to my teammates, really seeing what they see out there. For me it was just kind of just go out there and play my game - be aggressive. It helps that we have an unselfish team that is not afraid to get you to open and set screens for you, move the ball and get open… I think that just allowed me to get into my groove and just play basketball.”
On being aggressive tonight and if it helped his rhythm
“Oh yeah. Being aggressive, attacking and getting a feel for your shot to get to the rim and get to the mid range. And it helps, I know two of my baskets I got open because Eddie (Lampkin) ducked in or he'll have a wild and lay up. So I think just our movement and unselfishness really helped me get into a groove.”
On if his injury affected him tonight at all
“No, it felt good out there. Me and the coaches, our team doctors, and strength coach, we all agreed that if I wasn't 100%, I shouldn't step on the floor just because as a hindrance to my team. It’s also not fair to the other guys who were prepared 100% and ready to go. I didn't want to be a liability out there, just wanted to wait until I'm fully healed and it felt great out there. So I'm all good.”
KJ Simpson, Jr. G
On what impressed him about Cody as a true freshman
“I say this all the time - I think the biggest thing is that Cody's unselfish. I think that the first game he was just trying to get a feel for everything, obviously. It's a lot different from high school ball. He came out, he showed out. It wasn't just all points - he did things that don't show up on the stat sheet. He gave great assists, he contested great sides, played great defense, he's just unselfish and he’s willing to do anything to win. When you have a guy like that, and we have multiple guys like that on this team, it's hard to beat.”
On 13-20 from 3-point range & if he had a night where every shot felt great
“I think it's just our preparation. I work with a lot of the guys during practice, we get up game time shots, we don't be lackadaisical. A lot of guys also just stay after, or come early for practice just to practice getting more shots in. So I think it just shows our work ethic out there on the floor.”
On how Lampkin elevates the team
“Cody talked about it a little bit, but he does (elevate the team). He does a lot for us - he ducks in, he creates lanes, and when you have a post presence like that, it's hard for other teams to not suck in and help off their man and then that's what creates open threes for us…but I mean, you just see it out there. His energy is contagious - he's diving on the floor, he's sprinting down the floor, he’s setting good screens…I mean, he just does so much for this team, and that's why it was a stretch to kind of get him here because we knew what he was capable of. I'm pretty sure there's more double doubles to come for sure.”
On the fire offensively
“Yeah, I mean, we're a really deep team. I think that's one of our strengths, I mean, anybody could get going on any given night. We had coach talk about his six guys in double digit figures, and it wasn't all the same guys from the Grambling game who were all in double digit figures. It just goes to show that anybody's ready. We have so many weapons, we have so much firepower, and it's going to be hard to beat us.”
On if being ranked was a goal along the way/is it extra special
“It's great to see our name up there. This team, we really know the talent that we have, we know the work that we put in, and it kind of just goes to show that our hard work is paying off. We like to see that, but at the end of the day, we can't focus on that - we have to play every game and every team the same way and approach it in every way. We also have to understand that now that we have that label bar name, that ranking, that other teams are going to be coming in with more intensity and putting pressure on us trying to get us to backfire and do things that we're not used to doing, so we just have to maintain and stay focused, not really pay attention to that too much…but it is a blessing, for sure.”
On if he’s impressed with the dominance they’ve shown this season in the first three games
“Impressed, I don't know, because I saw it. I saw it happening. I saw the preparation that we've been doing, the practices that we've been having, the competitiveness on this team, and the players that we have, so I kind of saw this coming. Now the thing that I'm stressing and what we have to work towards is ensuring that this carries over. It's easy to do this in the very beginning - everybody's hyped about playing our first games, especially at home, but now we're about to go on the road. We still have a long way to go this season. We just have to carry over and keep the consistency going.”
On having 20+ assists tonight and how much of it is moving the ball on offense
“It plays a lot. It plays a huge role. That's the reason why we kind of implemented it, because we saw a lot of times last year we were kind of standing around, not getting too many guys cutting or moving, it's kind of easy to guard us that way. Something that Cody talked about earlier, when we have guys who are willing to cut who spread the floor and our offense is spaced out, guys sealing in and ducking in and setting our screens, rolling hard, things like that. We have spacing like that, you're gonna get assists.”
On what the focus is going forward
“Yeah, the core group, we're used to those road games. I think we just have to stress to these young guys that you have to prepare the same way. You can't change your approach for a different team, or just because we're on the road - we have to play the exact same way that we are. As we would here, as we would on the road, we can't rise to the level of expectations. You just have to fall back on our preparation.”
Milwaukee Head Coach Bart Lundy
Opening Statement
"Well, I'm disappointed in my group. We didn't guard at all for much of the game. Once we got through to some guys, we did a little better toward the end but obviously, it was way over by that point. I think Colorado is a really good team. There as good a passing team as I've seen in a long, long time. They shared the ball. They have so many guys that can make shots. They understand who they are. That's a really, really good basketball team.”
On not having a rhythm until the very end of the game
"Yeah, we played Providence a couple of nights ago and we played a little bit of isolation basketball. Sometimes that can be a disease and they took some of that stuff away -- got off to a really bad start and [we] just lost our confidence. Got back to playing a little better in the second half, but it was too late.”
On his message to the team at halftime
"Well, you won't believe this, but I said we needed to get stops. We got one stop in our first 17 possessions. We talked about playing really basic. Just really absorbing the scouting report. We went over a couple of their actions. We still didn't guard them but we went over their actions. [We] Talked about sharing the ball, which we didn't in the first half. Really basic stuff. This is about as bad as we played since I took over last year so we have to get better."
On their bench accounting for 54% of their points
"We've got great depth. In fact, we're trying to figure out what our lineups are going to be. It'll probably be way different in January than what you saw tonight so I'm trying to figure that out but [I have] a lot of faith in those guys on the bench."
On sitting his starters after the first timeout
"Just the same -- basketball is a pretty simple game. Guard as hard as you can. If you understand the actions the other team's trying to run and you sprint the floor and you share the ball. I didn't think we were doing any of that. The next five -- I don't know if they were any better. I have to watch the film. This is hopefully some growth for us."
On what Colorado was doing well that they couldn't stop
"They just made us pay for everything. Shot after shot after shot. We actually -- we're a pretty good defensive team and they shredded us. It was frustrating. I think it was frustrating for our guys. Offensively, we got impatient because they were scoring so it was really a tilted floor for us. I don't know if that makes sense but we try to tilt the floor the other way and they tilted the floor on us so we were playing fast, unproductive basketball and they were playing productive basketball."
On Colorado's confidence
"I mean, you just have to impact the ball a little more than we did. We've got good individual defenders, but we were getting straight-lined -- We were giving up straight-line drives over and over again. I just think there are times that mid-major teams play up and they come in with the wrong mindset and it can go sideways quickly. When you're playing up, you have to control the game. We weren't able to do that at all, obviously."
Milwaukee G Zach Howell
On if they had lost their confidence by halftime
"We really never counted ourselves out until -- if you're down 30 [points] with 10 minutes left, you can't really come back. I think last year we had -- [Head] Coach [Bart Lundy] made a point the other day [that] we had the most comebacks [in the Horizon League] so we really never feel like we're down and out. We still believed we could win the game at halftime. We believe in ourselves and we stay together even if we're for down and stuff isn't going our way.”