Colorado-Northern Colorado Quotes
Colorado vs. Northern Colorado
Nov. 8, 2024, CU Events Center
Colorado Head Coach Tad Boyle
Opening Statement
“Well, good win. It wasn't easy. I told the team I'd rather win ugly than lose pretty. We won a little bit ugly tonight. I got to tip my hat to Northern Colorado. I mean, those kids, the way they played, the way they fought. Coach Smiley has done a great job with that program. They got a lot of returning guys. I think I know Wisne is a returning guy. They got four or five guys, including Reynolds. So, they got guys that have played in that system, and it showed. They really played well offensively. And obviously, they shot the ball extremely well from the three. We gave up 13 trees. We only got five. Our goal is to give up six or less. The guys that made threes were shooters on the scouting report. I look at the 21 turnovers, the 12 offensive rebounds, and our inability to get a stop when it counted, and we got one at the end. We got one stop enough to win that game, but we had opportunities to close that thing out. We couldn't do it because we couldn't get stops. So, a lot, a lot of things for us to improve on, like taking care of the ball, boxing out, limited second chance opportunities, guarding a three-point line. It's like putting your finger in a dike right now when you're coaching Colorado because there are different things on different nights. Turnovers have been consistent. We've been a pretty good box-out rebounding team. We knew that UNC would challenge that more than Eastern Washington did, more than even Texas did, because those guys crash, and they're physical. So, good win. We'll take it, but we have to get better, obviously.”
On losing the lead at the end of regulation and how it gave UNC momentum:
“It’s a lot of momentum for them. Obviously, we had time-outs, and Ruffin got stuck in the corner. Now, he said he was trying to call time out, but officials didn't hear him. They got the ball from that, but again, it's guarding. You're up six with a minute, so if you get stops, you win the game. They can't come back. They made big threes. Now we got a stop, but we didn't get the rebound. Then the McCreary takes it to three-point line and hit a big time, three in front of their bench. Sometimes the basketball gods, when you don't do what you're supposed to do, they make you pay. And they made us pay tonight because we weren't able to get a stop-and-finish. We have to stop. We just didn't finish the possession. So the good thing is, guys didn't feel sorry for themselves. I really limited rotations there down the stretch, which, again, with this team, it's like throwing darts on a dart board right now. It really is. I thought Elijah Malone was terrific tonight, both offensively and defensively. I thought Andre Jakimovsky was terrific defensively, with his effort on a really good player. He really wore him down. So, we had some good performances on offense and on defense, but collectively, we weren't good enough to put this team away.”
On how he picked who to rotate given the depth of the bench:
“It's like throwing darts in the dart board. I go with guys that I have confidence in defensively. And sometimes, that works in our favor. Sometimes it doesn't. We foul 94 feet from the basket when you're up two. Those are the things that we need to work on. I've asked my team, let's play hard, let's play smart, and let's play together, okay? We play hard. Our guys compete. They give you everything they got. We don't always play smart. And when you have nine assists in a 40-minute game, you're not playing together offensively. You're trying to do stuff man-on-man and one on one. And what's crazy is that during the last two days in practice, we've played what we call the assist game, where your team doesn't get a point unless you get an assist. So, we've really been stressing it. Then we come out tonight and play like this. It's like this team offensively, what I see in practice every day relative to what I've seen in the first two games. It's not the same team. As a coach, that’s very, very frustrating because that means you got guys that aren't playing how they practice. The lights go on, and they think, okay, it's time for me to go do it by myself. And we're just not good enough to do that. We're just not. Now, we were good enough to beat northern Colorado, who's in the Big Sky, but if you get in the Big 12, we'll score 40 points doing that. Maybe. We better figure that out. We have to play how we practice and get that ball moved and take advantage of the skills that we have. We got some skilled guys. Elijah Malone drew seven fouls tonight. Trevor Baskin drew eight fouls. That's something Trevor does a really good job of. He just has to learn to pick and choose his spots and play team basketball. There's just so much to improve on. And look, Trevor's adjusting to a new level. Elijah is adjusting to a new level. So, I cut them a little bit of slack there, but we're also counting on them as grad transfers, with their experience to make plays and execute what we're trying to get done. And guys are trying. It's not because they're not trying. It's just playing hard and playing smart, which we're not doing, and playing together, which we're not doing. So, we got one out of three. We have to get three out of three. We'll be able to play with anybody in the country with all three. But without all three, this team is going to have a lot of games like we had tonight.”
