BATON ROUGE – One day removed from a 56-53 LSU win over Arkansas that left the men’s basketball team at 2-0 in the Southeastern Conference, Coach Trent Johnson met with the media to preview Saturday’s 3 p.m. CST game with No. 13/15 Kentucky at Rupp Arena in Lexington.
Here are some of his comments to the media on Thursday:
Coach Trent Johnson Opening Statement …
“Moving on to the next game with Kentucky, my goodness it seems like (Josh) Harrellson, (Darius) Miller and (DeAndre) Liggins have been there forever. Those three guys were there two years ago. Most of the attention and focus is paid to the freshmen, and rightfully so because they are extremely skilled and talented. When you look at Liggins, Harrellson, and Miller it is always nice to have some upper classmen who can play. Liggins defensively is probably as good as it gets in our conference, and then Darius Miller I think is a pro. I think he can play multiple positions and is probably one of the best defenders along with Liggins. I think Harrellson is probably as improved a player as there is in college basketball. Then the three freshmen are special, especially from the standpoint that everyone wanted to make comparisons to the group they had last year. The group they had last year was really physical and really nasty, and these three are the same, but their skill level is very impressive. They can shoot the three and they can put it on the floor going right or going to the left.
“Again, it is the same old story for us. We need to come out with a lot of energy and, unlike the last two conference games, we need to shoot the ball well. We are going to have to shoot the ball well because they are going to play fast and they can score. In our zone, or whatever defense we are in, we are going to have to do a really good job at getting to the shooters. This is not one guy that you have to get to, there are three or four that can shoot the ball. It is a very, very steep challenge for us, but every game in the league is going to be a steep challenge for us.”
On the change to the zone defense …
“Well what has dictated the change in the zone defense is the inability to keep people out of the lane one-on-one at the point of attack. Obviously the foul situation is number two, and then third is bodies with Ralston (Turner) not being out there and Storm (Warren) being very limited with his movement. Garrett (Green), knock on wood, is starting to get more treatment on his back. I made the comment today when I walked into the training room, I said ‘My goodness! We have this new facility but can we get this thing large enough?’ It was full; they had eight guys in there. It is going to be a game-to-game decision in terms of how we employ the zone or the man, but for the most part we have to do what we have to do to give ourselves a chance to compete. The zone has been effective the last two games and then hopefully it will be effective while we’re a man down moving further.”
On if Jalen Courtney is playing the three or four position right now …
“He is playing the four right now. I feel for him because moving to the three when you played at the five in high school that takes a long time to make that adjustment at this level of playing. With our guys going down he has to go back to his natural position which is four, and at this level of play they are bigger and stronger in there. He hasn’t shied away from anything, and honestly the opportunity for him to play is going to be there pretty soon. He needs to get out there and do the best he can in terms of rebounding and defending and knocking down the open shot when it presents itself.”
On Andre Stringer‘s adjustment from being a scorer in high school to a distributer in college …
“… The difficult part is defending. Depending on what high school you came from, and he came from a high school system where he shot it when or where he wanted, and he made himself better and his teammates better. Then he got back and stood around in what was basically a zone. Ralston (Turner) was the same way. So the biggest adjustment for any incoming freshman, I don’t care how talented or how skilled they are, is defensively and the speed of the game at times, but the speed of the game guys get adjusted to because a lot of these kids play against high-caliber players in the offseason. When we as coaches talk about the speed of the game it is the speed of the game and intensity from practice day-to-day, and then school. Andre’s offense hasn’t been that big of an adjustment, and he understands the game which also helps him. The biggest thing for him has been getting back and having to rebound, and that wears on you on the offensive end.”
On Garrett Green‘s attitude in the locker room and off the court …
“Well I am not in the locker room a lot. Off the court this is a close group and they all get along well. Our chemistry is very good, so Garrett is a part of that. The good thing for Garrett is he’s getting some confidence, he’s developing some consistency and he’s got some teammates that are doing a good job getting him the ball in positions where he can score. He needs to continue to play with confidence, because like I said before he is his own worst enemy. He’s got to continue to play though a little pain and continue to rebound and defend like he is and he will continue to have some success.”
On Matt Derenbecker‘s success the past two games …
“A lot of people were worried about the ball not going down for him early and all those things early on, but I said it was just a matter of time. He is playing like the player we recruited and like the player we expected. It is not a surprise there; the only surprise is that his back court teammate is sitting there with a boot on so you would like to have him out there with him. Like I said earlier, some guys it takes longer to adjust. I think the speed of the game kind of backed him off and he lost some confidence a little bit, but he is fine right now.”