This exhibition did not feel like an exhibition, it felt like the real deal. Arizona was able to out “bully-ball” San Diego State in a 82-67 victory to take the second exhibition of the season.
Motiejus Krivas led the way for the Wildcats with a 17 point, 15 rebound double-double. Ivan Kharchekov, Derek Dixon, Caleb Holt, JJ Mandaquit, and Maksim Brnovic all contributed with double figure performances. Khrachenkov joined Krivas in double-doubles for the night.
Here is what head coach Tommy Lloyd, Kharchenkov, Brnovic and Mandaquit had to say following the win over San Diego State:
Lloyd on the win: “San Diego State is obviously a good team, and it was a great opportunity and a great experience for us. So, lots of good things to learn from, and a lot of positives, and some obviously some learning things, and that’s what these games are about. So, I’m excited that we’re getting to play teams of this caliber in our exhibition schedule. I think it’s gonna be really beneficial.”
On Maksim Brnovic’s performance: “Mak’s has got a world of potential, it’ll be interesting to see how long it takes him to kind of get closer to his ceiling. It could take him a while, but he’s showing that he’s not scared out there, and he was able to make some critical plays in the game when we needed him. I’m really excited about the progress he’s making, and just all the reps he’s getting, and I think we’re really going to be able to kind of hone in on some growth areas here in the coming weeks.”
On the overall shooting performance: “I think there’s some context to it I mean, they obviously came out of the game plan to pack the paint, be really tight in that first gap, and to kind of go under as many ball screens as they could, so they played a pretty compact defense, and it was great for us to go against. We had some really successful possessions, and we had some that probably weren’t so good. San Diego State, Coach B. had the scout, I think he said the last 10 years they’re a top 10 defensive team. If you look at the efficiency stuff for over a 10 year period, that’s pretty impressive. So, to go against a defense of that caliber and score 82 points, I feel okay about it. Yeah, of course I would like to make a few more shots. I don’t love shooting 34.7 percent, but we did. We took care of the ball. We offensive rebounded, and we got to the free throw line. That’s how you can still be efficient offensively. I think we were still well over one point per possession shooting 34%. That’s pretty impressive.”
On having players that play with a lot of energy: “Energy is part of stuff that we talk about a lot. You got to bring energy every day. You got to play with energy every day. Energy leads to well-being. Well-being leads to optimal performance. That’s kind of a formula we talk about a lot. We got a lot of guys with energy, and that can be that kind of thing when they get let out of the cage, they go. Now we got to help refine them a little bit, but that’s a good thing to have. If you’re begging guys to play with energy and spirit, that can be tough sledding. If you’re helping guys kind of have a lot of energy, kind of refine themselves and kind of channel it in more effective ways. That’s a great spot to be in.”
On Caleb Holt’s ability to jump passing lanes: “I think he just has to have an understanding that every decision is kind of an isolated scenario, and you just got to make good sound decisions over and over and over again, and he is somebody who is great if you’re trying to reverse the basketball, and he’s in that gap, he’s electric. He’s one of the best young off-ball defenders I’ve ever been around. You go into that game and you probably think, ah, he didn’t feel like he played great, but he ends up with 15 points, seven rebounds, three steals, and only has one turnover. So statistically, it’s a pretty good deal. He’s learning on some of these fouls. Part of those fouls are on me for maybe just getting these guys amped up a little bit defensively in certain scenarios that we could probably be a little more cautious.”
On the game flow when JJ Mandaquit and Derek Dixon are on the floor at the same time: “We’re just starting to grow that a little bit. I like it. I’ve always loved having two guards that can kind of do point guard types of things, playing next to each other. We got to continue to work on it. I felt like in in certain stretches of that game, I felt like Ivan and and Caleb were bringing the ball up, which was fine, but they were bringing the ball up and our two point guards were running, and I want Ivan and Caleb running because those guys are powerful finishers and aggressive guys getting to the paint transition. So good things you can clean up for sure.”
On mixing up the backcourt rotations: “We’re kind of subbing in a little bit based on foul trouble a little bit of some of the things, but we wanted to kind of see how our guys were conditioning-wise that were playing maybe closer to the minutes that we’re going to be playing in games, and just kind of get a feel for where we’re at. We’re still a couple weeks out from our first official game, and so the rotation today was kind of based a lot on kind of foul situations a little bit, and maybe just a few kinds of subbing things. We were just getting guys a rest a couple times, but again, we’re learning about what is going to be the best combinations for us.”
On Motiejus Krivas performance: “He obviously missed some shots around the basket that he’d love to have back because he’s been so proficient at finishing all summer and fall, but the guy gets 15 rebounds, six on the offensive end, blocks four shots, and his 11th from 14 from the free throw line. I think that was missing his first two, right? I think I think he did. I thought he was a dominant player in there, and the finishing thing is something you could never take for granted and we’ll have to kind of look at is it unlucky or are there some balance and technique things that he can do better?”