On the possibility of fouling up three at the end of regulation
“Not my style. One of my assistants asked if we wanna foul up three, but that’s not what we do. I know I open myself up for criticism. I'm good with it. Our defensive numbers since we've been here and how our teams have guarded, I'll stand on that, because there's ways you can lose. We had a free throw box out almost cost us a game. We foul; they make one. We don't get a free throw box out; we look pretty stupid. People might think I'm stupid. Maybe I am. That’s just my philosophy, and it's just the way I've been. There might be some times where I do it, but if we can't get a stop against these guys, how are we gonna get a stop against a Big 12 team?”
On high press and high intensity defense in tonight’s game
“It came and it went. I thought by the end of the first half it was pretty good. I thought we really ramped up our intensity and really wanted to make it hard on them, understanding the scouting report. I thought our defensive intensity came and went. You give up 88 points, you can't feel real good about your defense. There are a lot of things to watch and learn from the film on that. I mentioned the plugging holes in the dike. The turnover issue is a major issue for this team that we have to continue to work on, and we're going to do that. I got to show patience with this team, because this team is trying, but we're just not where we need to be on November 8, or where I'd like to be. We don't have a lot of experience returning. We’ve got a bunch of new guys. I guess you could say it's to be expected, but I don't want to compromise the standards of this program. I gotta find that balance of being patient and not compromising our standards.”
On concerns surrounding the late game mistakes by veterans
“It is concerning, because I would think they know better. Andrej’s [Jakimovski] played a lot of college basketball at a high level. Trevor's [Baskin] played a lot of college basketball. Elijah's [Malone] played a lot of college basketball. The end of the first overtime, we got a great look. I’ll take that look from Andrej [Jakimovski] all day long, it just didn't go in. So guess what? You gotta go to the second overtime and try to figure out how to win. The other part of close games is, players make plays. I’ve said, I don't know how many times, in this room after a win, the difference in the game was we had McKinley Wright IV, and they didn't. Players make plays at the end of the games, and we made enough plays tonight to win, but we could have made more plays. At some point you're gonna have to do that. Our players are gonna have to do that.”
Coach Boyle on Elijah Malone’s stamina in double overtime
“We were going offense/defense with him at the end. We had him in on offense because he is a presence down low, he's a good free throw shooter and he could score the ball. Part of the game plan from the get go was getting the ball inside. We ran a play to start the game, to get the ball inside. We couldn't get the ball inside, but as the game went on, we did a better job of that. Elijah [Malong] was a big part of the game tonight, unlike against Eastern Washington, so I thought he took a step forward in many respects. We did some good things. I thought Andrej’s [Jakimovski] defensive performance on [Jaron] Rillie was terrific. We made some good things; did some good things. Julian [Hammond III] made some plays down the stretch. [Javon] Ruffin made some plays down the stretch. We got to do it more collectively, and we got to do it together, not relying on our individual talents.”
Coach Boyle on tonight marking his 300th win
“I don't get caught up in that stuff. This is not about me. This is about our players, it's about our programs, and it’s about us trying to get our team better every single day. It just means I've been around a long time, and it means we've had some really good players here. That's what 300 wins means. Those are things that are hard for me to really think about in the moment. Certainly, when I wake up tomorrow, I'm not going to be thinking about my 300th win, I’m going to figure out how we get to 301, and that's going to be Wednesday night against Fullerton. How we're going to get our team better, over the next three or four days, that's what I'm thinking about. It is a milestone win. It's nice. It just means I've had really good assistant coaches, had really good players, and I've been here a long time. I said that this was my dream job when I got it in April of 2010, and I've stayed true to that. I meant it, and I still mean it. I'm lucky to be the head coach here, and I'm honored. I just got to do a better job with this team, and it's going to be a challenge this year, but that's why you coach. That's why our guys play. I like this team. I told them after the game, I like this team. I think by the end of the year I can love this team, but we have to get better.”
