Postgame Quotes – UCLA 73, Washington 61
POSTGAME QUOTES
UCLA 73, Washington 61
Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion)
January 14, 2024
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach
opening statement
“We got control of the game in the first half. It was the first time all season we had 22 deflections at halftime. Young group. We’re fighting through it. Lot of close ones this year. That’s my fault because we’re too inexperienced, but we’re just going to stay the course. Appreciate our fans for showing up. That’s what they do at great programs, even in tough times. We just got to keep staying course. Obviously, today we won the game, but it doesn’t change the fact that we’re grossly inexperienced. I’ll be 62 before the season is over. Can’t lose anymore hair, though. That’s the positive.”
on the team’s ball movement and 20 assists
“We’ve had good ball movement [in past games], but the ball hasn’t gone in. Game experience. Sahvir Wheeler started five years of college basketball. Dylan [Andrews’] first year. He played some backup two [guard] last year. Again, that’s the situation we’re in. But [Andrews] had eight assists which is big. Wheeler is obviously the fastest guy in college basketball. [He] makes circus layups look easy. I would tell you offensively you got a chance when you have somebody you can go to when you need a basket. And that’s any team. And tonight, we did it. We were able to go to Adem [Bona] and he was 10-for-13. When you got a chance, you’re standing over there in moss by position. You got to have somebody you can go to. We had that and our defense was excellent for most of the night. [Washington] averages 81 a game and they’re five games [into the Pac-12]. Forget bye games and all of that. Just in the Pac-12 they’re averaging 78. They had to score late to get to 61.”
on the entry passes for Bona
“Better. I would agree. Back to your passing [question]. We haven’t had 20 assists in our last three games combined. Again, part of that is making it. Post players are very reliant on guards because somebody has got to throw them the ball. And timing – on time and target – to your point. I totally agree with you.”
on how much UCLA’s hot start was about transition points
“Well, we did have eight steals and 22 deflections. In the first half we had 17 fastbreak points. When you can score off your defense it makes the game easier which we’ve struggled to do. We haven’t been able to impose our will defensively enough even though we lead the league in that category. The dominant teams can really snuff you out like a boa constrictor and just go get a layup which we were able to do tonight.”
on the bench’s contributions
“Again, you got to get contributions. Jan [Vide] is somebody that has a world of talent. He’s figuring out college basketball still. I got to get him off his one-foot runners. He gets in the lane at will. I got to get him to be a better passer to the 3-point line. But that’s the same as Sebastian Mack. Two freshmen that when they’re juniors will be really, really good players. I’ve been doing this a long time. I’ve had those kinds of guys. So, Jan helped us a lot. Ilane [Fibleuil] had a big steal. He’s our best athlete. Again, he came to us just really raw. Ilane. He’s really raw and he don’t turn 19 until June. Both those kids don’t turn 19 until the summer. They need work. You can’t hit the fast forward button so you just keep working with them.”
on Jan Vide’s history of making a lot of runners
“I would disagree with that. Jan and I talked a lot during his recruitment about he’s going to have to transition into being a point guard. That the team you’re alluding to – that you saw him play for online – he had taken a million shots. That was just the role he was in. He’s gotten into some habits. To become a true point guard – Wheeler gives you a crash course on it. He scores or passes. Yesterday we had a meeting with our guards just to watch him. Obviously, he’s got a 130 games of experience probably at least. Just to watch him and learn from him. He stays on the ground until he lays it in or passes it for the most part. He knows how to draw fouls. It’s all just a learning process. I would say Jan’s shooting percentage in those tournaments, if you were to look that up, you would understand what I mean. He’s got to become a better passer and it’s an adjustment for him. And if he’s going to make those shots, he’s got to stop on two feet. You’ve got to go straight up. If you can make runners off one foot and one hand, you’re playing in the wrong league. There’s probably seven guys in the world that can make that shot consistently.”
on if he let his players work through mistakes more tonight
“If you know why I’m taking guys out, I will put the money up and we’ll start buying lottery tickets if you’re a clairvoyant. If you’re saying I let guys do this tonight and the other nights I take a guy out for this or that, let’s buy some lottery tickets. You just never know. It could be strategy. Ilane Fibleuil would have played more, but they run a little action [and] you have to switch. Pistol on the wing. But both times he let Wheeler just drive by because he thinks he can guard anybody. But nobody can guard that guy. He learned but he was told, obviously, for three days. I’m not trying to teach him a lesson. They pay me to win games. He just can keep getting beat by Wheeler. The fans are going to be yelling at me to take the guy out.”
on how Adem Bona’s scoring energized the game
“Huge. That was a byproduct of passing. You don’t get a dunk without a good pass. He didn’t dribble himself [free]. He ain’t beating the guy, shaking the guy up and going and dunking. All of his dunks are off passing. But, to your point, when you have somebody you can play through in the half-court offense, it gives you a better chance to have a real offense. And we were able to play through him tonight."
