Everything Clemson head coach Shawn Poppie said after loss to South Carolina

Clemson head women’s basketball coach Shawn Poppie spoke to the media following the team’s 65-37 loss to South Carolina on Tuesday. Here’s everything he had to say.

NEW! Message board for South Carolina Women’s Basketball!

Opening statement

“Obviously, a big matchup here, Clemson-South Carolina. I thought we gave them a run there for three quarters and ran out of gas. They got a really good basketball team over there. We knew that coming in. Seeing it up close and personal, I’m not sure you realize how big they are until you sit there on the sideline and watch. They’re so long. And a team similar to us that’s still trying to figure each other out with so many newbies. That’s a team that’s gonna go on a really deep run, as everyone has kind of predicted. I think they’re all of what the predictions say.

“For us, it’s a good opportunity to go back and watch film. I thought we competed. We did not make shots. Obviously, that is supposed to be a strong suit of ours. If we go 5-for-33, we’re not gonna beat anybody. But the 33 attempts is something that will probably be consistent for us. So, we got to find a way to make some shots and finish the game. But, ultimately, a good opportunity for us to learn from this game, and we’re right back to work as we head home play American — and then, a really big one on Sunday against Louisville.”

With the 33 three-point attempts, is that something that you think your team’s probably going to have to do every game?

“Yeah, I think that it’s a group that’s gonna shoot quite a bit. That’s just kind of how we’re built. Really, our fours are stretch fours. Obviously, it becomes a tough matchup in games like this when you play two bigs. So, what’s supposed to happen on the flip side is stretching out.

“It’s a team that’s very capable. We shot over 40% from three coming into the game — obviously, not to this level of competition, I understand that — but it’s a team that shot it all preseason well against the practice guys that have length.

“I want to have a balance, don’t get me wrong. We got to find ways to get that in there off the dribble, or get it in the D, and a couple others. I didn’t think we had a good balance of that early on. Obviously, (Demeara Hinds) gets in foul trouble for us, and that’s a big impact for us in the game.

“So, I do see us shooting quite a bit. I don’t know if we ever put a number on it like there’s a goal to it. Kind of take what the defense gives us. Ultimately, you do have to have a balance.”

Could you tell in the third quarter, going into the final period, that your players were wearing down a little bit?

“Yeah. I mean, even (at) the end of the third there, I think both teams were gassed. We have four opportunities, if I’m not mistaken, on pretty naked, threes — and then, things go in and out. And it’s in a new environment. This group is trying to learn how to fight for one another. It’s hard to keep going out there when we shot as bad as we shot it. Early, we took some bad news. But, I thought, as the game went on, we got some really, really good looks. We got to step up with confidence.

“Sometimes, when you shoot, you just need to get one in to open the lid off of it. And, with that said, their length, their physicality… Like, that plays a part, too. You got to give them credit for what they’re doing. Even if we get wide open looks, your legs are a little bit different. But we’ve got to find a way to step up with some confidence and make some of those, and who knows what the last 10 minutes looks like coming down the stretch.”

GamecocksW newsletter: WBB coverage delivered straight to your inbox!

Playing a team like South Carolina, how does this change the assessment of where you are as a program and where you need to go? And how does it change your assessment as a coach and what you think you might need to change going forward?

“You know, when I signed up for this job, I knew the powerhouse right up the road here with what Dawn Staley)‘s built. So, you hear it, you see it, it’s right here. The state, obviously, is attracted to it, but that gives me excitement. I think that you can love women’s basketball here in the state of South Carolina, and we’re trying to build something similar.

“It took her a little while to get going, too. And, for us, it’s keep chipping away. We are in year two. I think we’re way more talented than we were a year ago. But, as you see, their length… If we’re trying to be elite, we got to recruit better. And when I say better, just bigger and faster and stronger. And we’ve done that. It’ll come out tomorrow, signing day. We’ve signed a top-five recruiting class in the country. So, to do that into year two, and that heads into year three, it’s just part of our process as we’re starting to build something special because I think there’s no doubt we can do it.

“But, again, you can look right down the road, and that’s what the standard is in our sport — and has been for a little while. It’s our goal and our dream to be matching that. And what a game that would be when we get to where we can come in here and compete every single year.”

For the second year in a row, your defense has given South Carolina some trouble, especially early on. Is there a common denominator there with what you’re seeing? And tonight, specifically, what was your defense doing so well?

“Well, they’re unbelievable in transition. If you watch them in the first two games, they get out and come at you. I think, for us, strategically tried to tag their wings to keep that ball from throwing ahead and make them play in the half court. Obviously, I know they’re still really good there, but it’s candidly not somewhere they’ve had to play the first two games. So, it’s new to them, too.

“All while, the flip side is some of it is a pace-of-play thing. Like, we’re taking late shot-clock shots most possessions, forcing them to guard for much longer than they’ve had to in previous games. So, I think some of it’s pace of play. But I thought we did a really good job of slowing them down in transition and not getting throw-aheads to (Ta’Niya) Latson and to Tessa (Johnson) — and even, really, to Joyce (Edwards) — because, when that happens, and they shrink the defense, and you’re scrambling, they are very, very hard to guard. So, it was a goal of ours to make this a half-court game as much as we could, knowing our hands were still gonna be full if we got there.

“I thought it gave us the best chance, and it did. I mean, it’s a 10-point game going into the fourth. And it really wasn’t their offense in the fourth; we got tired, and the drought offensively for making us have a chance to compete.”

How does a game like tonight in this environment against that team help you figure out what it is that you have in that locker room?

“Yeah, I mentioned that to our kids. Like, I’m really disappointed. I thought, through three quarters, we were fighting and scratching and clawing. We didn’t play great, but it was fighting. I really didn’t like our fighting body language the last 10 minutes, but I think this is a wonderful opportunity for us to go back and evaluate ourselves on film. Some of the things we’ve been talking about internally haven’t changed because they haven’t had to. And to go watch this game back on film and see how many blown assignments and execution on both sides of the ball, that if we just do our job, who knows what happens out here?

“As a coach, not that you ever want to lose, but sometimes, you need this. And now, it’s the response. Obviously, I don’t think I prepared them well enough to stretch South Carolina out. Like, it’s good for me, too. Good thing is we don’t play very many more of those the rest of the year. We got some good teams in our league, but South Carolina is elite. And I think, if this team will buy in and do their job and execute, we have a chance to be really darn good.”

NEW! Message board for South Carolina Women’s Basketball!