South Alabama game
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THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Richie Riley
Opening statement: "It's an embarrassing effort. We came out with zero urgency to start the game and we allowed them to become comfortable. That's something we've talked about since the guys have been back on the 26th, and we can't allow them to do. When they're comfortable, they're really hard to guard. When you don't disrupt, pressure, and bother them and you don't play with urgency, they become hard to guard. We turned guys into much better players than what they should have been. That was on us. We had zero urgency and zero focus. It started in warmups. My staff tells me every game how we warm up and we didn't warm up well. We saw that from a couple guys and those guys didn't play well. It's disappointing. We had a chance to win number eight today, which would have been the most non-conference wins since 2011-12. Then we came out with that type of energy and that type of focus. It's sad. I told our team, I've seen this movie before. A lot of people have. It's the same deal. We got a little bit excited about winning three in a row and then we come out and lay an egg. It's really frustrating. Another thing, and I'm not ashamed to say this, is there's a reason that all of Mobile chooses to watch Notre Dame and Clemson today in the bowl game instead of coming to watch us play. It's because we don't perform at the level that draws people here. That's on me as the head coach to change that, to have a program where people in our town want to take ownership over our city and come watch us play instead of watching Clemson and Notre Dame play a playoff game. I've got to change that. I've got to fix it and make this place a hard place to win. I've got to have a team that's hard to beat, that's focused, that plays the right way, and plays with a passion that I think this game deserves to be played with. I'm frustrated because this was a big, big game. We made a big deal out of it. We wanted this game really badly and we didn't play nearly well enough to have a chance to win it."
On teaching the team to focus game after game: "I think it's the same script. They're not young guys; they're old guys. These dudes have been here for a long time. It's hard for me to understand. I love this game. I love everything about basketball. I love the competitiveness of it. I've loved it since I was a child. I love to play it, watch it, and coach it. We have a team that does not. We don't love it. We don't cherish the moment of getting to play Richmond, an Atlantic-10 team coming in here, in a game that you should win on your home court. It was an unbelievable opportunity and we just didn't come in with the right mindset. It's frustrating. You can say that R.J. Kelly didn't play because he was suspended for violation of team rules, and we were a man down or a starter down. We had enough. We have to find a way to win. We knew he wasn't playing after the last game. We prepared for that. We just didn't have the urgency, focus, and want-to to win. It doesn't mean enough. It doesn't hurt us bad enough to lose."
On the offensive effort: "We really felt like we could score. Watching film, we felt like we could get opportunities. We did; we scored 82 points. We just didn't guard, not even a little bit. When you guard like we did today, you're not going to win. Josh Ajayi had 25 points. Most of them were point-blank looks where our guards did a good job finding him. I thought we had a decent plan as far as attacking their matchup. We wanted to get in the paint. I thought we did. We shot 33-for-60 from the field, which was pretty good. No issue with our offense. Fifty-five percent is a great number. We had 42.9 percent from '3' and made nine 3s, which is our average. Our free-throw percentage was terrible. That's all focus. We shoot more balls than anybody in the country; I would put it up against anybody. We shoot and shoot and shoot—free-throws, 3s, everything. We live in the gym. We shoot, we work, and we get in the game and our focus isn't good. It's just not. That's the most frustrating thing. I can handle losing if our whole hearts and minds are in it. If it means everything to us and we get beaten, then we just get beaten. You lose games; that's part of basketball. But when we don't have 100 percent lock-in and buy-in and fiercely competing for 40 minutes, I can't lose like that."
Head Coach Richie Riley
Opening statement: "It's an embarrassing effort. We came out with zero urgency to start the game and we allowed them to become comfortable. That's something we've talked about since the guys have been back on the 26th, and we can't allow them to do. When they're comfortable, they're really hard to guard. When you don't disrupt, pressure, and bother them and you don't play with urgency, they become hard to guard. We turned guys into much better players than what they should have been. That was on us. We had zero urgency and zero focus. It started in warmups. My staff tells me every game how we warm up and we didn't warm up well. We saw that from a couple guys and those guys didn't play well. It's disappointing. We had a chance to win number eight today, which would have been the most non-conference wins since 2011-12. Then we came out with that type of energy and that type of focus. It's sad. I told our team, I've seen this movie before. A lot of people have. It's the same deal. We got a little bit excited about winning three in a row and then we come out and lay an egg. It's really frustrating. Another thing, and I'm not ashamed to say this, is there's a reason that all of Mobile chooses to watch Notre Dame and Clemson today in the bowl game instead of coming to watch us play. It's because we don't perform at the level that draws people here. That's on me as the head coach to change that, to have a program where people in our town want to take ownership over our city and come watch us play instead of watching Clemson and Notre Dame play a playoff game. I've got to change that. I've got to fix it and make this place a hard place to win. I've got to have a team that's hard to beat, that's focused, that plays the right way, and plays with a passion that I think this game deserves to be played with. I'm frustrated because this was a big, big game. We made a big deal out of it. We wanted this game really badly and we didn't play nearly well enough to have a chance to win it."
