Post-Game Quotes: Bowling Green

Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo

Opening statement…
Well, that's what they call it an exhibition game. I thought there were some really good things that we did, and there were some really poor things that we did. I felt like we got out and ran.  I'll take the negatives first. I didn't think we guarded anybody. In the second half, we were a little better. That was very disappointing. The defense that we played, we didn't rebound the ball very well, but when you don't play good defense and you let teams penetrate on you, you never rebound the ball as well because they're either getting layups or they're getting penetration, and other people help.  So I understood that. I was actually very impressed with the first half, offensively. I thought we moved the ball well, I thought we got a lot of good shots.  We missed some early, then we made a bunch later on, and got a good lead. The ball movement I thought was great. When you have 24 assists on 27 baskets - we had 14 blocks.  I don't know how that happened. We are not a shot blocking team, and we only had eight turnovers, so those were the serious, serious positives. The negatives are the free throw line.  We've worked so hard on that, and I feel bad for Coen (Carr) because he's shot the living daylights out of it in practice, so I'm not as concerned that that'll be a consistent thing, but if you make some of those free throws early, you're a lot better. And I thought we had some really good three-point opportunities, and I think we're a better shooting team than we were last year. And yet, we didn't make some really good shots. We tried to play a lot of people. Jordan (Scott), who's been playing real well, probably played the least amount of minutes that we're hoping he would play. We were probably trying to get him up to 12 or 14. But other than that, we kept it pretty much what we thought we would, and if you look at the bottom stats, 34 to 30 paint points, which isn't great, we should be better than that. Points off turnovers 13 to 3, that's very good. Fast break points, 24 to 9, that's very good. Bench points, 19 to 11. That's pretty good. And then the second chance points, they out-did us 13 to 6, and that's because we didn't guard anybody. They went to the basket when they missed, they got rebounds and put them back. So, we'll have some fun in the next couple of days. I feel like for the first time, I could bring those pads back. The Michigan week could be a good time to bring them out. But I'm going to guarantee that we straighten that up.

On a player or rotation that impressed tonight…
I have to look at the film because I'm not positive, but sometimes we had all five freshmen or new guys in there, and that's not healthy right now. In all fairness to Kur (Teng), who looked like a kid that hadn't played much the first year, and then he played a little better. I thought Jesse (McCulloch) played a little better down the stretch after him not playing. I thought most of our four guys that have played a lot, and then the new guys coming in, it is hard to get a rotation, but it was hard last year, too. That's going to take a little time, unfortunately, we got some big games early, so we'll have to get that down. But I'll know more after I look at the film. I didn't really have a feel.

On the newcomers first game…
If you really think about it, that's tough to come in and you know, they were nervous. I don't care what they do, and in all honesty, I thought they did okay, I just didn't think they'd played hard enough, but when you're thinking and probably looking in the stands and wondering where you are and all those things, it probably mentally is a little challenging for you for the first time. And so I'm glad we're going to UConn because that'll be a hornet's nest and everything that'll happen there, and that'll be good for us, too. I didn't think anybody was awful. I was just disappointed that we missed some layups. We missed some free throws. And those two things make a 10-point game, a 20-point game. We have got to do a better job of that. I will do a better job of that. But we got to get after it defensively and our rebounding, and that's what the next five practices will be about.

On the rotations…
Doug (Wojcik) and I talked about it on the bench. You're exactly right. We had lineups that we wanted to see, but you see them out there, then all of a sudden somebody's tired and all of a sudden you got five brand new guys out there. It's not healthy for good things. I wouldn't grade us much higher than I graded the kids defensively and our rotations, but we got out of what we wanted. The only one that didn't play enough minutes was Jordan Scott. The other guys all played minutes we thought and hoped they'd play. Maybe Jesse (McCulloch) a few more, but as I said, Coen (Carr) looked in great shape to me. I think Jeremy's (Fears Jr.) in very good shape. I just think he's got to be more tenacious. When he turned it up defensively, that's when we turned it up, and we started running. And that's what he's got to do, as I always say, the head goes, the body follows.