Colorado Players
Elijah Malone, Gr., C
On making some big free throws tonight.
“I mean, it's just another free throw. That's what I think when I'm at the line.”
On keeping composure after two overtimes.
“When you're in a situation like that and it's a close game, it's hard not to be excited and really going.”
On transitioning to D1 basketball.
“I don't want to say the transition has been easy. But the guys on my team have kind of made it that way. I go to practice every day, and I'm working out with some of the best players in the country, right? I'm gonna get better every day just by being around those guys.”
On high fiving a fan after scoring.
“Nah I haven't done that before, just kind of got caught up in the moment.”
On playing in at the CU Events Center
“It's been great. It's a lot bigger than the school I came from. The energy is awesome. It's a great atmosphere.”
Elijah on his mid court steal.
“You feel out the game a little bit on defense. Knowing the scout and knowing what they were about to get into and reading that play. I was in the right position at the right time to be able to get a hand on it.”
RJ Smith, So., G
On staying focused after UNC’s huge three to tie the game.
“I feel like whatever happens happens. It's the way we respond. We practice situations like this in practice all the time. Won it in double over time, but I think we executed well.”
On the shot that brought them to overtime.
“At first I was like, dang. He really hit that. But coach Manning always says, ‘next play’. That's what our group told each other the next play when we huddled up. It led us to the dub. So I like the way we responded. A lot of good leadership in the game.”
On feelings about being back on the court again.
“It feels good, it feels like I haven't played in so long. I'm just grateful for the opportunity I have now and just taking advantage of it.”
On the team looking to clean up their mistakes.
“Really, just slow down. Sometimes we'll be playing too fast. You play too excited sometimes. But we're trying to make the right plays at the end of the day. Just playing together, making the one more pass, being strong with the ball. All the things that prepare us for the big 12 we need to get better at right now. Just have physical practices, keep learning, and watch the film.”
Nov. 8, 2024, CU Events Center
Colorado Head Coach Tad Boyle
Opening Statement
“Well, good win. It wasn't easy. I told the team I'd rather win ugly than lose pretty. We won a little bit ugly tonight. I got to tip my hat to Northern Colorado. I mean, those kids, the way they played, the way they fought. Coach Smiley has done a great job with that program. They got a lot of returning guys. I think I know Wisne is a returning guy. They got four or five guys, including Reynolds. So, they got guys that have played in that system, and it showed. They really played well offensively. And obviously, they shot the ball extremely well from the three. We gave up 13 trees. We only got five. Our goal is to give up six or less. The guys that made threes were shooters on the scouting report. I look at the 21 turnovers, the 12 offensive rebounds, and our inability to get a stop when it counted, and we got one at the end. We got one stop enough to win that game, but we had opportunities to close that thing out. We couldn't do it because we couldn't get stops. So, a lot, a lot of things for us to improve on, like taking care of the ball, boxing out, limited second chance opportunities, guarding a three-point line. It's like putting your finger in a dike right now when you're coaching Colorado because there are different things on different nights. Turnovers have been consistent. We've been a pretty good box-out rebounding team. We knew that UNC would challenge that more than Eastern Washington did, more than even Texas did, because those guys crash, and they're physical. So, good win. We'll take it, but we have to get better, obviously.”
On losing the lead at the end of regulation and how it gave UNC momentum:
“It’s a lot of momentum for them. Obviously, we had time-outs, and Ruffin got stuck in the corner. Now, he said he was trying to call time out, but officials didn't hear him. They got the ball from that, but again, it's guarding. You're up six with a minute, so if you get stops, you win the game. They can't come back. They made big threes. Now we got a stop, but we didn't get the rebound. Then the McCreary takes it to three-point line and hit a big time, three in front of their bench. Sometimes the basketball gods, when you don't do what you're supposed to do, they make you pay. And they made us pay tonight because we weren't able to get a stop-and-finish. We have to stop. We just didn't finish the possession. So the good thing is, guys didn't feel sorry for themselves. I really limited rotations there down the stretch, which, again, with this team, it's like throwing darts on a dart board right now. It really is. I thought Elijah Malone was terrific tonight, both offensively and defensively. I thought Andre Jakimovsky was terrific defensively, with his effort on a really good player. He really wore him down. So, we had some good performances on offense and on defense, but collectively, we weren't good enough to put this team away.”