On teaching the team to focus game after game: "I think it's the same script. They're not young guys; they're old guys. These dudes have been here for a long time. It's hard for me to understand. I love this game. I love everything about basketball. I love the competitiveness of it. I've loved it since I was a child. I love to play it, watch it, and coach it. We have a team that does not. We don't love it. We don't cherish the moment of getting to play Richmond, an Atlantic-10 team coming in here, in a game that you should win on your home court. It was an unbelievable opportunity and we just didn't come in with the right mindset. It's frustrating. You can say that R.J. Kelly didn't play because he was suspended for violation of team rules, and we were a man down or a starter down. We had enough. We have to find a way to win. We knew he wasn't playing after the last game. We prepared for that. We just didn't have the urgency, focus, and want-to to win. It doesn't mean enough. It doesn't hurt us bad enough to lose."
On the offensive effort: "We really felt like we could score. Watching film, we felt like we could get opportunities. We did; we scored 82 points. We just didn't guard, not even a little bit. When you guard like we did today, you're not going to win. Josh Ajayi had 25 points. Most of them were point-blank looks where our guards did a good job finding him. I thought we had a decent plan as far as attacking their matchup. We wanted to get in the paint. I thought we did. We shot 33-for-60 from the field, which was pretty good. No issue with our offense. Fifty-five percent is a great number. We had 42.9 percent from '3' and made nine 3s, which is our average. Our free-throw percentage was terrible. That's all focus. We shoot more balls than anybody in the country; I would put it up against anybody. We shoot and shoot and shoot—free-throws, 3s, everything. We live in the gym. We shoot, we work, and we get in the game and our focus isn't good. It's just not. That's the most frustrating thing. I can handle losing if our whole hearts and minds are in it. If it means everything to us and we get beaten, then we just get beaten. You lose games; that's part of basketball. But when we don't have 100 percent lock-in and buy-in and fiercely competing for 40 minutes, I can't lose like that."
USA coach not afraid to speak the truth. Refreshing...
Wood, the kids played well on offense and actually rebounded some. Not much defense by either team.
I said this earlier when we were discussing our embarrassing losses so far this season. Right now we are an embarrassing loss for teams like South Alabama. That is one of the lowest things that has happened in program history.
Nope.
I have shown nothing but support for what you say and have never singled you out or ever even mocked a *single* post you have made. Very saddened to see that once I have a different view than you your thoughts on me have turned negative. I'll continue to respect your posts and opinions because that is what both Mr. Ayers and Mr. Crutcher taught me during my 4 years at UR. Everyone is to be respected even if they don't treat you with respect.
I think that is what he meant as well. I just meant that earlier in the season I mentioned that we were playing so badly that it seems like we would be an embarrassing loss to a majority of programs right now instead of an expected loss. And it was the perfect chance to be a bad journalist and take his quotes out of context
HA, hate to be the one to break the news but his team could have been undefeated and all sports fans in alabama were going to be watching the cotton bowl not his team. now, if the tide was not in the playoffs, maybe a few more might show up but he lives in a football first state so not really a product of how good or bad his team is but a product of................ROLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL TIDE!! wake up buddy and smell the roses, the crimson roses.
If the quote is correct Riley said 'in a game we should win on your home court' It does somewhat imply he feels this is a bad loss for them. If you miss a chance at a big upset I don't know if coach goes on that kind of rant.
we'll find out pretty quickly how competitive we're going to be in the A10.
Excellent free throw shooting guys keep it up.
The old man with a good view is probably part of the Richmond alum fan base who lives in Richmond!False. The old man in the second row had a nice view.