On the rim protection…
The rim protection, that's the good and the bad. Why are they getting in there? We don't play that kind of defense, where we're overplaying. We play more of a gap defense. Those guys shouldn't be getting to the rim, but the ground on the break and that Coen (Carr) covers - a couple times, I caught myself saying, 'Damn, it was pretty impressive.' So, thank God he's on my team, but how many blocks did he end up with? Five. Yeah, that's pretty good. And he had four assists. That's one thing that Coen is doing better. Jeremy (Fears Jr.) had nine assists and two turnovers, that was damn good, too. The one thing Coen has been doing better is passing the ball. I really enjoy it and like how he's playing right now if he makes those three throws.

On junior forward Coen Carr's all-around game…
I think getting Coen (Carr) with his hands on the ball now has been so much better because he can drive it, he can pass it. I mean, we all know he's not a great shooter yet. He's improved it a lot, but he can drive it, he can pass, he doesn't make many turnovers. And so maybe the ball in his hands, I think normally, we would have liked to pound it in a little more. They doubled the post. They played a lot of zone. So it was a little harder to do that and we'd still like to go in there because we think Jaxon (Kohler) and (Carson Cooper) Coop are so much better offensively than they were. I mean, Jaxon had 15 points, 10 rebounds, and I thought two or three of the four three's were wide open and I feel comfortable with him shooting them. Coen Carr, that was a good debut for him. If he would have made six out of eight free throws, I'd be hugging and kissing him, but I can't do that when he made three out of eight. And yet I can tell you that we work on it every day in practice. We worked on it last night. He shot 88% last night. We have our guys shoot night before a game, and he was a phenomenal. So he'll get over that. I don't look at that if that is something he's nervous about, but boy, he did a great job taking the ball to the basket, getting fouled and getting to the free throw line was impressive, too.

On how he measures the first game with new players…
God, I measure it that you're doing a better job of giving my guys a break than I am! I like that. I really wasn't disappointed with everything. You can't mix and match guys like that the first time. If you remember last year, it was a real game and we didn't play great. And by the way, I give Todd [Simon] credit. I mean, he is a good coach. They've got a couple of really good players. We couldn't guard [Sam] Towns with a fish net and so he did a good job, but under the circumstances of trying to get guys in and out, we get a little run, and we said, 'Oh, let's give some other guys a chance, because we need to see our guys right now.' That's not always great. I mean, last year, it's easier with a center. We had Szymon [Zapala] in there, but the only other guy that really hadn't played much was Jase [Richardson], and he just is such a high IQ, easy flow of the game kind of guy that it was easy with him. These guys will struggle a little bit for a while, and that's why we got to get them better. So, we got to coach harder, and we will.

On Jeremy Fears' shooting efficiency…
I feel comfortable with Jeremy [Fears] shooting an open three now, not off the dribble, but those kickouts. I feel very comfortable with him. And I still feel very comfortable with Coen [Carr] at the line. Those were two things that last year I didn't feel as comfortable with. So, I told you that the guys will improve in some things in the off season. I think Jeremy has improved a lot in that area, and as you know, the biggest problem is there aren't many guys that can guard it and score it. I mean, even Cassius [Winston], he wasn't great at guarding it. Mateen [Cleaves] was different at scoring it and so we kind of need him to do both, but I thought his defense was okay. It's just got to get better because he's at the head of the fire, and we need him to. But I was pleased with Jeremy. What I was pleased with most, I asked him this. Jeremy sometimes gets down on himself, and he gets mad at everybody, and I thought he mentally and how he was in huddles, he was phenomenal, and that was a big step that I'll be able to build on.

