Miller Press Conference

[Nigel Tufnel]

Watch this shit and tell me X isn’t in great hands…this is fucking great. Brutal honesty. Somebody in the starting 5 won’t be on the floor at the tip.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BD8qJggtu1s

[MHettel]

I think Travis Steele may have practiced his press conference speech in the mirror ahead of time.

That is all

[GoMuskies]

Somebody in the starting 5 won’t be on the floor at the tip.


Free? Pretty sure that's who he's talking about not boxing out a shooter and cherrypicking like he was at a rec center.

[IM4X]

Not so sure it is just Free that Sean is calling out. I got the feeling he was disappointed with everyone’s rebounding effort- which he should be. I love that he is not trying to play down the teams weakness the way Steele did far too often.

Sean is quick to acknowledges both the good and the bad. Then he usually points out specific instances in the game that were critical to a win or loss. For the Gonzaga game, he pointed to the team’s inability to fight for and secure a few more rebounds late in the game that potentially cost them the game. Also, poor defense and defensive rebounding has been their Achilles heel that has cost them potential wins against very good teams.

I was intrigued when he mentioned he could continue to play Colby more at the 4, if the bigs are not going to rebound any better than he does when he is in there in place of one of them. I hope it will motivate Colby AND the bigs to be more tenacious around the rim.

Yes Nigel. I am feeling quite confident we are in very good hands with Sean. Boy does that feel good to say.

[boozehound]

Man do I love seeing Sean behind the helm again. Love that press conference - he wasn't particularly dramatic but he was direct and matter of fact. I'll be astonished if this team doesn't improve this year.

[boozehound]

Free? Pretty sure that's who he's talking about not boxing out a shooter and cherrypicking like he was at a rec center.

Yeah, I think he's probably talking about Free.

[murray87]

Wow, such a welcome change!

[Xville]

So refreshing to hear from a coach and actually learn something about the game.

I also love how he is calling our guys a bunch of pussies but in a nice way lol.

[bleedXblue]

Its Freemantle without any doubt. Might be the least technically sound player we've had at X in a long time. He has scoring ability, but beyond that no much else and its apparent, he doesnt really care all that much

[xukeith]

Its Freemantle without any doubt. Might be the least technically sound player we've had at X in a long time. He has scoring ability, but beyond that no much else and its apparent, he doesnt really care all that much

I think he cares. He wants to win. He just is very limited defensively. He is better than last year. Not sure how much that counts.

So far after 7 games, X still is not playing well defensively.
Why not?

[Xville]

I think he cares. He wants to win. He just is very limited defensively. He is better than last year. Not sure how much that counts.

So far after 7 games, X still is not playing well defensively.
Why not?

No, I don't think he cares, and its apparent by his defense and his "want to." Yeah, he wants to win, every athlete wants to win. However, he's not someone that wants to do the extra things to make the team win. Defense is at the least 50% effort, and his effort on that end of the floor is garbage. Nunge on that end of the floor is pretty damn pathetic too. I like the guy, and this team would be really bad without him, but his defense is average at best.

[xukeith]

There have been 7 games this year and nobody has improved the defense. Does anyone believe the defense will improve?

X only has one Colby Jones who plays strong defense. If you do believe the defense will improve, how long until we fans see it? All players have to buy in and play defense for X to be a better team.

I don't get why all the X players don't care on defense. How hard is it to learn?

[Xville]

There have been 7 games this year and nobody has improved the defense. Does anyone believe the defense will improve?

X only has one Colby Jones who plays strong defense. If you do believe the defense will improve, how long until we fans see it? All players have to buy in and play defense for X to be a better team.

I don't get why all the X players don't care on defense. How hard is it to learn?

I believe that X can be an average to above average team on defense by the end of the year. I believe that defense is about 50% want to, and 50% athletic ability at this level. The problem is that the team currently has guys that don't have the athletic ability and/or the want to at multiple positions.

Nunge---certainly doesn't have the athletic ability at this level to be a plus defender, his want to can be much better
Free---doesn't have the want to, and doesn't have the footspeed or quickness to defend at a high level.
Jones--probably the team's best defender...has above average ability
Boum--average...think he gives a good effort, but he's pretty slight and will probably have trouble against rugged guards in the big east
Kunkel, Tandy---they are ok...average

Problem is multi-faceted...when the guards get beat off the dribble, X doesn't have the interior personnel in shot blocking, and/or quickness to recover when Free and Nunge are in the game together and that causes a lot of problems. Our guards are also very slow to close out on threes...its like they are stuck in quicksand. Gonzaga had so many wide open threes.