UCLA junior guard Lazar Stefanovic
on coming back from a 46-point loss to Utah
"What happened the other night is something that no one wants to see happen ever again. It affected us a lot, we had meetings about it, we talked about it, obviously, we showed some reaction on the court. We played with a lot more attitude and effort. We talked players only, we talked coaches, we scouted the game, we watched what we could’ve, should’ve done better. Mentally just trying to get the guys in the right place to play in this game. Stuff happened, it’s in the past, and we can’t let it affect our next games.”
on taking a leadership role on an inexperienced team
“It’s all the time, it’s every possession. We gotta talk, we gotta make sure everybody knows where they are, what they're doing. We need to do a lot better job with it, but it's a constant progress we’re making.”
on the importance of the team collecting 20 assists on 20 made shots
“It’s for the whole season. We had issues with that, and I think that’s a big issue of why our shot percentage was bad. Today, we got 20 assists, we shot 50% from the field made 25 shots, 20 of them were assists. It was a big emphasis for months now that we’ve gotta share the ball. It seems so simple when you watch, like “Yeah, that’s the right play”. Sometimes we don’t do it, but when we do, we’re really good.”
on gaining confidence from Coach Cronin
“He’s been telling us ‘shoot the ball, shoot the ball, don’t hesitate.’ He’s been telling us for a while.”
on Bona’s five-dunk game
“We did a better job looking for him. He needs to get touches for us to be good. We did a better job, we emphasized that, and we got him the ball when he needed to get the ball. It boosts your energy, you get a dunk, you go down on defense, that’s how you get a run. Those plays get your energy up, and team morale, everybody plays better with more energy.”
on this game as a potential turning point for the team
“We’re hoping so. We hope so. That’s what we want, that’s what we need, and like you said. After the loss to Utah, we had 15 games, now it’s 14. Let’s try to win every single one of them one by one. What’s happened has happened, we can’t do anything about that, we can’t change that. But we can change our attitude and effort, as we’ve done before, in the next games. Play better, play together, have 20 assists and we’re in a good spot then.
UCLA sophomore forward/center Adem Bona
on coming back from a 46-point loss to Utah
“Obviously you can see there’s a different attitude, a different energy in the game. We all took the game personally after the last defeat we faced, and you can see the togetherness. Guys cheering for each other, sharing the ball, and I think this is a good first step for us as a team. Caring for each other, celebrating every point, every loose ball, every dive, every charge. I think it's amazing how teams can change when a team comes together and celebrates everything.”
on taking a leadership role on an inexperienced team
“I think it’s a part of our job. He’s been in college for three years, I’ve been in college for two years. It’s our place to bring the team together with us, and I think we’ve both embraced the role a lot. We try our best to lead the team. Sometimes we see the coach pointing at us saying “Go there” and obviously they’re going to hear me out for sure. We try our best to bring the team with us and also help the coach out.”
on the importance of the team collecting 20 assists on 20 made shots
“Almost everyone that played today had an assist. We only have two players that played that didn’t get an assist.”
on gaining confidence from Coach Cronin
“Coach has been trying to bring us all back together, because obviously, going on a stretch brings you down. Coach has been trying his best, talking to the guys. We’re young, and guys take ten years, a little bit too much, like not playing, game’s not going the way we want it. Guys go down, but Coach has been trying his best to get our confidence back up. We as a team are trying our best to get our confidence back up, and obviously, we can see that we’re doing better as a team. We’re taking our open shots, passing to the open man, so I would say that our confidence is getting back up there with our coaches and our teammates.”
on his five-dunk game
“I’ve been talking with our big coach, and we noticed I don’t call for the ball a lot during the game. I talk off the court, you know me, I’m always loud. So I tried today, to call for it every time I’m open, and I produced and helped the team a lot. That shows a lot what talking can do in a game. My conversation got better this game.”
Washington Head Coach Mike Hopkins
on the team’s performance
“We just didn’t have a lot of juice today. We knew that UCLA recently struggled offensively, but they really got back on defense and at fast-break points, and they made us have turnovers, which is not a winning recipe. We just really had no flow going. They also did a great job of getting back in transition. At one point in the game, [Adem] Bona scored four-straight baskets. I think that was a turning point. Points off turnovers – that’s just not Husky Basketball.”
on UCLA’s defense
“They really loaded up – we couldn’t get any deep post-up looks. They really helped out a lot on penetration.”
on where the team goes after tonight’s performance
“The biggest thing is that we can’t control making or missing shots, but you can control decision-making and holding turnovers to a limit. We can control that. The league is wide-open right now. That’s what’s going to make this fun.”