On how he picked who to rotate given the depth of the bench:
“It's like throwing darts in the dart board. I go with guys that I have confidence in defensively. And sometimes, that works in our favor. Sometimes it doesn't. We foul 94 feet from the basket when you're up two. Those are the things that we need to work on. I've asked my team, let's play hard, let's play smart, and let's play together, okay? We play hard. Our guys compete. They give you everything they got. We don't always play smart. And when you have nine assists in a 40-minute game, you're not playing together offensively. You're trying to do stuff man-on-man and one on one. And what's crazy is that during the last two days in practice, we've played what we call the assist game, where your team doesn't get a point unless you get an assist. So, we've really been stressing it. Then we come out tonight and play like this. It's like this team offensively, what I see in practice every day relative to what I've seen in the first two games. It's not the same team. As a coach, that’s very, very frustrating because that means you got guys that aren't playing how they practice. The lights go on, and they think, okay, it's time for me to go do it by myself. And we're just not good enough to do that. We're just not. Now, we were good enough to beat northern Colorado, who's in the Big Sky, but if you get in the Big 12, we'll score 40 points doing that. Maybe. We better figure that out. We have to play how we practice and get that ball moved and take advantage of the skills that we have. We got some skilled guys. Elijah Malone drew seven fouls tonight. Trevor Baskin drew eight fouls. That's something Trevor does a really good job of. He just has to learn to pick and choose his spots and play team basketball. There's just so much to improve on. And look, Trevor's adjusting to a new level. Elijah is adjusting to a new level. So, I cut them a little bit of slack there, but we're also counting on them as grad transfers, with their experience to make plays and execute what we're trying to get done. And guys are trying. It's not because they're not trying. It's just playing hard and playing smart, which we're not doing, and playing together, which we're not doing. So, we got one out of three. We have to get three out of three. We'll be able to play with anybody in the country with all three. But without all three, this team is going to have a lot of games like we had tonight.”
On the possibility of fouling up three at the end of regulation
“Not my style. One of my assistants asked if we wanna foul up three, but that’s not what we do. I know I open myself up for criticism. I'm good with it. Our defensive numbers since we've been here and how our teams have guarded, I'll stand on that, because there's ways you can lose. We had a free throw box out almost cost us a game. We foul; they make one. We don't get a free throw box out; we look pretty stupid. People might think I'm stupid. Maybe I am. That’s just my philosophy, and it's just the way I've been. There might be some times where I do it, but if we can't get a stop against these guys, how are we gonna get a stop against a Big 12 team?”
On high press and high intensity defense in tonight’s game
“It came and it went. I thought by the end of the first half it was pretty good. I thought we really ramped up our intensity and really wanted to make it hard on them, understanding the scouting report. I thought our defensive intensity came and went. You give up 88 points, you can't feel real good about your defense. There are a lot of things to watch and learn from the film on that. I mentioned the plugging holes in the dike. The turnover issue is a major issue for this team that we have to continue to work on, and we're going to do that. I got to show patience with this team, because this team is trying, but we're just not where we need to be on November 8, or where I'd like to be. We don't have a lot of experience returning. We’ve got a bunch of new guys. I guess you could say it's to be expected, but I don't want to compromise the standards of this program. I gotta find that balance of being patient and not compromising our standards.”
