Up next in 10
Cal coach Mark Madsen & Stanford coach Kyle Smith ahead of those teams' visits to #UNC this week.
Jan 13, 2025
Both coaches talk about and talk about travel challenges of ACC play.
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
deficit against Virginia Tech on
0:03
Saturday but then it kind of got away a
0:05
little bit late what were you able to do
0:07
so well but not
0:09
[Music]
0:11
sustained well it's we had a poor start
0:14
to the game Dave we were I think 0 for
0:17
10 from the field to start and then
0:19
maybe I think we finished uh the first
0:22
half
0:23
either somewhere around three for 21 or
0:25
five for 21 from the field it may have
0:27
been our worst offensive half of the
0:29
year um give Virginia Tech a lot of the
0:31
credit they were way more physical than
0:33
we were um they were extremely tough
0:37
defensively and then we also missed some
0:39
open shots um so it was a combination of
0:41
Virginia Tech really great defense in
0:44
that first half and it was it was also
0:46
we miss some that we normally make we
0:48
cannot allow our offense to affect our
0:51
defense um you know so that was the
0:54
issue in the first half the second half
0:55
was phenomenal our guys played with
0:57
energy you know we had a great half time
1:00
meeting where the players spoke I spoke
1:02
it was animated and and we really got
1:05
after it in that second half um again
1:07
the rally fell short but we gave our
1:09
ourselves a chance to uh to come back
1:11
and potentially win the
1:13
game the um when you got it there tied I
1:16
think it was lall who hit that three at
1:20
at the top of the circle he's a very
1:23
athletic kid from Virginia Tech what
1:26
kind of challenges does he present
1:30
well we spent a lot of time debating
1:31
which coverage is to be in with him
1:33
because he's so Dynamic around the rim
1:36
um you know he finishes
1:38
everything his his dunking stats are
1:41
incredible um the athleticism the
1:44
ability to finish you know a lot of
1:46
players are athletic but but they can't
1:48
dunk they can't get the ball in in that
1:50
way but he he puts the ball in around
1:52
the basket and then he's a very good
1:54
shooter from three on low volume and so
1:58
we debated a lot of different coverage
2:00
is and and he got he went out there and
2:01
knocked down that three we had a stunt
2:03
from the weak side and he knocked it
2:04
down he made a huge play and that that
2:07
three by him was one of several key
2:10
plays that that helped them help
2:12
Virginia Tech get the win against
2:17
us we'll go to Kip
2:21
Coons yeah morning Mark just wondering
2:25
now you you know you've made the a home
2:29
stand you know last week against two
2:31
East Coast teams now you're back on the
2:33
road what have you discovered now about
2:37
dealing with uh Coast to Coast Flight
2:41
and and managing your your team in you
2:44
know in those
2:46
situations y it's it's a great privilege
2:49
and opportunity to be part of the ACC
2:52
now now with that of course there are
2:54
challenges um returning home our flight
2:57
was delayed two or three hours we got
2:59
home about 6: am. last Sunday even today
3:02
um there was an issue with Staffing on
3:04
the flight and so we're delayed a couple
3:06
hours we we'll get into the hotel
3:08
probably when it's all said and done
3:09
around midnight somewhere between 10 and
3:11
12:00 p.m and so it feels a lot to me
3:15
like an NBA Style travel situation uh
3:19
the only difference is in the NBA when
3:22
you go east typically you have five or
3:24
six games on the east coast and so we're
3:27
going back and forth every week so in
3:28
some ways it's it's more
3:30
challenging um than an NBA schedule um
3:34
as far as my experience in the NBA and
3:36
so as a staff and as a coach as a head
3:39
coach um we're really trying to be
3:42
efficient with our guys um you know
3:45
we've been on winter break for a little
3:47
while so there's been no
3:48
academic pressures on the players but
3:51
that's going to come and so our
3:54
practices need to be very efficient uh
3:57
we need to give the players ample rest
4:00
and and we got a Custom Tailor to to
4:03
this reality and and and we're doing it
4:06
and we're doing it and you know we split
4:09
the homand um you know we wish we could
4:12
have gotten both Virginia Tech came in
4:14
here and and smacked Us and got us but
4:17
um we're going to continue to chip away
4:20
and improve and get better as a team and
4:22
and learn the travel more and
4:23
more will you have some suggestions for
4:27
the ACC schedule makers going forward
4:30
when this is done that
4:32
you've I see you do already you've kind
4:35
of gleaned already yeah okay my my
4:39
biggest suggestion but the other teams
4:41
there's no way they'll sign off on it
4:43
would yeah we'd love to go out there for
4:45
a four game stretch or a six-game
4:47
stretch um but why would North Carolina
4:51
or Duke or NC State or Syracuse agree to
4:54
that because then that gives us an
4:56
advantage being out there and getting
4:57
adjusted so they're not going to agree
4:59
to that but yeah that's that's