UCLA 73, Washington 61
Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion)
January 14, 2024
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach
opening statement
“We got control of the game in the first half. It was the first time all season we had 22 deflections at halftime. Young group. We’re fighting through it. Lot of close ones this year. That’s my fault because we’re too inexperienced, but we’re just going to stay the course. Appreciate our fans for showing up. That’s what they do at great programs, even in tough times. We just got to keep staying course. Obviously, today we won the game, but it doesn’t change the fact that we’re grossly inexperienced. I’ll be 62 before the season is over. Can’t lose anymore hair, though. That’s the positive.”
on the team’s ball movement and 20 assists
“We’ve had good ball movement [in past games], but the ball hasn’t gone in. Game experience. Sahvir Wheeler started five years of college basketball. Dylan [Andrews’] first year. He played some backup two [guard] last year. Again, that’s the situation we’re in. But [Andrews] had eight assists which is big. Wheeler is obviously the fastest guy in college basketball. [He] makes circus layups look easy. I would tell you offensively you got a chance when you have somebody you can go to when you need a basket. And that’s any team. And tonight, we did it. We were able to go to Adem [Bona] and he was 10-for-13. When you got a chance, you’re standing over there in moss by position. You got to have somebody you can go to. We had that and our defense was excellent for most of the night. [Washington] averages 81 a game and they’re five games [into the Pac-12]. Forget bye games and all of that. Just in the Pac-12 they’re averaging 78. They had to score late to get to 61.”
on the entry passes for Bona
“Better. I would agree. Back to your passing [question]. We haven’t had 20 assists in our last three games combined. Again, part of that is making it. Post players are very reliant on guards because somebody has got to throw them the ball. And timing – on time and target – to your point. I totally agree with you.”
on how much UCLA’s hot start was about transition points
“Well, we did have eight steals and 22 deflections. In the first half we had 17 fastbreak points. When you can score off your defense it makes the game easier which we’ve struggled to do. We haven’t been able to impose our will defensively enough even though we lead the league in that category. The dominant teams can really snuff you out like a boa constrictor and just go get a layup which we were able to do tonight.”
on the bench’s contributions
“Again, you got to get contributions. Jan [Vide] is somebody that has a world of talent. He’s figuring out college basketball still. I got to get him off his one-foot runners. He gets in the lane at will. I got to get him to be a better passer to the 3-point line. But that’s the same as Sebastian Mack. Two freshmen that when they’re juniors will be really, really good players. I’ve been doing this a long time. I’ve had those kinds of guys. So, Jan helped us a lot. Ilane [Fibleuil] had a big steal. He’s our best athlete. Again, he came to us just really raw. Ilane. He’s really raw and he don’t turn 19 until June. Both those kids don’t turn 19 until the summer. They need work. You can’t hit the fast forward button so you just keep working with them.”
on Jan Vide’s history of making a lot of runners
“I would disagree with that. Jan and I talked a lot during his recruitment about he’s going to have to transition into being a point guard. That the team you’re alluding to – that you saw him play for online – he had taken a million shots. That was just the role he was in. He’s gotten into some habits. To become a true point guard – Wheeler gives you a crash course on it. He scores or passes. Yesterday we had a meeting with our guards just to watch him. Obviously, he’s got a 130 games of experience probably at least. Just to watch him and learn from him. He stays on the ground until he lays it in or passes it for the most part. He knows how to draw fouls. It’s all just a learning process. I would say Jan’s shooting percentage in those tournaments, if you were to look that up, you would understand what I mean. He’s got to become a better passer and it’s an adjustment for him. And if he’s going to make those shots, he’s got to stop on two feet. You’ve got to go straight up. If you can make runners off one foot and one hand, you’re playing in the wrong league. There’s probably seven guys in the world that can make that shot consistently.”
on if he let his players work through mistakes more tonight
“If you know why I’m taking guys out, I will put the money up and we’ll start buying lottery tickets if you’re a clairvoyant. If you’re saying I let guys do this tonight and the other nights I take a guy out for this or that, let’s buy some lottery tickets. You just never know. It could be strategy. Ilane Fibleuil would have played more, but they run a little action [and] you have to switch. Pistol on the wing. But both times he let Wheeler just drive by because he thinks he can guard anybody. But nobody can guard that guy. He learned but he was told, obviously, for three days. I’m not trying to teach him a lesson. They pay me to win games. He just can keep getting beat by Wheeler. The fans are going to be yelling at me to take the guy out.”
on how Adem Bona’s scoring energized the game
“Huge. That was a byproduct of passing. You don’t get a dunk without a good pass. He didn’t dribble himself [free]. He ain’t beating the guy, shaking the guy up and going and dunking. All of his dunks are off passing. But, to your point, when you have somebody you can play through in the half-court offense, it gives you a better chance to have a real offense. And we were able to play through him tonight."
