Postgame Q&A: Darian DeVries reacts to Indiana basketball's win against Milwaukee

Indiana basketball head coach Darian DeVries spoke with the media Wednesday night following Indiana basketball’s 101-70 win over Milwaukee.

Below is his full Q&A — as well as a transcript of his conversation, to be added once it becomes available.

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Q. Very animated in the first half. What was your source OF frustration when you got in halftime with the team?

DARIAN DeVRIES: Yeah, I didn’t think we were as hooked up as we typically we are, especially defensively. I thought we gave them some opportunities from the three-point line that we’ve put a lot of time into the last couple days. (Video glitch.)

That you can’t guard because they just get on a hot streak.

So I thought the guys after halftime did a much better job. I thought we were way more aggressive. We got them pushed out and we were able to disrupt them a lot more.

Q. I think the number now is like 299 points to open the year. Just like how early on with this team could you tell offensively you guys could be this good?

DARIAN DeVRIES: You know, we’ve talked about it a lot. They just share the ball. I think that’s what good offense comes from, you know, guys that are willing to move it, share it. We got great balance. One night it could be this guy, one night the next guy.

They really don’t care. They don’t talk about it. They just go out and play and they take with the defense gives them.

I thought again tonight 23 assists, 7 turnovers was really good. I think that’s why you get the shooting percentages you get, because we’re getting the right type of shots.

Q. Where did this team in sort of your mind find that in the summer, that instinctive trust in one another that if the ball keeps moving a good shot can become a great one, the next pass will lead to an even better shot, that he’ll make the shot, I don’t need to force it. Where in your mind did this team find that trust in itself, especially as a group that had not played a lot of basketball together before this summer?

DARIAN DeVRIES: Yeah, I don’t know if there was one like that one moment necessarily. I think it was just a collection of, hey, this is what we talk about, prioritize every day. I think they did a great job buying into it.

We even had a little bit of nonsuccess when we played Mega the first time. We had like a 10, 12 minute stretch, I think we had 6 points to start game or something and we’re down 20.

A lot of that was, as they soon found out, the ball quit moving. So I think they learned from that a little bit of like, hey, we’re really good at offense when we play this way; we’re not as good when we play this way.

And to this point in the season they’ve done a really good job continuing to share it.

Q. Ten or more threes each of the first three games; hasn’t happened here since 2016-17. Your thoughts on how well you guys are doing what you want to do and getting the threes and making them?

DARIAN DeVRIES: Yeah, again, I just think they’re getting the right type of shots. I think guys do a great job understanding how to get shooters open. They have a really good understanding of when to deliver it. Their timing there has been good.

And because we’re getting enough movement outside of all the different areas on the floor, we’re able to kind of create some things and put defenses in some tough spots, whether it’s in pick and roll or back cuts.

You know, if the help comes from somewhere our guys do all really good job reading it. If it’s not there, that means somebody else is probably open, and that’s where a lot of those threes come from.

Q. With Tayton Conerway, big scoring night tonight. What does he do offensively to you guys to elevate you when he’s getting downhill and looking to actually create for himself instead of dishing out to his teammates?

DARIAN DeVRIES: Yeah, Tayton just has an ability to get by people. He’s got a little shake to his game. You haven’t seen it a lot. He hasn’t needed to. I thought tonight he did a really good job. We thought he could potentially have a big night. We talked to him at shootaround today. Like any time we’re in trouble just create a gap or have the other guys create a gap and you just stick your head down and try to get to the rim and make a play.

Thought he did a good job attacking tonight. He got to the rim a lot, he got into the paint and sprayed. So he’s one of those guys that that’s something we’re going to need throughout the year.

Q. Coach, Milwaukee was a team that takes a lot of threes. They had a lot of mid-range shots today. Was that a plan to run them off the three-point line, force those tough shots?

DARIAN DeVRIES: Yeah, with wanted them off that three-point line as much as possible. I’ll give them some credit. I thought our guys in the second half, there was a lot of possessions I thought we played really good D and they ended up with a challenged 12- to 15-footer, but they made ’em.

There were a few that weren’t as difficult.

I thought the guys did a really good job defensively of making them take the shots we wanted them to take in the second half.

Q. You mention earlier about playing together. You got 73 assists in three games from a bunch of guys who never played with one another before. How hard, how challenging is that to make that happen so quickly and what’s gone into that exactly?

DARIAN DeVRIES: I think it’s just a lot of the intentionality of who we brought here and then their willingness to be a part of that. We talk to them a lot about this is how we can win. If we all stay true to that we’re going to have a lot of fun and have some success.

But that is the path. From the summer, the first day they got on campus to us starting to play games, they bought into it. They enjoy it. They embrace it.

So usually in the locker room you can tell like when it’s real or not. These guys genuinely just love playing basketball and they’re a lot of fun to watch together.

Q. The efficiency of your offense has played with so far per possession, really strong numbers through the first three games. I guess, No. 1, how pleased are you with the offensive efficiency and how sustainable is it going forward?

DARIAN DeVRIES: Yeah, I think the sustainability really is going to be dictated by will we continue to do it. There is going to be nights where you don’t go 14 for 28 and you have those same shots. That’s just basketball, and that’s coming.

So on those nights that’s our challenge, is how do we win those games. I actually thought even though it was an exhibition game our Baylor game was similar. Like we didn’t shoot it very well and that was an early test of like, hey, we didn’t shoot it well and we still found a way to win the game.

That’s why everything we talk about the offense, we almost let them just kind of go. You guys keep doing what you do best. Our whole focus is on the defense and the rebounding piece. We know if we can get stops and limit people to one chance and now we get to play in transition, now we get to go do what we do best.

Q. Couple weeks ago your team was a complete mystery to fans, and nobody who — people had not seen you in the basketball world at large. What do you think people might be thinking now when you’re scoring 100 points every game?

DARIAN DeVRIES: Yeah, I don’t know if that’s sustainable, but, yeah, hopefully what they see is not just the points. Hopefully they see just guys that play the right way, they play hard, they play unselfish, they share the ball, they understand cutting, moving, screening for one another.

That’s what ultimately we want people to really take joy in, is like they just like watching this team play together.

Q. Nick Dorn first appearance in an IU uniform tonight. What did you see from him and what could his role be going forward?

DARIAN DeVRIES: Yeah, I think you saw why we were excited to get him out there. His first possession he’s firing up a three and knocks it down. So that was great for him I’m sure, too. Whole thing for him, and he knows this, is just got to be a process to get him back to up some game shape and not putting him in a bad position as he’s still working his way back from the injury.

But he gives us another guy that can go out there and make four or five in a night. Like he shoots it at a high, high level and is a big, strong guy, too. So it just gives us a lot of versatility from our bench right now. That’s certainly something that as a coach is a great luxury. Even in the Marquette game where we have all the foul trouble, would’ve been great to have another guy that we could have put in there.

As he continues to work back, it’s nice that we got another person that can go in there and not only just do — go in and do what we ask, but he’s a guy at that can change a game when he comes in.

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