Ross Hodge press conference summary post Wake Forest
West Virginia head coach Ross Hodge addressed the media following the matchup with Wake Forest and WVSports.com provides a summary of what was said.
–Hodge was super appreciative of the crowd. They tried their best to will them in the first half and even in the second half just couldn’t string enough quality basketball together. A lot of things you can point to but points off turnovers and second chance points were a big part of the game. They weren’t fundamental enough and got sped up in different areas and just couldn’t make the simple play. A total of 17 turnovers and they had been a low turnover team. They didn’t do a good enough job in those areas. They had some stretches they were good defensively but not good enough in the second half.
–Wake Forest is aggressive defensively and typically people won’t rotate off Honor Huff but they were doing that and scrambling around and getting deflections. It’s a credit to them.
–Hodge said they just didn’t execute at the level defensively that they needed to. They do a good job of moving pieces and they didn’t execute it for long stretches. He wants to look at if they’re doing what they’re asking hard enough and the next part is if you change personnel to see if they’re doing what they’re asking them to do.
–Hodge wouldn’t say it was a lack of aggression on the part of some players that didn’t shoot the ball. When you turn it over 17 times you limit your opportunities to shoot the ball. They had really good looks to start the game they just didn’t go down. The identity is despite the fact they aren’t shooting it well if you take care of the ball and execute defensively you have a chance.
–Hodge said he has to find combinations to do to them what they did to us and get in transition.
–Rebounding kept them in the game in the first half. That was the reason with Huff getting going it was the biggest reason they were able to stay in the game.
–It did feel like if they were going to make a move it was time there to keep Amir Jenkins in the game with four fouls So it was now or never.
–Hodge said his team turned the ball over and gave up open threes.
–West Virginia had five team offensive rebounds but some of them they kicked it out and had good shots from three because the defense is scrambling and got good looks but if you’re going to work as hard to get it off the glass you want to convert them at a higher rate.
–Hodge thinks that confidence is something that is hard to quantify and measure but what you better be doing is learning how you can win these games despite maybe not playing or shooting as well as you would like to. You have to take ownership in it and from a coaching perspective they have to do that as well with better plans and putting people into positions to execute.
—Harlan Obioha just has to simplify the game and keep it simple.
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