On concerns surrounding the late game mistakes by veterans
“It is concerning, because I would think they know better. Andrej’s [Jakimovski] played a lot of college basketball at a high level. Trevor's [Baskin] played a lot of college basketball. Elijah's [Malone] played a lot of college basketball. The end of the first overtime, we got a great look. I’ll take that look from Andrej [Jakimovski] all day long, it just didn't go in. So guess what? You gotta go to the second overtime and try to figure out how to win. The other part of close games is, players make plays. I’ve said, I don't know how many times, in this room after a win, the difference in the game was we had McKinley Wright IV, and they didn't. Players make plays at the end of the games, and we made enough plays tonight to win, but we could have made more plays. At some point you're gonna have to do that. Our players are gonna have to do that.”
Coach Boyle on Elijah Malone’s stamina in double overtime
“We were going offense/defense with him at the end. We had him in on offense because he is a presence down low, he's a good free throw shooter and he could score the ball. Part of the game plan from the get go was getting the ball inside. We ran a play to start the game, to get the ball inside. We couldn't get the ball inside, but as the game went on, we did a better job of that. Elijah [Malong] was a big part of the game tonight, unlike against Eastern Washington, so I thought he took a step forward in many respects. We did some good things. I thought Andrej’s [Jakimovski] defensive performance on [Jaron] Rillie was terrific. We made some good things; did some good things. Julian [Hammond III] made some plays down the stretch. [Javon] Ruffin made some plays down the stretch. We got to do it more collectively, and we got to do it together, not relying on our individual talents.”
Coach Boyle on tonight marking his 300th win
“I don't get caught up in that stuff. This is not about me. This is about our players, it's about our programs, and it’s about us trying to get our team better every single day. It just means I've been around a long time, and it means we've had some really good players here. That's what 300 wins means. Those are things that are hard for me to really think about in the moment. Certainly, when I wake up tomorrow, I'm not going to be thinking about my 300th win, I’m going to figure out how we get to 301, and that's going to be Wednesday night against Fullerton. How we're going to get our team better, over the next three or four days, that's what I'm thinking about. It is a milestone win. It's nice. It just means I've had really good assistant coaches, had really good players, and I've been here a long time. I said that this was my dream job when I got it in April of 2010, and I've stayed true to that. I meant it, and I still mean it. I'm lucky to be the head coach here, and I'm honored. I just got to do a better job with this team, and it's going to be a challenge this year, but that's why you coach. That's why our guys play. I like this team. I told them after the game, I like this team. I think by the end of the year I can love this team, but we have to get better.”
Colorado Players
Elijah Malone, Gr., C
On making some big free throws tonight.
“I mean, it's just another free throw. That's what I think when I'm at the line.”
On keeping composure after two overtimes.
“When you're in a situation like that and it's a close game, it's hard not to be excited and really going.”
On transitioning to D1 basketball.
“I don't want to say the transition has been easy. But the guys on my team have kind of made it that way. I go to practice every day, and I'm working out with some of the best players in the country, right? I'm gonna get better every day just by being around those guys.”
On high fiving a fan after scoring.
“Nah I haven't done that before, just kind of got caught up in the moment.”
On playing in at the CU Events Center
“It's been great. It's a lot bigger than the school I came from. The energy is awesome. It's a great atmosphere.”
Elijah on his mid court steal.
“You feel out the game a little bit on defense. Knowing the scout and knowing what they were about to get into and reading that play. I was in the right position at the right time to be able to get a hand on it.”
RJ Smith, So., G
On staying focused after UNC’s huge three to tie the game.
“I feel like whatever happens happens. It's the way we respond. We practice situations like this in practice all the time. Won it in double over time, but I think we executed well.”
On the shot that brought them to overtime.
“At first I was like, dang. He really hit that. But coach Manning always says, ‘next play’. That's what our group told each other the next play when we huddled up. It led us to the dub. So I like the way we responded. A lot of good leadership in the game.”
On feelings about being back on the court again.
“It feels good, it feels like I haven't played in so long. I'm just grateful for the opportunity I have now and just taking advantage of it.”
On the team looking to clean up their mistakes.
“Really, just slow down. Sometimes we'll be playing too fast. You play too excited sometimes. But we're trying to make the right plays at the end of the day. Just playing together, making the one more pass, being strong with the ball. All the things that prepare us for the big 12 we need to get better at right now. Just have physical practices, keep learning, and watch the film.”