Mike Woodson Talks Freshman Class, 3-Point Shooting, Handling Expectations

Indiana men's basketball coach Mike Woodson appeared on the College Hoops Today podcast with Jon Rothstein on Monday to preview the 2022-23 season.

Jack Ankony | Oct 4, 2022

Mike Woodson Talks Freshman Class, 3-Point Shooting, Handling Expectations /

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Indiana Hoosiers

College basketball season is right around the corner with Hoosier Hysteria on Friday and the first Indiana men's basketball exhibition game on Oct. 29.

Indiana coach Mike Woodson appeared on the College Hoops Today podcast with Jon Rothstein on Monday to preview the 2022-23 season. Woodson discussed how he is handling high expectations in year two, the talented freshman class, who he expects to make a big jump in production this season, 3-point shooting and more.

On what is different for Woodson heading into year two:

Woodson: Well, I've got a bunch of returnees that kind of helps my situation. I kind of walked in blindly last season, trying to get to know everyone on the team and getting everybody up to speed in terms of what I was about. This year, coming into this season, it's a lot easier for me in terms of that regard. We've had the summer to do a lot of work. Even though we have four new freshmen, they've been around pretty much all summer and been able to work with the veteran guys that are back. It's been a nice mixture, I guess you could say, in terms of my walk of life and my coaching staff, but we still got a lot of work to do."

On what he knows about coaching Indiana now after last year:

Woodson: Well again, it's the players in general. I know my guys that were here last year, last season with me, and that makes it a lot different. I'm telling you it's like pulling teeth last season trying to figure out each player and getting them to play at a high level every night. The fact that I've got the group that we brought back from last season, it makes it a lot easier for me. I think my biggest problem moving forward, I don't call it a problem, a challenge, I guess, is my four freshman and getting them up to speed because we're going to need all four of them to win basketball games if we're going to win at a high level. We're going to need them."

On the importance of reaching the NCAA Tournament last season:

Woodson: Well, our last game was a tough loss because we just, I thought we went the other way in terms of all the things that we worked on throughout the course of the season to get where we were. We just didn't have it, and you got to give the other team credit because they did exactly what they were supposed to do in advancing in the tournament. At the end of the day, I was pleased with our ball club and all the things we accomplished last year because it was a roller coaster ride. I had to suspend some players, we didn't recover well from it, and by the time we rolled into tournament play we were back clicking on all cylinders, which was kind of nice to see. I just hope that's a nice carry over to this season because a lot of the guys had never even been in tournament play, so they got an opportunity to taste a little bit of it and what it's all about. Hopefully it will be a nice carry over to this season."

On which returnee will make the biggest jump:

Woodson: Well, you know, again, I'd like to think Tamar Bates, he's been a guy we targeted when we first brought him in to do some special things for us. As a freshman he had his ups and downs, but the summer work has just been fantastic for him in terms of his growth, and I'm looking for big things from him. I thought Xavier, toward the end of last season made a major jump in terms of putting us in position to get to the Big Dance. Then just having Trayce and Race back, that's huge. I'm going to lean on those two guys to help speed the process up with our freshman because, again, I can't say it enough, our freshmen are going to have to be a big part of what we do this season."

On what allows Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson to play well together:

Woodson: I just think the fact that they spent some years together, man, I mean they played so well for our ball club last season together. The things that they did, I call it buddy-buddy ball. They just complemented one another extremely well, and I'm going to need them to do the same thing. But we've got Logan Duncomb and we've got big Malik Reneau, who I think has a shot to play some big minutes for us. We're going to need Trayce and Race help those two bigs help us because that's what it's going to take."

On who he would compare Jalen Hood-Schifino to:

Woodson: There's a some little Jason Kidd overtones a little bit. I don't know if he has the speed that Jason had going north and south in his young days. I don't know. He's kind of unique in a way because he does a little bit of everything. I spent one year with Kidd, and I just see some overtones because he sees the floor extremely well, he gets the ball where it's got to go and he's somewhat streaky a little bit in terms of shooting the basketball, but he's got a nice stroke and I think in time that will get better, as well. He's all about the team, and his approach is so professional, man, and that's kind of nice to see in a young kid."

On a freshman besides Hood-Schifno that he sees making a big impact:

Woodson: Well again, they've all been pretty competitive, which makes me happy as a coach. You never know what you truly got until they get on the court and they start working together. I'd like to think because Malik is a big body, a 6-foot-9 kid that's physically ready to play in the Big Ten, I think, should help us and hopefully impact the game some for us. I like Kaleb Banks and I like CJ Gunn. Those two guys are very competitive, so I wouldn't be scared to throw them in the ball game as well. But with all that being said we've got a long way to go. We just started practicing where we get two to three hours of work on the floor, and hopefully that will be a nice carry over when we start here at the end of the month.

