Arizona Basketball Press Conference – Tommy Lloyd, Caleb Love & KJ Lewis

Arizona Basketball Press Conference – Tommy Lloyd, Caleb Love & KJ Lewis

Guys fire fire away questions for coach and players coach said their coach said it was a high level game just the intensity involved felt like March did it feel that way to you oh for sure I mean you know we told our guys you know these are

The teams types of teams you’re going to play once you make a deep tournament run and I mean they’re they’re an incredible team incredibly well coached and you know they had some really good players and you know that number one kid he he he was nails and then there were

Veterans you know around him that made some other good play so uh all in all I mean that was that was a fun exciting game a great experience for us you know obviously we would have liked you know maybe one more play to go our way but

You know we’re going to be better for this and uh you know that’s why we set up this schedule and you know I didn’t set up the schedule to go undefeated I mean if our guys found a way to win all the games I would have been really proud

Of them but I I am super proud of them these guys did an incredible job and showed tremendous character today we were down three different times you know especially after being up big in the first half and you know they made some runs and then we you know we kind of

Weathered the storm a little bit and and found a way to to get back in the game and really draw even both times and you know we had we had you know good shots down the end of each one of those you know um you know I guess regulation and

Overtime scenarios that that you know I I feel good about I’m assuming that the you got the play you wanted on Caleb was last shot yeah I mean we we were just you know kind of you know we I I figured they were going to come out and switch a

Bunch of things so we just wanted to you know kind of put the ball in Caleb or um kylin’s hands at the end there and you know I figured one of them was going to have to make a play off the dribble and you know we we got a shot that you know

Caleb’s a big shot Taker and he’s a big shot maker so U I feel good about the look and if you’re just in and out I mean I mean that thing holds in there I mean you know we all probably feel a little bit different uh as an opposing head coach

Is there any time you kind of just say you know tip of the hat to to John El Davis with some of the shots he made today for sure I mean for sure I mean you know hey he he shot one that he shot some big time ones but he also had one

That was like a layup on the left side that he he shot and it came out of his hand I thought I had no chance and somehow it hit below the rim and crawled over the rim and you know Caleb has a dunk and a layup I mean I’m probably

Going to take the dunk or the layup over that shot but like that’s how the ball goes sometimes and and he’s uh he’s a really really good player I mean he’s you know he’s got a Poise about him and and he knows where he can pick and

Choose his spots and he’s got tremendous confidence so um you know I was really impressed with him the the result didn’t go the way you want obviously but there are moments I mean Caleb’s Big Shots Umar goes to the line and and hits too can you just talk a little bit more

About ability to kind of Step hey we didn’t win today but we got winners and you know and and and this team is built to you know I think you know have the type of conference season we all hope for and then you know and Beyond so I

Mean I’m I’m here I’m I’m not down you know I’m going to have a great Christmas I hope you guys are too I know these guys will they all need a little bit of a break from me and to get with their a little bit and uh I can’t wait to get

Started back up on the 27th uh how does having 10 extra minutes of uh basketball help you guys going into conference play I mean it’s great to be in those situations you can’t simulate those pressure scenarios and so now there’s going to be a lot we’ll

Learn from a lot of positives where we did go and make great plays and probably a few negatives you know that we can learn from but now now that you’ve actually experienced it you know beyond just practice you know it really helps Bruce far left for for actually for all

You guys how how I mean didn’t seem like it started out with such a game of big runs like you got up early they came back and then uh neither team could pull away did did did kind of the CH you change the way you guys kind of figured

Out the matchups as it went on and did it become I’ll let you guys different game um I feel like uh that’s just how the game was going um you know we was you know we started up um kind of on them um in the first half first few

Minutes of the game and uh you know they came back and they their little run and um it was just kind of back and forth from there um you know it’s a game of runs in basketball and so uh you know they were hat off to them you know they

They executed some of their plays uh they had Big Time Players to you know makeig Big Time shots so um unfortunately you know we we came up on the short end of the stick but um this definitely like coach said will help us uh going into um conference play oh he yeah

He n he hit it right on the head I think you know it was game of runs um credit to them they had again Big Time Players experienced players made Big Time shots towards the end um but like coach ly said we got a bunch of winners and dogs

Um there was no quit in us um I think we stayed really poised down the stretch um and even when they made their run at us so um you know it’s going to help us in the long run you’re on the right uh Chris a band cat sports coach uh Umar

Balo had a 13-point 21 rebound double double after the last game you said he was on the precipice of Big O Maui performance what did you see from him and what does it mean going into conference play that he’s continu to play so dominantly oh really impacted

