Ross Hodge press conference summary: UCF
West Virginia head coach Ross Hodge addresses the media following the 77-62 win against UCF and WVSports.com provides a summary of what was said.
–Hodge said he is so incredibly thankful for the seniors and happy for them and their families to be able to experience Senior Night here at West Virginia. They were able to get the win and hear Country Roads and it will be a moment they will never forget for the rest of their lives. For them to be able to experience that on a Senior Night, he’s so happy for them and their families. He’s thankful for them and what they mean to this program because somebody has to take the first step and they did.
–Hodge said when these seniors decided to come here they knew they wouldn’t just be representing a basketball program but a state and they way they’re received in public with the level of appreciation and gratitude they feel is why they wanted to come here to begin with. It’s special to play here and represent this state.
–Hodge said if you have hopes of winning a tournament you want to play the fewest days possible so this gives them an extra day of rest. They book ended the Big 12 play as the stand alone game against Iowa State and then again tonight. They get an extra day because they played on Friday as well.
–In the first half, Hodge felt they did a good job defending without the foul but did not do a good job of that to start the second half. His team settled back in and were able to make that up with shot making. West Virginia and they were only able to turn it over seven times.
–Hodge has always been pretty open that it’s not football you don’t run on offense or defense and it’s symbiotic. Having an elite defense is having an efficient offense. That allows you to set your defense because you’re not getting matched up.
–UCF was not able to get in transition and if you give them live ball turnovers they’re going to convert. That was the stat of the game.
—Jasper Floyd and Brenen Lorient really jumped in but Honor Huff was the first of the new guys to trust the vision and he’s such a weapon. He’s grown so much as a player this year. Hodge still gets surprised when he misses if he gets a clean one.
–Floyd is as mature of a human being that he has been associated with in college basketball as a player, assistant, graduate assistant or coach. His ability to handle success and humility the same is a big reason that this team is able to do that. He is able to channel pain and disappointment in a positive way and if he has a great game he’s not going to pretend he’s the greatest thing because of it. Lorient has a very young soul and he’s grown so much as a person and really as a player. If there was ever somebody you wish the 5-5 rule would pass for it’s him. This is the first year that he has started as a full-time basketball player.
–Hodge said that a team that wants to be around each other and wants to keep going is important when trying to make a run. You’re fighting to keep playing games but if you care about each other you’re fighting for one more film session, one more bus ride. You have to win some ugly games.
–Hodge wants to give this team everything he has and he wants to honor and respect them and be in the trenches with them and not let them down.
–The time period we’re in now you could build it over time in the past but the hard part now is you can do that and they can leave because there are external factors at play. There is a salary cap involved and only so much to spread around and in general everybody is more impatient. Hodge still believes this team can make a run still and the intent was to try to do that when assembling this roster. You have to try to get old and stay old a little bit while you can hang in with your young players and your retention. This team fits the mold of what they were looking for and they wanted to be and play at West Virginia.
–Hodge said the Big 12 Tournament will be a new experience and that is exciting. He will never forget the Pitt game here and some of the gut wrenching losses. You’re bonded in a lot of ways that are uniquely awesome and in some painful moments and you’ve experienced it all together and stayed together.
–Hodge said the officials are too good at this level and they talk so he told Huff not to flop and just try to make it. One of the officials told him to play the game like you’re at the park and not trick them and to Huff’s credit he is so coachable and the same is true for all of these guys.
–The good start was the ball going in the hole. At halftime Hodge felt a little uneasy because they played well enough to be up more than nine. But to their credit they stayed the course and made the plays.
–Hodge said that Chance Moore has worked his tail off on free throws. And if Huff is shooting 10 of them you’re probably going to have a good night at the foul line.
–Hodge thought Jase Herl did a good job and Andre Shaw of reminding their guys not to get spread out after fouling so much to start the second half. He thought they did a better job of condensing the open spaces and made them play entire space which made the individual defender a better defender.
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