Utah Basketball Weekly Press Conference | 2.20.25
coach coming off the two big wins uh just how do you reset and move forward with UCF coming up yeah day at a time right there two uh we held serve at home took care of business it was a great weekend for or whatever Saturday Monday um for us and our guys have had a couple days here to kind of recharge so to speak and and back at it now and uh we got to finish with the flourish you know we have um starting Sunday four games in 12 days so we got a lot of a lot in front of us and four four very different um types of teams so um back at it have to have great practices really lock in just keep getting better have the same mentality that we’ve had obviously two different games but looking back what was kind of the biggest reason for the home sweep in your opinion um at the end of the day I just thought we really defended very very hard and we rebounded very well I mean I think it’s a combination of those two things um each game was a little bit different um you know free throw shooting against Kansas State certainly helped um but at the end of the day I thought we defended at the level that you needed to defend to have success in the Big 12 and we rebounded at a level that you have to have to have success in the Big 12 and uh if we can do those things on a consistent basis you know we’ll have an opportunity to win night in and night out I know you’ve talked about home court advantage the last like a couple times this season both Bill self and Jerome Tang were very complimentary of the environment here in Salt Lake Lake um how is that does that I know as a coach you probably don’t that doesn’t cross your mind very often but to hear other like visiting coaches that have never been here before be so complimentary of this environment does that how does that make you feel about this like fan base yeah well twofold it it doesn’t cross my mind what they say but it does cross my mind consistently having a homec court advantage because it’s a real thing and it’s easy to see it’s easy to feel being on the road at uh various big 12 environments they all have a little different feel to them but I don’t know that we’ve had one poorly attended game maybe one average attended game that we’ve experienced as a road opponent so uh it’s a great thing I thought our crowds are good you know the Kansas game I thought it was a a great crowd uh of course they travel well as well but certainly you could feel it it was a real and then the K State game I’m not sure if we had I’m guessing the the um attendance was a little bit lower for that game compared to Kansas but I thought you could really feel our fan base uh on that night uh they’ve voice their displeasure at certain things um that are out of our control and I thought they really when when it seemed like they were getting some momentum I love that our fan base like really tried to dive in there and will our guys right and I think that’s what that’s one of the things I think that great uh fan bases do so it was awesome to not only see but more importantly feel and uh I’m quite certain our guys felt that and it’s pretty cool you know when you have opponent coaches saying that um you know it can’t hurt uh in the two games you rebounded really really well probably the best you’ve rebounded particularly on the offensive glass what SP was that a a change in in terms of what you emphasized in practice what what led to that no no this has been going on from day one with this team you got to Rebound in this league you got you got a rebound period I I just just you know last year we wer in a great rebounding team it drove me crazy uh it’s just it’s one of the things that really gets quite frankly under my skin is my teams have always rebounded and rebounded at a high level um year two we re rebounded really really well here we were really good defensively uh but this team has been pretty good on the offensive glass most of the year most of the Year lately certainly it went to a different level this weekend for whatever reason um um maybe they’re figuring it out you know how hard you have to compete in this league to to have a chance um but we at the end of the day we I would say a big part of why we lost those two games West Virginia and and Cincinnati was rebounding you know especially the def the the defensive rebounding where you know late in that game we’ve talked like the Cincinnati game tie game two great two great uh defensive possessions just went you know went to waste because we don’t box out right and the ball goes flying right over us so sometimes that has a crystal maybe sometimes when you see that on Film It kind of has a crystallizing way of saying this impacts winning in a direct way and you got to do it you know and so our our guys I thought were relentless on the glass and it’s just kind of how we have to win I feel like the way our team in some respects the way our team is constructed but that’s one thing that travels defense and rebounding travels and so that has to be our Mantra and that has to be a thing that we can go to as you gear up for the stretch run what are the biggest things you feel like this team needs to improve on consistency you know what I mean it was great to do what we did I mean you could see us like I I’ve alluded to a couple times now uh at West Virginia and at Cincinnati you could really see some things coming into place it didn’t show uh where it counted but obviously it did this past weekend and and let’s show like like build an identity you know what I mean have consistency understand what we’re trying to do and no matter who we play no matter what style we go against uh um no matter what their strengths and weaknesses are understanding the things that we can do on a day-to-day basis and then go do them and so I’m not sure that’s exactly what you’re looking for but that’s what I feel like we need is um consistency in sustained success and understanding