The game you know and you know we want to continue to build with him I mean he’s obviously a force and you know I mean I’m sure his finishing is going to continue to to pick up a little bit but for him to go get 20 rebounds in a game

Like that was pretty impressive so you know we love o we we appreciate all the value he brings to us we were kind of mixing some lineups down the stretch and there and he handled it with a ton of maturity and you know kind of going in and out then

To step up and make two big free throws I mean shows a lot of growth for him Tom Tommy this three game stretch was the very ambitious did you do it again did you oh 100% I mean you know hey I I I wish this was the NBA where where we

Were just on to the next one where these losses didn’t hurt as much but in college they hurt you know the losses hurt in college especially we to a program like Arizona and you know you’re not used to losing but you know we’re built for it and um you know there

There’s no shame in losing to Purdue there’s no shame and losing to Florida Atlantic today I mean you know they’re an incredible team and extremely well coached I mean I I I I was we were impressed watching them and we knew it was going to be tough when we went up I

Was like the chances of of us continuing this is probably pretty slim you know and and to their credit they dug back in the game and put made a good run at the start of the second half to kind of take control of things and we had to kind of

You know tested our character and I thought our guys Rose to that occasion does this break come out of a good time for you guys for sure yeah for sure I mean it’s a yeah it’s been it’s been a hard hard deal I mean you know hey you

Know we we played you know Purdue Alabama and basically FAU in what seven eight days and you know and and you know they they you know played a game last Saturday and had all week to prepare but that’s fine me I had no impact on the

Game so um yeah I mean the break comes at a good time and you know and and and I can’t wait to get together with my staff and you know kind of figure out you know the the next uptick for this team CU this team has a lot lot of

Growth in it and and we’re going to try to tap into everything we can kind of along those lines but for Caleb and KJ maybe uh all these tough games how do you guys how do you guys look back on that and and and does it maybe have a difference you know when

You’ve had so many big games uh you know and then you’re going double overtime today did you feel any kind of just mental or physical fatigue or you know just that little extra whatever well I think it just helps us um going into the long run especially you know going to

The Pack 12 play and it’s going to help us obviously um going into you know March as far as you know these Big Time games against these big time teams as far as you know uh you know getting situations that you know we may not be able to you know like coach said

Simulate and practice and so um you know we learn from them grow from him uh watch film and um you know we do that a lot and so like I said I just feel like this this definitely going to help us and I’m you know glad coach put this

Schedule together cuz you know we know what to expect going down uh going forward can I could how did that not shot feel for you did you think he was going to go in you hit a number of big ones yeah I man I thought it was going

In but you know I probably should have you know got in a pain or something like that it was 3 seconds left I you know I tried to create some space and I get the shot up but I learn from that shot for sure uh KJ even when you got into foul

Trouble towards the end there you still were playing aggressive there was one Series where you had a great stop on defense and then you got the ball and made an really aggressive drive down in the lane on the other end and DW drew a foul uh what’s going through your mind

There um just to continue to stay aggressive even with some foul trouble like that late in the game to continue to be a Difference Maker that way um just coach Lloyd um and my teammates just telling me um not to not be myself um you know I think I play really

Aggressive um and um you know we were putting foul trouble on the foul pressure on the on their bigs um and it was just you know situational basketball we were getting anything we want want in the paint I felt like um and you know it

Just happened to go my way um I think it’s just a testament to my teammates and my coaches just believing in me and trusting in me with uh you know the fouls I had last one rightor coach before this game you 0 in this building uh obviously

You lost but why do you think you’ve been so successful I mean I don’t make any of that I mean that’s that’s crazy I mean just hey you know we love playing here but about the undefeated thing I mean listen it’s to when you get out there with other really good teams

You’re going to win some you’re going to lose some and you know I know this team’s built to win most of those and and we’re going to you know try to take the next step forward to ensure you know give ourselves a little more margin for

Air in some of these high level games and and that that’s you know my job to make sure we’re increasing that margin for air because you come out and you know you play a really good Florida Atlantic team that has really good players and a really good coach and and

You know we went toe-to-toe both teams and you know they they ended up kind of just being on the right side of it by one point you know we could easily been sitting here celebrating Caleb you know he he makes that shot and you know we feel like you know we’re Invincible but

But in reality you’re not so we just got to we got to hunker down and and and bounce back from this and and and we will I mean our guys are hoopers they like to play so I’m not worried about it thanks thanks

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