Mark Kellogg press conference summary: 3-22
West Virginia head coach Mark Kellogg addressed the media ahead of the NCAA second round matchup against Kentucky and WVSports.com provides a summary of what was said.
–Kellogg said that he’s pleased to still be here and advancing one of the goals is to continue and play. You want to extend it as long as you can, the atmosphere was awesome and the fan base is special. Kentucky is a very good basketball team and it’s a quick turn around. Kellogg said they want to make it easier for the kids to play freely.
–Kellogg said there are some teams they will draw from to prepare for Kentucky’s length. They aren’t exactly like teams they’ve played, but their ability to play with their length and how they utilize it is what makes them a challenge. You’re down to quality competition at this point and if you don’t play well or execute you don’t advance at this point. Kellogg is trying to find strengths that his teams have that they can exploit.
–Clara Strack is 6-foot-5 and has the ability to play all over. She rebounds well and plays with a lot of confidence. There are players that are similar but they can maybe play it like they’ve done some others but you have to add some details given her overall skill set.
–Kellogg said he doesn’t think he had to prepare for the game any different than the late season games but when you get to the foul line you have to take advantage. Those are possession games and if you win the possession battle it typically goes in your favor. Kentucky is a terrific rebounding team so you have to make the first shot because you might not get another.
–Kellogg said you go in expecting anything that could happen. Both teams are really good defensively so it will be strength on strength. You’re just trying to find ways to get points and it certainly could be a defensive struggle but on the other hand both offenses could get going. Kellogg said they’ll be prepared for whatever the game presents.
–Kellogg said they talk about finishing and starting quarters and he thought they had the crowd going when they were up 17. It’s feeding off what they can.
–Kellogg said they don’t want to go away completely with what they do but they’ve played some teams with some length and they have gotten more comfortable as the year has gone on going against it. There are some things they will ask the guards or posts to do differently because of the length. But they’ll be prepared in every situation.
–Kellogg said it started a little bit at the Division II level. One team hosts eight schools and they always felt it was an advantage the way they played and it’s a reason they played that way on defense. There’s some advantages but when you get to this level you’ve played teams that are similar.
–Kierra Wheeler is not a bad ball handler and she was waiting to give it up on the break but it was a parting of the seas so if shes sees the rim she knows to go there. Wheeler has the right mind set and doesn’t want to accept she’s giving up three to four inches in some matchups. She loves these moments and these matchups. She is a little undersized but she is very productive with what she does. Her ability to score in the paint and defensive rebound just filters through the team.
–Kellogg said you have to discuss the shot blocking ability of Kentucky. They lead the country in blocked shots and when you get to the rim what’s the decision making. There are some things they talked about and want to attack.
–Kellogg said that his team just continues to get better. They let one slip away at TCU earlier and have just continued to improve. They’ve been in post-season mode since then.
–The first quarter won Kentucky the game and that’s what can happen this time of the year. You have to be dialed in and his team better be prepared. Their length and ability to shoot the ball can be issues so it’s on West Virginia to try to take them out of rhythm early.
–It’s a different game plan for sure compared to Miami. There are some parallels but a lot will be different.
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