On how deep he wants the rotation to go this season:

Woodson: Well, it's hard to say. I would like, based on what I've seen, I would like to play our 10 guys if I could. I'd like to get to that. I think last year we played eight to nine players, but you try to build your team where you could play 10 guys and make everybody somewhat happy. You can't play them all. When I was coaching in the league, when I coached the Knicks we played nine to 10 guys. I think you can do that in college if you get enough guys that are committed, that are on board, that are not worried about playing 40 minutes a game, individually. We'll see how it plays out. Yes, our schedule is tough. We improved our schedule, so we've got a lot of work on our hands, and I'm up for the challenge. I just got to get these guys playing at a high level and ready to play.

On playing a difficult non-conference schedule:

Woodson: Well, I've always thought, even the days when I played for Coach Knight, we always had three or four games – the Georgetowns, the Carolinas, the Kentuckys – we always had it that way. Competition is good, I think, and if you're scared of competition I think you're in the wrong sport. I don't care what level you play in, you've got to hopefully build your team and see what you're made of. We'll be tested this year, there's no doubt about that, when you talk about the four teams that you named [North Carolina, Kansas, Arizona and Xavier]. It's good for basketball, so we'll see what we're made of.

On the possibility of adding Kentucky to the schedule:

Woodson: Well again, I mean that can possibly happen in the future. I just think Cal and I and the ADs and the administration who puts all these things together just got to come to some common ground and see what happens. I know our fans would love to see it, and I'm sure Kentucky fans would love to see it as well. We'll see, only time will tell."

On improving as a 3-point shooting team:

Woodson: Well we're going to have to shoot it at a higher clip. The great teams in college basketball that advance in tournament play, they've figured it out in terms of how to put the ball in the hole. We didn't shoot it extremely well last season, but the only way you fix it is you continue to work at it, you shoot them every day and you put them in position to make shots and hopefully they make them. That's the only way it's going to happen. There's not a miracle pill that you give them, you've got to work through it and take high-percentage shots and knock them down. That's how it works, I think."

On Trayce Jackson-Davis shooting jump shots this season:

Woodson: Well I think he's capable of doing it. I don't buy the notion that he's got to be a 3-point shooter. He does a lot of wonderful things for our ball club that I think can be nice transition into NBA basketball. Everybody is so stuck on somebody being able to make a 3-point shot. I don't get that, I mean a layup, a 15, 16, 18-foot shot it goes in, it counts just as much as banging 3s all the time. If you got a team that can shoot them, it's great, but if you don't, you've got to get high-percentage 2s and some layups along the way and get stops along the way, defensively, when you turn them over and create points that way. I think Trayce is in a good place, a good space right now. I thought in the summer he put in some major work in terms of being able to make the little 15-to-18-foot shot. I think that's all he needs, personally, that's just me. He's just got to keep working. That's the name of the game, and that's the only way you're going to get better and I think he's done well in that regard."

On how his past experiences help Indiana deal with high expectations:

Woodson: Well I think it's a good thing. You're being talked about, but at the end of the day you still have to play the game and you got to play the game at a high level on both ends of the floor. It's going to be my job as coach to direct them in that path. It's not just going to happen because the media and the press and social media and all that is saying Indiana should be this and be that. I think this season is taking a practice at a time, a game at a time and seeing where it leads us."

On what it was like to come back to Indiana last year:

Woodson: Well, my walk of life has always been good in Bloomington. When I got this job, the media was like, 'Well, why would you hire Woodson, who's been away for 40-plus years?' Well, I never was away. Quietly, I was here in Bloomington. To be able to come back, my walk of life has been pretty good here. Some of the same people that were here 40 years ago are still here that supported me. It makes my walk of life so much easier. It's just good to be back. I never take anything for granted. I know there's a lot of expectations with this program, and it should be that way. There's nothing wrong with that. That's a part of sports, and if you're a competitor and you like competing, man, you should love everything about it. What they're saying about our ball club is what it is, but you still got to play the game and that's where it counts."

On what it takes to reach those high expectations:

Woodson: Well again, I came back for two things. That's to win Big Ten titles and national titles, so that's all, as a coach that's the only thing I'm going to push for. I'm not back here just to get in the tournament. I want to win Big Ten titles. I want to win national titles, and I don't see anything wrong with that. When you recruit players to come to Indiana to play here in the Big Ten, if you're selling them on anything less than that, you defeat the purpose of what this is all about. There's not a program in the country that wouldn't wish that they could win their conference or win a national title. I'm one of those guys, that's why I'm back here at Indiana."