On Jaxon Kohler and Coen Carr playing together…
I think that can help us a lot and it's not easy when you play smaller teams like this that have athletic four men and you don't get that a lot in our league. So those two guys that played really well together all summer. They have a connection between them, it's good. I got to give [Carson Cooper] Coop a lot of credit. He has really taken Jesse [McCulloch] and Cam [Ward] under his wing. That's the advantage of having some veterans on the team. They've done an incredible job with those guys. I was really pleased with Cam because he rebounded a couple times like a man. Now, he got screwed up on a couple of actions and it's not easy when we are doing some defensive things, and he's just learning them. But I think our bigs are gonna be solid as heck. We got to get our guards to guard somebody.

On comparing Cam Ward to Antonio Smith…
I told him Cam's going to be Antonio with more offensive skills, but if he can defend and rebound and scare the hell out of his coach like Antonio did, it's going to be a hell of a deal, because this kid's got some skills. He can shoot the ball. He's a very good passer. He made a couple great passes into the post today. So, I'm really pleased with my freshmen. Those wings got to get better, and none of them have a lot of experience, you know? Some has experience but he's been to a few different schools. Some has experience when he was at Miami in Divine, but he only played three fourths of a year, really. And then, of course, Kur didn't hardly play last year. So, they're gonna get better, and when they get better, we'll get better, as long as we get back to defending, rebounding and running which your staples of our program.

On the rebounding battle this game…
I think he [Todd Simon] did a great job. I think he did a better job than I did. He said to me, he was worried about his toughness and his rebounding early. But again, when you give up penetration, that's been the staple to why we've led the country in rebounding night after night. But if there's a time not to rebound well, it is in an exhibition game. And like I said, man, maybe I think Jonathan [Smith] needs all the pads he can get right now, so I won't steal anything from him, but we'll get that straightened out. I really believe that.

On his interaction with 'Tum-Tum' Nairn Jr…
I love the guy, you know, I told him I love him. I mean, he's everything that's right about college sports. You know, he came from the wrong side of the tracks down in the Bahamas, and he's made himself something academically. He's made himself something as a coach. He's made himself something as a man. And so, I really respect him. I mean, as a freshman, he started on a Final Four team. And as a senior, he didn't start. And he was just as good a teammate as a freshman as he was as a senior. Right now, in our world, that's illegal. But he is that guy, and someday I'll get him back to the staff here, someday.

On setting up the offense…
I thought the ball movement was really good. I thought Kur had some great threes, wide open. Jesse had a couple. He made one. Jaxon, I thought all three of his were really good shots, and he's been shooting it well. So, I don't have a problem with that. And that's why he said, 'Did we shoot it good enough?' No, have we shot it better in practice, yes. But that's a skill that it's going to go up and down. And defense and the rebounding is a skill that should be consistent every day, so I'm going keep harping on it here, and yet, some of it was some of the lineups we had in there too. We moved some people around; people were out of position a little bit. But it gets easier going to UConn now. Danny (Hurley) probably settled and watched this game and is salivating right now. I think it's going be great for us, great for them. It'll be a great situation to learn. I really appreciate that we do get to do this. I miss the Division II games because I was a Division II guy myself, but when you have a schedule like we have early, this is really critical that we get to play two teams. Two Division I teams, one of a good team in the MAC and one of a great team in the country. So, it'll be nothing but a plus for us.

Bowling Green head coach Todd Simon

Opening Statement…
Great experience. Playing these games in October is very valuable and we are very grateful that Coach Izzo allowed for the opportunity. It is really good for our program to see where we stack up with rebounds and toughness. All these intangibles will help us win championships, so we are very grateful for the experience. I thought our guys did a lot of good things and we got a lot of good things on film.

On an opportunity with the program…
You know, this is year three. I say when you take over a program there is this expectation to lose. Then, you kind of create a belief and say 'Hey, maybe we can win if we do X, Y, and Z.' Now we are in the stage of our program going into year three, where we expect to win and that was our mindset coming into here. It's our five and their five, and we have the utmost respect for the program and legacy here (at Michigan State). When the ball goes up in the air we can compete with anybody. So that's the mindset of our guys, and I thought that swagger and mindset was what I was most proud of with our guys.