5:01
suggestion number one um suggestion
5:03
number two and this one should always be
5:06
able to be done Cal and Stanford we
5:09
should always be allowed to try to get
5:13
two trips in the first trip and the uh
5:16
sorry the first week and the third week
5:18
we should be on the East Coast because
5:20
at least now we're going east
5:22
when when we're either not in school or
5:26
you know maybe just you're missing a few
5:27
days of that um start of the January
5:31
semester so so that should absolutely be
5:33
in place every single year my first
5:36
suggestion I would love for it to be
5:38
considered just more like an NBA Road
5:40
swing four games at a time six games at
5:42
a time that'll be a non-starter with a
5:44
lot of the schools so I get it it is
5:46
what it is but the other one should be
5:51
implemented uh go back to David
5:53
teal Mark you mentioned having to be
5:57
more efficient with your practice time
6:00
given the the rigers how difficult is
6:03
that if at all for a coach to you know
6:06
kind of tap the breakes and and and back
6:08
off on your
6:10
players it's hard it's hard because we
6:13
have a lot of things we need to cover
6:14
you know we we've had we've had a lot of
6:17
guys out this year with injury and so
6:18
we've had younger guys stepping into
6:20
roles and and you need practice time but
6:23
there's a lot of ways around it Dave
6:25
we're moving more to an NBA type model
6:28
where we're going to work hard on the
6:30
court for the time we have the guys on
6:31
the court um but this travel can wear
6:34
players down okay it can wear players
6:37
down I know as a head coach if I'm
6:39
feeling tired and I don't have to play a
6:41
single minute I know the players are
6:43
feeling tired but there's a lot of ways
6:45
around it more individual film sessions
6:47
more individual technique work um again
6:51
more of what is done in the NBA I was
6:53
talking to someone from you know a top
6:55
organization two days ago and he just
6:57
said Hey in the NBA there's no practice
6:59
anymore it's all individual work and so
7:02
we'll mix in practice and we'll increase
7:04
the amount of individual film and work
7:06
that we do um to be able to counteract
7:09
maybe the the issues of the
7:13
travel mark That's all the questions I
7:15
have for you thank you appreciate it
7:17
safe travels thanks so much guys look
7:19
forward to seeing you guys in person
7:21
soon thank you thank you all right um
7:24
last up today uh we got Kyle Smith from
7:28
Stanford believe they're on
7:30
here and if not we'll just uh we'll hold
7:33
for them hey guys we're finishing up
7:36
practice right now we'll be a couple
7:37
more minutes perfect thank
7:58
you e
8:52
we've got
8:54
coach good morning morning good to see
8:57
you good to see you too uh if you uh if
9:01
you have a question uh for Kyle here uh
9:04
please just use the raised hand tool uh
9:06
which is the react button at the bottom
9:07
of the screen uh if you're just joining
9:09
us and you need access to record let me
9:12
know that as well uh Ben Parker you are
9:15
up first sir go ahead hey coach uh just
9:18
kind of want to get your thoughts on uh
9:20
the upcoming trip you got here with Wake
9:22
Forest and tar Hills just kind of
9:24
thoughts on those two programs so far
9:27
well obviously this is a hard of tobacco
9:29
Road a little bit so it's kind of
9:30
exciting to be you know we we want to be
9:33
a part of it and also prove that we
9:35
belong so pretty unique I've actually
9:37
coached at uh wake when I was assistant
9:39
at Air Force so it's been a while um but
9:42
never been to the to Carolina so I'm
9:44
excited about that I think our team's
9:46
excited about it obviously we played
9:48
pretty well this week so um hopefully we
9:50
can play better on the road this time
9:52
than we did last time and hopefully
9:53
growing in experience and uh comfort in
9:56
the league
9:59
uh David T you're up next Kyle you
10:02
mentioned that you didn't play
10:04
particularly well the last time on the
10:06
road you did that Clemson pit swing and
10:09
now you've got the the two game Carolina
10:12
swing is there anything you learned from
10:15
those travel rigors that you will apply
10:18
to this trip that might be different no
10:22
I think we're staying on the same
10:22
routine and I should correct myself a
10:24
little bit I actually I pulled a lot of
10:26
positives out there as far as like our
10:28
starting group getting off to a good
10:30
start of the roads really hard and then
10:32
Su we couldn't sustain it and Clemson
10:33
kind of punched Us in the mouth a little
10:35
bit and but you know bad road trip is
10:38
when you go there you're down 14 to2 and
10:40
you cut it to eight and you feel like oh
10:42
we play I mean whatever so um there were
10:45
some positives coming home and our bench
10:48
and guys are a little more comfortable
10:49
so hopefully we got to get to the second
10:51
level is be able get off to Good Start
10:53
hang in the game get down the last me
10:55
and have a chance to to win um but I
10:58
think we're going like I said we came
10:59
