On likable aspects from tonight and going on the road:
“Obviously, the competition will step up, but you just play the game that’s before you. I really liked our activity. I like how we shared the ball tonight, I like how energized and alert and active we were defensively and didn’t play the score once it got stretched out to that level. But, knowing that, of course you’re going into a really high-quality tournament with very good teams and you’ll have to play 40 minutes. It’ll take the majority of the game to be successful in those settings.”
On De’Andre Hunter’s performance:
“It was nice to see him knock down some shots. It’s good to see the ball go through the hoop. They laid off of [Kihei Clark] and he kept taking them, made a couple threes and then it just loosened it up. But, to see [De’Andre Hunter], that’ll open up anybody’s game. Especially him. When you can be a threat from the three, the drives open up and the pull-ups and all that. I thought that he was assertive, but there was an unselfishness with aggressiveness. There was the right balance in the way we played, the way the ball moved, and the way in which we cut.”
On his defensive likes and dislikes:
“We tried to be as active as we can and, at times, whether it’s after a make or a free throw, we might set up in a three-quarter court just to either kill some clock or if there’re opportunities to trap. So, just trying to do that and it doesn’t take away. Our core is our core, but those are little things we’re just adjusting or tinkering around with to see if it can be effective for us.”
On the state of Jack Salt:
“In practice yesterday, he irritated his back and we decided to hold him heading into this tournament. I actually need to find a little bit more about it. He’s had some issues with his back in the past and he said he felt better today than he did yesterday. So, hopefully, it’s progressing in the right direction.”
On Jay Huff’s development:
“You saw some nice plays, and when he’s on the floor we do some different things offensively. He’s a threat with the three ball and has some skills. Defensively, he’s just got to keep coming.”
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