um from a Personnel standpoint what can we get what are we going to get out of you every day what are we going to get out of you every day what are we going to get out of right and when we do that then our team will have that and so we we have to keep defending and rebounding and we have to take care of the ball it’s just become very clear with this team those are the things we need to do momentum is is a big thing in this Sport and you’re coming off of two massive wins at home how can that momentum you know kind of help you guys as you go down this stretch momentum is a real thing um at the same time you know it’s all that you know you play two games in three days and then and you win you just want to keep playing and then of course you you know have the week off so it’s a it’s a or not a week off but you know what I mean it’s six days between games which for this time of year feels like an eternity um so we got to you know find out how we respond here with that and and keep going you know I’ve just taken the approach um and I and I I I traditionally try to do this and it’s not the answer you want to hear but you truly got to take it day by day let’s keep fine to you get to this time of year I mean we’re 75% done with our with league play so with five games left I mean you know in the regular season um you just got to keep F tuning find ways to get better we’ve done a few different things going into this weekend that was a little bit different spe specifically with the game plan with Kansas um that I thought really really helped us and so it’s constantly kind of tweaking and going and see who’s playing well and and who’s still fighting you know what I mean like to be better and our our team has been really really good in that respect sometimes you get to February mid-February and things can but our guys have been really a galvanized group and and guys show up every day in practice ready to to go so you know I’m just more worried about the process quite frankly how are we doing things are we making winning plays are we playing disciplined basketball are we Contin continually uh climbing the ladder so to speak in terms of um understanding what we’re trying to accomplish and that’s been a big thing this year it’s probably taken a little longer than some years just because I think so much newness like I’ve alluded to in the past with 10 new players and seven new staff members so hopefully we can seize this momentum and keep pushing forward coach we talked so much about the players and how they’ve progressed and what they’ve learned what have you learned as you’ve gotten into the Big 12 and how have you progressed as a head coach yeah that’s a great question I’ve thought about that a lot more than you probably realize um you know I’ve learned a lot about myself this year uh there’s just been a lot and and that’s a good thing it’s been invigorating it’s been exciting it’s you dive in in you know the circumstances haven’t always been um easy or exactly what you’re looking for um but you have to embrace it right you can’t run it high I’m going to like I’ve always been a guy that’s going to run through the fight and you have to embrace you know change and tough times and and uh you got to dig in right you got to find a way you got to go get in there and compete hard and that that part’s not new but certainly there’s been a lot it’s been a whirlwind the last 10 11 months just it’s the reality of it right and uh it’s a big boy business and so uh but the league is different that’s been really invigorating it’s been awesome I mean like even on Wednesday you know I don’t always sleep well the night after games even when we win it’s weird and um so I didn’t get much sleep that night and just I mean I was up at 4:30 I couldn’t wait to watch Central Florida and um it’s just fun to watch it’s not fun fun can come off the wrong way it’s fun it’s exciting you dig in you learn about new opponents you learn about new brands of basketball you see them on their home court right and what that looks like so that part’s been really really invigorating it’s a little bit different bringing the basketball so that’s been new you learn different things um um and how teams play you and then how do you counteract that with our team because our team’s different than most teams so you got to always the chess piece has been really exciting um and then with with all these new coaches as well uh and we we have a great mix of young and old and inexperienced and experienced uh but what I love about these guys that like they’re just all in man like it’s there’s no ego we all have some ego like let’s be real everybody has a little ego but these guys are just selfless and they’re just all about the players and our staff and it’s just such a tight-knit group and um we learn from each other and at the same time they’re learning from what I want so to speak whether it’s recruiting or or style of play or our expectations or you know holding people accountable or whatever it might be so I’m not sure I have an exact answer at this exact point but I’ve certainly learned a lot about myself and I’ve certainly learned what I think you got to have to be successful in this league like I’m very confident that part of it right as you as you progress into the future um because it’s different it’s a different League um it’s different than even the Big 10 when I was there and so every night’s just a rock fight and it’s awesome like it’s just such a physical brand of basketball it’s not always pretty you know what I mean but it’s Big 12 basketball I mean you just turn on a game and it’s just like a dog I mean it’s so competitive and these teams are so good defensively especially at the top with the kind of extended break how does that help your preparation for UCF and and what stands out about their team excuse me um you know with this a little bit of a um day and a half extra break or two days I guess depending on