First Alabama is a football state, no way around it. Riley did not adjust his
attacking of our defense till they were 22 down. They should have been the aggressor
coming out of half time. When they made run to cut to 14 I think, CM called time out
to make us start picking up guards full court.
Andre G has got to let game come to him and not try to force things. He tries to force things
and immediately commit a turnover, getting a quick seat on bench. He has a ton of
potential and we need another guard to give more breaks to the Jakes. We still missed some
easy shots close in, but hit open shots we were previously missing.
attacking of our defense till they were 22 down. They should have been the aggressor
coming out of half time. When they made run to cut to 14 I think, CM called time out
to make us start picking up guards full court.
Andre G has got to let game come to him and not try to force things. He tries to force things
and immediately commit a turnover, getting a quick seat on bench. He has a ton of
potential and we need another guard to give more breaks to the Jakes. We still missed some
easy shots close in, but hit open shots we were previously missing.
not an alabama fan, just stating facts which am sure riley already knows. if the orange bowl had been georgia vs oklahoma or ohio state vs oklahoma, he would have had some more fans but those fans were watching the team they feel they would be facing for the national championship next week.
Was thinking the same thing. This board continues to crack me up. The hypocrisy is off the charts.
He blamed himself for not producing a product yet that is worthy of fan involvement. That's some damn fine accountability. It's only his first year. We have a coach who had never once uttered anything like that in 14 years.
lol. he briefly said the words you love to hear. then over and over he talked about how he's doing everything right ... but the players aren't focused, how we get up a ton of shots more than anyone in the country, how he lives and breathes this game but his team doesn't, and how despite all his heroic efforts, his team wasn't ready.
the "I've got to do better" BS would wear thin. might have already worn thin with his team it seems.
Regardless of who took the blame, at least there was an admission that it wasn’t up to snuff. I’d take a little more of that and a little less of the “great practice” storyline.
They are a terrible team and so are we. We are comparing and contrasting their coach's willingness to speak candidly about his failures and those of his team, while meanwhile our coach refuses to answer a simple question about the state of our program after getting blasted by one of the worst Division 1 teams in the country at home.
I don’t think we need to single out people for having a different opinion. VT clearly has an affinity for CM, his reasons are his own.
I expect everyone has their own inflection point for when they’ve had enough. I held out until last year, VT has more patience than most on here.
I expect everyone has their own inflection point for when they’ve had enough. I held out until last year, VT has more patience than most on here.
Tbone, some peoples fandom appears more closely tied to employees status as opposed to actually wanting the team to do well.
Well said. I have said numerous times I was not at all happy with 12-20, but, I still think the good outweighs the bad and I am still supporting our team and coach. I get the frustration, but I still have hope we can have the year I think we can. But, you are correct, everyone usually reaches a point when enough is enough. I have never said that could never happen with me.
Maybe. I’m just saying that I don’t think we need to question people’s motivations. If someone wants to be a shill for the program because they have some reason beyond wins and losses, I guess that’s their prerogative.
Do you have a point where performance matters? Just curious. I feel we are not progressing but you see something I’m not seeing.
All about wins and losses, but I think this board has set a record for conspiracy theories. Laughable.
Performance definitely matters. I expected a few more wins OOC, but I am more concerned about IC this year. I think we have done a good job adjusting after the Nick injury, and I do feel like we are progressing and think this team will get better and better.
Many of us here were fans during the Tarrant and Beilein eras when we had a very successful program, NCAA and NIT bids more often than not. Neither coach made a million dollars a year, we didn't have chartered flights, no Robins Center reno, the general academic reputation of the school was not where it is today. As fans, many of us who remember those days are not satisfied with the current state of the program. Something needs to change, and the obvious, logical choice is the coach.
Whereas DT and JB set the bar high, we now have sandbagging, using words like "compete", "improving", and "inexperienced" to describe, excuse, and generally rationalize our current pathetic state. We even have people who go as far as to use how the team practices to justify the doldrums that our program finds itself in.
We deserve better than we have now.
#NoMoreMooneyTruthing
Whereas DT and JB set the bar high, we now have sandbagging, using words like "compete", "improving", and "inexperienced" to describe, excuse, and generally rationalize our current pathetic state. We even have people who go as far as to use how the team practices to justify the doldrums that our program finds itself in.
We deserve better than we have now.
#NoMoreMooneyTruthing
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