UCLA junior guard Lazar Stefanovic
on coming back from a 46-point loss to Utah
"What happened the other night is something that no one wants to see happen ever again. It affected us a lot, we had meetings about it, we talked about it, obviously, we showed some reaction on the court. We played with a lot more attitude and effort. We talked players only, we talked coaches, we scouted the game, we watched what we could’ve, should’ve done better. Mentally just trying to get the guys in the right place to play in this game. Stuff happened, it’s in the past, and we can’t let it affect our next games.”
on taking a leadership role on an inexperienced team
“It’s all the time, it’s every possession. We gotta talk, we gotta make sure everybody knows where they are, what they're doing. We need to do a lot better job with it, but it's a constant progress we’re making.”
on the importance of the team collecting 20 assists on 20 made shots
“It’s for the whole season. We had issues with that, and I think that’s a big issue of why our shot percentage was bad. Today, we got 20 assists, we shot 50% from the field made 25 shots, 20 of them were assists. It was a big emphasis for months now that we’ve gotta share the ball. It seems so simple when you watch, like “Yeah, that’s the right play”. Sometimes we don’t do it, but when we do, we’re really good.”
on gaining confidence from Coach Cronin
“He’s been telling us ‘shoot the ball, shoot the ball, don’t hesitate.’ He’s been telling us for a while.”
on Bona’s five-dunk game
“We did a better job looking for him. He needs to get touches for us to be good. We did a better job, we emphasized that, and we got him the ball when he needed to get the ball. It boosts your energy, you get a dunk, you go down on defense, that’s how you get a run. Those plays get your energy up, and team morale, everybody plays better with more energy.”
on this game as a potential turning point for the team
“We’re hoping so. We hope so. That’s what we want, that’s what we need, and like you said. After the loss to Utah, we had 15 games, now it’s 14. Let’s try to win every single one of them one by one. What’s happened has happened, we can’t do anything about that, we can’t change that. But we can change our attitude and effort, as we’ve done before, in the next games. Play better, play together, have 20 assists and we’re in a good spot then.
UCLA sophomore forward/center Adem Bona
on coming back from a 46-point loss to Utah
“Obviously you can see there’s a different attitude, a different energy in the game. We all took the game personally after the last defeat we faced, and you can see the togetherness. Guys cheering for each other, sharing the ball, and I think this is a good first step for us as a team. Caring for each other, celebrating every point, every loose ball, every dive, every charge. I think it's amazing how teams can change when a team comes together and celebrates everything.”
on taking a leadership role on an inexperienced team
“I think it’s a part of our job. He’s been in college for three years, I’ve been in college for two years. It’s our place to bring the team together with us, and I think we’ve both embraced the role a lot. We try our best to lead the team. Sometimes we see the coach pointing at us saying “Go there” and obviously they’re going to hear me out for sure. We try our best to bring the team with us and also help the coach out.”
on the importance of the team collecting 20 assists on 20 made shots
“Almost everyone that played today had an assist. We only have two players that played that didn’t get an assist.”
on gaining confidence from Coach Cronin
“Coach has been trying to bring us all back together, because obviously, going on a stretch brings you down. Coach has been trying his best, talking to the guys. We’re young, and guys take ten years, a little bit too much, like not playing, game’s not going the way we want it. Guys go down, but Coach has been trying his best to get our confidence back up. We as a team are trying our best to get our confidence back up, and obviously, we can see that we’re doing better as a team. We’re taking our open shots, passing to the open man, so I would say that our confidence is getting back up there with our coaches and our teammates.”
on his five-dunk game
“I’ve been talking with our big coach, and we noticed I don’t call for the ball a lot during the game. I talk off the court, you know me, I’m always loud. So I tried today, to call for it every time I’m open, and I produced and helped the team a lot. That shows a lot what talking can do in a game. My conversation got better this game.”
Washington Head Coach Mike Hopkins
on the team’s performance
“We just didn’t have a lot of juice today. We knew that UCLA recently struggled offensively, but they really got back on defense and at fast-break points, and they made us have turnovers, which is not a winning recipe. We just really had no flow going. They also did a great job of getting back in transition. At one point in the game, [Adem] Bona scored four-straight baskets. I think that was a turning point. Points off turnovers – that’s just not Husky Basketball.”
on UCLA’s defense
“They really loaded up – we couldn’t get any deep post-up looks. They really helped out a lot on penetration.”
on where the team goes after tonight’s performance
“The biggest thing is that we can’t control making or missing shots, but you can control decision-making and holding turnovers to a limit. We can control that. The league is wide-open right now. That’s what’s going to make this fun.”