I think in the end Miller can get this team to at least be average on the defensive end, and that will get them to the tourney. The talent side of defense just isn't there with this group to be an above average or great defensive team IMO.

[XUGRAD80]

Xville, you’re just about 100% correct there and I agree that they will improve as the year goes on. Just about 100%, but not quite because knowing HOW to play TEAM defense is also part of the equation. And once they know it, they have to be able to do it without hesitation. It’s going to take some time for them to understand all the nuances and to do them automatically. As you’ve pointed out, they are probably never going to be a great defensive team, but they certainly can get a lot better. I’m betting that Miller will get it out of them sooner or later.

[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

Such direct, candid and well thought out answers. Not a word of Travis Steele "coach speak". This coach is the reason this team will continue to improve as the season progresses. I cannot wait to see how what he said at the presser was passed along to the team and then how it is translates into our rebounding and defense tonight.

And, yes he did call the players a bunch of pansies. If that doesn't light a fire under Free, Nunge, et all, I don't know what will.

[Xavier]

Sean is a breath of fresh air. Obviously. I just enjoy listening to him talk basketball and couldn’t be happier he’s at the helm. I’m reminded of that every time I hear him talk bball

[drudy23]

Sounds like Tyrique, Jimmy Farr and Jalen Reynolds need to make a guest appearance to talk about glass eating.

Damn, we need that type of guy.

[IM4X]

And, yes he did call the players a bunch of pansies. If that doesn't light a fire under Free, Nunge, et all, I don't know what will.

Ha. Technically, I think Sean called them “soft” which the players probably like being called even less. It is an accurate description and hopefully calling them out will lead to more tenacity by the big fellas.

Too bad we don’t have someone like Hill or Farr or Stainbrook as assistants to show our bigs what it means to not be soft on defense.

[IM4X]

Sounds like Tyrique, Jimmy Farr and Jalen Reynolds need to make a guest appearance to talk about glass eating.

Damn, we need that type of guy.

Beat me too it.

Tyrique and Jaylen would certainly work as well.

[Caveat]

I think he cares. He wants to win. He just is very limited defensively. He is better than last year. Not sure how much that counts.

So far after 7 games, X still is not playing well defensively.
Why not?

I don't question's Free's effort -- I just think his basketball IQ is rock bottom.

Once the shot goes up, Job #1 is to crash the glass and get the board. That's how he's been coached (obviously), that's what he's been told to do -- but in the moment, he makes a low basketball IQ decision to leak out and start the transition early because "someone else will get the ball..." and he wants to go get in position to score. His effort is there, it's just misdirected and hurts the team.

[xukeith]

Miller said 4 games ago that no player truly loves basketball more than Freemantle. He puts more work and training into is basketball conditioning and body, He reaps benefits offensively. We all knew he wasn't great defensively. His hands are up high on d.

If he can improve Freemantle 20% and Nunge 50% and all the guards 25% , X might be a lot better defensively. I still do not understand why defense takes 1, 2, 3-6 months to improve. Is it working out bad habits, learning the language?

[drudy23]

Miller said 4 games ago that no player truly loves basketball more than Freemantle. He puts more work and training into is basketball conditioning and body, He reaps benefits offensively. We all knew he wasn't great defensively. His hands are up high on d.

If he can improve Freemantle 20% and Nunge 50% and all the guards 25% , X might be a lot better defensively. I still do not understand why defense takes 1, 2, 3-6 months to improve. Is it working out bad habits, learning the language?

You can teach defense, but it's hard to implant dawg into someone's heart.

The defensive issues have more to do with the dawg than the Xs and Os (I'm sure there are some Xs and Os to clean up as well). "Want to" is hard to inject - but possible.

[XUBison]

Miller said 4 games ago that no player truly loves basketball more than Freemantle. He puts more work and training into is basketball conditioning and body, He reaps benefits offensively. We all knew he wasn't great defensively. His hands are up high on d.