On Sam Towns being back on the court after missing last season with injury…
I told our ops guy we've got to go on Amazon and order as much bubble wrap as we possibly can. We lost him the last two years and he is so valuable. It was a blessing that he believed in us and came back for another year. You know, this is what he has been doing, what he has done in practice, and what he was doing last year. He was 4-for-6 from the three and playing that crucial position for us he brings toughness and play-making. He has really developed and so his development is probably what I am most proud of that.

On beating a Tom Izzo team on the boards…
Our guys kind of laughed because we plastered it in the hotel rooms, meeting rooms, how badly they were going to get pummeled, everyday. A lot of our program has been inspired by growing up in the shadows of Coach Izzo has built here and his empire. It is kind of in our DNA and we say this is how we play this game. So, we kind of embodied that. We have always been a good defensive rebounding team and 1,2 and 3 was 'can we match their toughness, mentally and physically for forty minutes.' If we fall short it's still going to be pretty good. They are exactly the pinnacle of that.

On what these competitive games do for the program…
It's so good for us because it is what we aspire our program to be. It's kind of like 'here is where the bar is." If we can do these things and do it well here, then this will transfer to the non-conferences, to the MAC. So, that's the reality of it. We want to be competitive, we talked about it in the locker room, we can't miss these free throws, we can't have three straight empty possessions, when you get the game tied where we kind of lost our minds for a minute. There are decisions that we make that come with this irrational confidence I call it, which also leads to irrational decisions, so we have to find a balance with that.

On one of the biggest things he learned about his team today, especially regarding the new players who saw the court for the first time today…
They didn't blink. They went in there, they were fully engaged, they were great teammates, and they battled. That is what we wanted. If they can do it in front of the Izzone, in this environment, it's absolutely special, it gets loud. If you can keep your composure here, you can keep it in the MAC, and that's what we saw from our young guys.

On facing an opponent like Coen Carr and how much it changes a game…
He is such a unique player. I coached a guy very much like him in Derrick Jones Jr., when I was at UNLV, and they are unique in that you have to find them in transition at all times because he's always one step away from being above the rim and once he gets in the air it's foul him or hope he misses. He is a non-traditional player that covers so much ground. His physicality and the player development that they have done with him is off the charts, it flies off the screen to see how he has developed since high school. So hat's off the them. He is an absolute weapon out now in the half court and in transition. He's going to be a problem for sure, he's going to be a problem for more than just Bowling Green this year.

Michigan State junior forward Coen Carr

Thoughts on game overall...
It was decent. I feel like our defense was subpar. I feel like we could've played better, but I feel like we pushed the ball good. Offense was good, we had like nine guys score, so you can't really ask for more on offense, and we didn't have too many turnovers.

Thoughts on taking lessons from exhibition games...
That was a good team too. We were in a dog fight with them last year, so I feel like it's a great game for the newer guys, to see how it is, see how the crowd is and everything. I just try to just take it as a real game even though it doesn't count. That's a really good team, so you've got to play like it's one.

Redshirt-sophomore guard Jermey Fears Jr.
On playing a ranked program next week in game at UConn ...
Great. They've got a great history, great tradition, great program, so just being able to play another great exhibition game before the schedule of our coming up. Being able to see what we got and how much we've improved on from this game, going into the next.

What allows the good distribution you guys have between new teammates...
Just Coach Izzo. We drill it every day. Working on togetherness and passing, and playing with different players with the different concepts we have in our offense. You never know who's what, it's kind of just our foundation and what we're doing.

Senior guard Trey Fort
On team chemistry heading into this game...
Definitely building. We have a lot of newcomers. It's different than what they're used to in the past. Just being able to figure each other out and play together. It's only going to get better in time.

On first shot that went in for him...
It felt pretty good, especially with me having the Green & White on this time. Me hitting that shot was like, 'man, we're going to have a good year.' I love having the support on my side this time. I hit the three now, and the fans were cheering for me.

Players Mentioned

Coen Carr

Carson Cooper

Trey Fort

Jaxon Kohler

Jordan Scott

Cam Ward

Related Videos