NC State head coach Wes Moore met with the media after the Wolfpack's home win over Maine. Check out what all he had to say!
NOTE: Click the video above to watch the interview.
Opening statement…
In the first half we had four assists and six turnovers, so I guess we're going to find the positive. We had ten assists and three turnovers in the second half, so that was much better. We've just got to share the ball more and continue to work on that instead of putting our head down going one-on-one. That's when we get in trouble and turn it over.
We also got to start knocking out some shots when the other team's playing zone and you're three for 20 from three, it's tough. And so we got to, I think we're capable of doing it, but we got to at some point step up and get it done. But, again, a quick turnaround from Sunday's disappointment, and we were able to survive it, and now we've got a little extra time to get ready for TCU on Sunday.
Coach, you all were in an offensive drought until the media timeout in the second quarter. Anything about your next six will change?
Well, I let the assistants coach for the first quarter and a half, and then I took over. No, I don't know. I think we got the ball inside a little bit more. We wanted to transition, so maybe we did a little bit better job of pushing the tempo. And, like I said, we got, we got some people inside that are capable of scoring. We got to make sure we get them touches, and, you know, until I see the film, that's probably the best I can do right there.
The layup numbers where they're missing a lot of, like a high percentage of them, and then the three-point, can this be a good shooting team, and is there a way you can help with that? Are they getting quality shots, or do you think they can get better shots?
Yeah, I think it's a combination. We're taking some tough shots, and that's part of the reason the percentage isn't good. But, yeah, we got to finish some of those. In the first half, I thought, even in the Southern Cal game, we missed a lot of, if you want to call them bunnies, whatever, we missed a lot of easy shots. And, we got a young team, no seniors, but that's no excuse. We got some kids that can play, and we just have to perform better. And, I've got to try to do a better job of putting them in the best position possible for them to be successful.
On facing a lot of zone defense…
Yeah, it probably was good for us, no doubt. And hopefully the second half gives us a little more confidence, because I think the first half, we were probably struggling mentally with it, you know. And like I said, it's tough when you're not hitting shots. You can talk all you want about attacking and all those things, but at some point, you have to hit some shots. And like I said, I think we're capable of doing that. Hopefully we step up in the future. But, yeah, definitely the second half hopefully gives a little more confidence.
There'll be a lot of focus on Maryland and Tennessee and SC, TCU coming up. What value does playing Maine, and you got to know I think Rhode Island coming up on Kansas, what value do they bring?
Yeah, TCU is, I think, ranked 17th in the country. We got lost down there a year ago. With all that talent we had, I think we lost by two or three points. So, going to be a great challenge. They reload every year. They do a good job, recruiting talent out of the portal. Obviously, Olivia Miles, somebody we're very familiar with and several others. And then he does a great job of coaching. And so combination makes it a big challenge. But, again, hopefully all this makes us better. I'm still a little bit hungover from Sunday's game.
Like I said, I've got a game like that. I got to help them get over the hump. So, but we went through a stretch in that game where we, I think we didn't maybe score a field goal in the last, I don't know, five, six minutes of that game Sunday. So we got to make sure we avoid droughts like that against these great teams.
Do you see value, like in Maine, for example? Is that Rhode Island, are they teams maybe you'll see in the first round?
Yeah, I mean, yeah, we try to schedule, obviously there's some mid-majors on the schedule or non-power fours, whatever you want to call them. But, yeah, we try to get the best of the best. And, that was a team that we played in the NCAA tournament. It's been several years ago. I know a year before last, I watched them play Ohio State in the NCAA tournament. I watched that. So they go out and play people.
And then Rhode Island gave us all we wanted here a couple of years ago. So, yeah, I mean, those type teams, I think Tennessee, Southern Cal, and TCU, they're preparing you for the gauntlet of the ACC, and they're also preparing you for a possible postseason. So I think all these games have value. But we also got to survive them. So we got to step up and play better.
What did you see from Lorena and Mallory?
Yeah, again, that's what's tough is you just got to look at the matchups. And, the Tennessee game, they were super athletic at the post, and they could step out and shoot the three. Well, that's hard for a true five-player to go out and guard.
It's hard for Tilda, who is kind of a forward, big forward. But that and then Southern Cal was just so athletic and long. And so it made it hard to have the true five-players out there. And even tonight, Smith, the undersized post player for them, tough matchup, but we did get them in there some. And then we also went zone a little bit because we felt like that lineup would have a hard time matching up with Smith and some of the undersized posts. So they're going to be, they're going to be relied on. They're going to help us. But we're trying to win one game at a time.
And, every day is a new day. Every matchup is different. And so hopefully, you know, we'll stick with it and we'll be able to, I think, everybody on our roster will contribute at some point.
Khamil got her third straight double-double, what has her impact been like on this team?
Yeah, I was real proud of the effort she gave in the second half in particular. Again, she's got a high ceiling, but I think there's times she needs to stay a little more engaged and a little more focused. And I thought the second half, she did an unbelievable job of that.
She was attacking the rim. She was crashing the boards. She's very capable of guarding on the ball. But I thought the second half was definitely the best she's played since she's been here. And hopefully that momentum will carry over.
What's the biggest level of concern and what's the thing you're hanging your hat on right now, the yin and the yang, I guess?
Yeah, I think it's a lot of things, my level of concern. I think we've got to be on both ends. We've got to play more as a team. We've got to quit. We have this Southern Cal game. We stood around and went one-on-one. And the other four players just stood and watched. We didn't get a post on the block a lot. We were five out, which we're not really running a lot of five out this year, supposedly.
And then defensively, team, you can't leave your teammate on an island. You've got to get in the gaps, help each other, build a wall, so to speak. You can't build a wall with one person. It takes multiple. And then we've got to shoot the ball. Like I said, three for 20 from three. I think we're better than that. But like I said, at some point, we've got to start hitting them. And, again, we've got some people that we're really counting on that haven't stepped up and hit those shots yet.