If he can improve Freemantle 20% and Nunge 50% and all the guards 25% , X might be a lot better defensively. I still do not understand why defense takes 1, 2, 3-6 months to improve. Is it working out bad habits, learning the language?

Well, you have to consider where they’re coming from. They spent the past four years with a system that relied on one simple tenet— chuck, chuck, chuck, chuck, chuck. There is nowhere to go but up from there on defense.

[XUGRAD80]

I don't question's Free's effort -- I just think his basketball IQ is rock bottom.

Once the shot goes up, Job #1 is to crash the glass and get the board. That's how he's been coached (obviously), that's what he's been told to do -- but in the moment, he makes a low basketball IQ decision to leak out and start the transition early because "someone else will get the ball..." and he wants to go get in position to score. His effort is there, it's just misdirected and hurts the team.

You can’t just “crash the boards” and hope to out jump the opponents when the shot goes up. Even BEFORE the shot goes up you’ve got to get yourself into POSITION to rebound, and just as important, to keep the opposition from getting the rebound. They have to learn to blockout and that starts by getting proper position BEFORE the missed shot. They need to learn to assume that every shot will be missed and to learn to anticipate, based on where the shot is taken and who is taking it, where the rebound is likely to go. Then beat the opposition to that point. Play smarter!

[zippin']

I've always heard defense is like 90% effort and the other 10% is skill. Is that actually true? Are guys saving their energy for the offensive end of the floor?

[xavbball]

I haven't said this in years, but I trust this staff will figure something out to improve our defense.

[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

I've always heard defense is like 90% effort and the other 10% is skill. Is that actually true? Are guys saving their energy for the offensive end of the floor?

I don't believe most players purposefully put forward less effort on the defensive end but I think we measure offensive statistics better. And, what gets measured gets managed, so to speak, by the players.

On the offensive end we keep track of team in addition to individual performance. The category of "assists" for example is a measure of what action leads to a score. All of us on this board understand how important is the pass that leads to a wide-open basket. On defense we follow steals, blocks, etc. But we don't keep track of team defense and the sequence of events defensively that leads to a steal or block and who initiates what. We know who got credit for the steal but not who helped force the double team that led to the steal opportunity or what player forced the extra pass that allowed another defensive player to recover and make the block.

Ironically, in that regard, Steele sort of had it right by keeping track of "kills", a completely team defensive stat.

Also, defensive stars aren't celebrated as much or as often as scorers and passers. Colby, for example is a great defensive player and he gets credit for that on this board but the question that arose at the presser was about his improved three-point shooting. Colby spent the entire second half of the Duke game matched against Flipowski, a seven-footer! That's pretty amazing but yet I don't recall the announcers discussing it much.

We need to celebrate defensive stars better-----not just the guys that make the steals or block the shots---------but the guys who keep the ball away from the other team's top scorer or those that play great "help" defense. Years ago, Coach K had a 6'6 defensive stopper on his 1988 Final Four team; a guy similar to Colby except he couldn't shoot a lick. But he was team captain, a starter on that team and arguably its MVP. His name was Billy King and he was, at that time, college basketball's equivalent of a shutdown cornerback. King was widely considered one of the best defensive players in college basketball, but you don't hear about that too much these days---and we are all fascinated by metrics! Pretty smart guy too as he went on to become GM of the Philadephia 76ers.

[drudy23]

Well, you have to consider where they’re coming from. They spent the past four years with a system that relied on one simple tenet— chuck, chuck, chuck, chuck, chuck. There is nowhere to go but up from there on defense.

They'll go in eventually. I swear - MAN

[Xavier]

. I still do not understand why defense takes 1, 2, 3-6 months to improve. Is it working out bad habits, learning the language?

It’s working out bad habits and instilling the will in guys who haven’t been pushed this hard (at least in college) yet. I’m still in the camp that becoming rebounding hogs will be more essential overall. Defense can improve slightly. Rebounding can jump much higher. If d improves a little but we keep giving second chances it won’t matter

[drudy23]

You remember the days when Jimmy Farr would grab EVERY rebound.

If you remember, in his early days, he liked to sit on the perimeter and shoot 3s too. He turned into a glass eater, and a damn good one.