off the the flight last time had a one
11:02
of our best practices a little caught
11:03
off for surprise at Clemson and like I
11:05
said guys were maybe excited ACC we're
11:08
taking charges Etc so I'm hoping we have
11:11
some of the same same pop we'll see you
11:14
were able to sweep the the Virginia
11:16
teams at your place last week did you
11:20
notice anything from their teams from
11:24
travel fatigue or anything like that you
11:28
know just lack of familiarity I don't
11:30
know I thought Virginia Tech obviously
11:32
start off up 16 to4 on us and and I have
11:34
ton of respect for both coaches but
11:36
coach young going back to we played him
11:38
when I was at Columbia and is at wford
11:39
and and uh they just they came out with
11:43
a lot lot of zeal and then They Carried
11:44
and we were able to play our best second
11:47
half I thought of the year and then they
11:49
carried over and got a nice Road win at
11:51
at Cal and kind of you know they hung on
11:53
but they got off to a good start so they
11:54
got they seem well they played well and
11:56
then Virginia I just don't know enough
12:00
um but uh we played our best game of the
12:01
year um and at home and and hopefully
12:04
it's something to build on we'll see if
12:05
we can take that on the road but uh you
12:07
probably have to ask those coaches more
12:09
what made it your best game of the year
12:11
what did you guys find um I think uh
12:14
obviously you know Donovan Young's been
12:15
hurt for us uh most of the year we
12:17
finally get it just get another uh
12:20
rotational guy in the front Court there
12:21
with athleticism and just a little more
12:23
depth I think it they allowed him even
12:25
though he he's at a starting role he's
12:27
still a young guy um but it's added
12:29
another guy I think that helped us
12:31
defensively um he made a lot of good
12:33
plays and I think just we we need we
12:35
need a little depth and helped took a
12:37
little heat off some other guys too and
12:38
they played well Off the Bench our bench
12:40
played great was what probably the best
12:41
part of that
12:44
game go next to Kip Coons go ahead
12:50
Kip yeah Kyle I just asked Mark Matson
12:53
this question I want to give you your
12:55
shot at it when the season's over will
12:59
you have any uh observations that you'll
13:02
be able to share with the ACC schedule
13:05
makers that might make the East Coast
13:08
West Coast uh travel situation smoother
13:11
for you guys and the teams that are that
13:14
are flying out there you know I think
13:16
they already I don't know if it's a
13:18
written rule or spoken but uh I I looked
13:21
at all our Saturday games at home and I
13:23
don't think we play one later than four
13:25
so it looks like they accommodated them
13:27
to get their butts back home uh and I
13:29
would advocate for playing our games at
13:31
1:00 on the east coast and vice versa
13:34
you know really care about student
13:36
athletes that'd be something I'd share
13:38
like let's give us a chance to get home
13:40
Saturday night so they have a day of
13:41
rest and uh and also you know I know
13:44
that TV dictates a lot of it but
13:46
Thursday I don't know what I guess we
13:47
don't do Thursdays but obviously if they
13:49
could do some Thursday Saturday travel
13:51
would would help everything involved and
13:53
I I'll make that recommendation now I
13:55
don't need to go to the end of the
13:57
season to do that um and uh you know I
14:00
think the team's coming out making that
14:02
trip I think uh they they'd feel the
14:04
same thing like hey you know if we can
14:06
do that and and create a window of for
14:08
the TV games like hey it's a you know
14:10
East Coast ACC game or West Coast ACC
14:12
game is you know 3 o'clock Saturday
14:14
every you know or whatever two and four
14:17
with Ken Stanford I think that would be
14:19
helpful as long as they do it for us on
14:21
the other
14:22
end mark suggested that you you might
14:26
want to look into adopting kind of a
14:29
modified NBA schedule where you go on
14:31
the road from west to east for say four
14:35
games in a row before you go back home
14:37
would would that be something that might
14:38
work for you uh if the other everybody
14:42
else went along with it obviously um I I
14:45
would probably he'd probably be much
14:47
more comfortable in that with being his
14:49
NBA track record than that um I don't
14:53
know there's no easy way to cut it but
14:55
uh we'll see how we get through this I
14:57
mean thus far we're going we're looking
14:59
again we got four trips you know back
15:01
East one trip to SMU and that's just a
15:03
single game so that's not that so this
15:05
will be we'll be halfway through it
15:06
after this week and and take another
15:09
pause and come back home and hopefully
15:10
uh you know we we'll we'll have a we'll
15:12
halfway through
15:15
it anything
15:19
else seeing none Kyle thank you safe
15:22
travels today appreciate it thank you
15:24
byebye all right thanks everybody
15:27
appreciate the time we'll see youall
15:28
next week we
#Sports News
#College Sports
#Transportation