how you look at it maybe a day day and a half it’s it’s let’s get our bodies right physically mentally um certainly getting ready for UCF but also when you have four games in 12 days you know and two of them are at Orlando at Tucson I mean there’s a lot of right there’s a I mean it’s going to be go go go go and very little prep so um UCF though you know man the first game I watched of them was against Kansas at Kansas and I mean it was I think they lost 91 187 it’s unbelievable game these guys are Uber Uber talented they have a lot of guys that can really go get a basket um and and dynamic they just have a lot of dynamic Playmakers to them and On Any Given night there’s three or four guys that could just take over a game the hall kid um kesan Hall is a lefty uh can score at all three levels he’s had what I think he had 40 against Arizona State last night he had 36 um who else did I BYU I think it was he had 32 no it wasn’t that game another game he had 32 a different game that I watched um and so he’s a guy that just can really really get it going um Darius Johnson’s a playmaking point guard that can really really score the ball scores at all three levels as well so they have great length great athleticism a lot of guys that can take over a game and then there’s Center who did not play last night uh CH Cham t h aam is a freshman and uh he’s on a ton of NBA I mean he’ll probably be a draft pick here soon I’m I don’t know if it’ll be this year but it will be soon uh because this guy’s a seven-footer that Elite rim protector shoots threes like he can do it all really athletic so you know I know they’re not the results haven’t spoke to what they want to be U but they have a lot a lot of guys that can make plays on their team basketball is one of those Sports where you steadily climb the mountain and you’re hoping to peek at the right time um from at least my advantage point and other people’s do you think your team is is on that upward climb to possibly peing at the right time yeah it’s hard to say you know you always hope is a what do they say in sha Shank Redemption hope is a dangerous thing but you know I’ve been doing this a long time right and so you know you when you do it as long as I have um and I’ve been very fortunate to be on a lot of really good teams some years you can have great teams but you’re only playing good at the end right and then I’ve had a lot of teams that have been good teams and we’ve played great late and I’d always rather be a good team playing great you know late in the year and you know uh you know who knows what our future holds coach your comments just a little bit ago and then something you said after the Kansas win where you talked about being consistent in the locker room with your players it reminded me of a book I read you went in the locker room and in that it says it talks about being aligned from the top down and I’d be curious just how do you feel about where your program is at and the alignment from from the top down to the players and just where you’re at as you’re starting to finally yeah I I feel like we I I feel like we’re aligned um you know we have a lot of guys and I’ve said this before but we have a lot of guys that have never won like I mean and that’s not a I’m just it is what it so like I I haven’t as a head coach like I I you think a lot about especially in the off season um you think about a lot of things and and one of the things that I’ve been I was very very fortunate uh as a young coach right as a ga my first year in college basketball we won the conference Championship won the tournament Championship uh my second year is a ga we got the elite eight you know beat the number one team in the country to get to the lead eight and and and and then when I was and then my my next three years as an assistant coach our team was was not good and then I went to another team that was good and so everywhere I’ve been we’ve won and won at a high level and so I was fortunate as a young coach to see what just to see really what it looks like and and feel that and understand that and know what it’s about and and and then as he got older you know I was 31 my first head coaching job you I took over a program that won one game they were W in 27 the year before and so we went out and you know we were Vince trying to be Vince Lombardi or Jim Val or whoever and um and we were able to get to the national tournament we recruited a bunch of hungry guys and tough guys and found a way to make it happen and two years later we’re playing in the national championship game and so you know I was really fortunate and that I think I understand winning and what it takes um and and I think our guys are really figuring it out but you got to go through the rigers of it and and and then when you get into this league you really find out if you don’t do this this and this you have no shot like it’s just blatantly obvious right and so I think our guys are really the last you know five games for sure kind of just digging in and I feel like we’re kind of turning in the right direction that you know we’ll see where that goes I like nobody knows there’s nobody has a crystal ball but from the coaching staff to the players I think there’s a we’re in a really you know there’s a really good alignment that way and you know Gabe’s making some shots again and I’m not trying to put it on but that that you know and Jan that’s part of the game is you got to be able to make shots so that’s really helped us and Ezra is really starting to figure some things out Jake and KD are really figuring some things out I getting a little more consistency I think out of Mike and and Miro you know at the point guard spot so uh I think they’re seeing it now I think they’re seeing if we do these things we’ll have a chance doesn’t mean you’re going to win but you’ll have a chance thank you guys appr
Hear from Head Coach Craig Smith during Utah Basketball’s weekly press conference.