[xudash]

You can’t just “crash the boards” and hope to out jump the opponents when the shot goes up. Even BEFORE the shot goes up you’ve got to get yourself into POSITION to rebound, and just as important, to keep the opposition from getting the rebound. They have to learn to blockout and that starts by getting proper position BEFORE the missed shot. They need to learn to assume that every shot will be missed and to learn to anticipate, based on where the shot is taken and who is taking it, where the rebound is likely to go. Then beat the opposition to that point. Play smarter!

Firstly, I agree with everyone here: watching that presser and listening to Sean's clear, concise analysis and assessments was a breath of fresh air. We are going to be more than just fine. We'll eventually be very good down the road.

I agree with your entire post 80, but how true on positioning and blocking out. I believe Sean put a flashlight on those issues during that press conference.

I believe it's already been stated here in so many words, but cohesive team defense is key. It's one thing to play well individually, but the entire team must play defense cohesively, just as they attempt to run a well structured offense. Sean literally stated that it's no good and unacceptable to have 3 guys playing hard on the defensive end with the other 2 lacking in effort and performance.

BTW, speaking of defense, did any of you watch Marquette absolutely dismantle Baylor last night. Marquette. Projected to finish 9th in the conference. Sure. I don't believe that will turn out to be accurate.

[Xavier]

You remember the days when Jimmy Farr would grab EVERY rebound.

If you remember, in his early days, he liked to sit on the perimeter and shoot 3s too. He turned into a glass eater, and a damn good one.

Yep. He transformed his game. One it my favorite transformations and a perfect example. You have to wonder how many kids will stay and change their game when what got them recruited isn’t working at the college level vs just transferring to another school.

[drudy23]

To Freemantle's benefit, some of his struggles can be contributed to roster and role construction. Steele had him hanging at the perimeter, which isn't his strength, but also didn't have a true banger on the roster to complement him.

Nunge is kind of like that, but not the true banger.

[X-band '01]

Ha. Technically, I think Sean called them “soft” which the players probably like being called even less. It is an accurate description and hopefully calling them out will lead to more tenacity by the big fellas.

Too bad we don’t have someone like Hill or Farr or Stainbrook as assistants to show our bigs what it means to not be soft on defense.

I still remember Richmond fans being dumb enough to chant "West Is Soft" during the 2002 and 2003 games at the Robins Center.

[Masterofreality]

When Sean is asked a question, there are no cliches.
He takes an average of 3 minutes to spell out an answer. That means he has a clear vision of what he needs & wants. There are few if any stats. It’s about constant “want” effort and intensity.
The Former Guy tolerated little lapses. This guy does not.
Everybody that is here, other than Boum are TFG’s guys. We’re not gonna see all the fruits of this in this season, but, hang in.

[drudy23]

When Sean is asked a question, there are no cliches.
He takes an average of 3 minutes to spell out an answer. That means he has a clear vision of what he needs & wants. There are few if any stats. It’s about constant “want” effort and intensity.
The Former Guy tolerated little lapses. This guy does not.
Everybody that is here, other than Boum are TFG’s guys. We’re not gonna see all the fruits of this in this season, but, hang in.

You would HOPE there's some pride amongst these players, especially those that can't and may not come back next year, that they need to get to and perform well in an NCAA tournament. You play a few years and don't get to a tournament at Xavier, that's not really a list I'd want to be on.

I agree with your "it may take a new mindset" with new players, but these guys have plenty to play for if they have any pride whatsoever.

[IM4X]

How good is Sean in his press conferences?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SaV-6qerkqI


By the way, wow, does Carly Simon look good in this video!

[noteggs]

Not really happy with bench play

Presser after uc

https://twitter.com/xaviermbb/status/1601722484775976960?s=42&t=HUR6-6MgIlICAisuI_Uamg

[boozehound]

Not really happy with bench play

Presser after uc

https://twitter.com/xaviermbb/status/1601722484775976960?s=42&t=HUR6-6MgIlICAisuI_Uamg

Specifically mentioned 'guys doing things we are asking them to do' which I assume refers to Hunter and Tandy launching 3's?

[X-band '01]

Hunter, Tandy and Edwards were mentioned, albeit not by name. The Hunter shot was really bad in that it led to a breakaway dunk as well as an and-1 for UC on that possession.

From what I've read on the UC board, it wasn't Wes Miller who gave the inspired halftime speech but it was Kenyon Martin who did talk to the guys at the half. Maybe UC has their own version of Travis Steele?