On if Krivas’ improved finishing at the rim comes with age and experience: “I think he’s just got more experience now. More success comes with more confidence, and this team needs that out of him. We’re going to need him to be a double double type guy on a nightly basis.”
On his overall sense of San Diego State as a team: “I told them I love the way they’re moving on offense. I mean, there’s a lot of movement. You have to guard, and I think they still have one key player that’s kind of out with an injury. I feel like their physicality was pretty good. The Simmons kid, he put his shoulder in our chest a bunch of times and delivered. I was impressed with Cherry, their big guy. I didn’t really sense a lack of physicality, especially how they load up that defense in the gaps, and they’re so good at that, and being physical when you’re trying to split them. They looked like they’re going to be a really good team, and I’ll just say, I was talking to coach kind of during the game there, and we had a moment, and towards the end, and we lost a game in Lithuania. I know that it’s a while ago, but we got so much better the next day without even practicing. I know it was two months ago or whatever. For them their first game to come play on the road at Arizona and battle the way they did. I think that that’s really promising, and I’m sure when they get back to practice for this week, they’re going to be able to make a big big jump.”
On Cameron Holmes after two exhibition games: “I love where Cam’s at and what he’s learning. I think he gets three offensive rebounds again. I think he’s kind of figuring out the movement of the game and the timing and the spacing and how he can be effective. As a high school kid, Cam probably had the ball in his hands a lot more, and honestly played inside a lot too. He’s kind of learning how to be a wing out on the perimeter, kind of for the first time full time. So I think he’s made good progress. He’s having some really good possessions in practice, where he’s probing and picking up the ball at the right times, and going through his progressions on his passing, or he’s getting to the rim and finishing. Making catch and shoot threes. He made a bunch of them in practice yesterday, I just think that he’s a guy that as he rises over the course of the season, he’ll help us kind of get to the next level.”
On what he envisions Mandaquit’s role being: “JJ’s a winner. I felt like he didn’t miss a shot. I didn’t realize he was 3-10. I thought he did a great job. I think we had that stretch where we got almost up 20, and we had a couple transition opportunities in a row. He’s kind of on a break, and he tries to cut the guy off and kind of get the shot blocked, and the next time, kind of throws an out of left field long pass that sails out of bounds. I just told him like other than that, I thought he played a great game and was in great control of the game. His three point shot was really good. He easily could have been four for seven tonight from three, and I have the good fortune of having been around JJ before, and I know the winning part of his DNA that he has and his willingness to kind of play any role is what helps make teams really good. If you have a player that’s that good that is okay coming off the bench and could get 15 minutes or could get 25, and he rolls with it, it is pretty impressive.”
On what went into choosing the teams for the exhibition games: “I would say it would probably have a lot more to do with relationships than playing styles. We wanted to play good teams and we wanted to play Division One teams. We have a good relationship with the San Francisco program. We have a good relationship with San Diego State, and obviously Coach Munson and I have a long history together up in Eastern Washington. So I think more relationship based. We don’t want to take credit for putting all these different styles of play together.”
On being picked to win the Big 12 in the preseason voting: “It’s simple. Preseason accolades don’t mean anything. We’re a program that’s way more based on the substance of what you do over the course of the season, and postseason awards. Those are the meaningful ones. So, we haven’t even talked about it as a team, and we’re on our own journey right now, and we’re not defending anything. No one can take away from us what we did last year, and the only way you can go do something this year is you got to go do it. So, we’re looking forward to that challenge of going out and competing for a Big 12 championship with a lot of really good teams. By no means do we think we’re a step ahead of anybody. Just like everybody else, we’re zero and zero.”
On his initial thoughts of other teams in the Big 12: “I’m going to wait to form my opinions on other teams because whatever I talk myself into now, I guarantee will change when I start watching film while I’m heading into the game. There’s no reason to speculate. We know the Big 12 is a great conference that speaks for itself and I have no reason to think that it won’t be this year as well.”
Kharchenkov on if there is any extra consideration for physical safety given it is an exhibition: “Not really. Obviously, if the ball goes out of bounds to jump into the crowd, I’d probably not do that. Besides that, I would do anything else because I feel like if I do not do it a couple times in practice, I don’t do it a couple times in the game. Even though it’s an exhibition game, I’ll probably lose the habit of it, and I just don’t want that. Obviously I don’t want that. I always want to fight till the last second until the ball is out of bounds, and it’s part of it, getting a bump in the head, getting a scratch in the arm, and I love it.”
On hitting his head: “At first I thought it was a chair, but then my own camera guy told me, ‘Yo, Ivan, I’m sorry.’ and I’m like, ‘It’s okay.’”
On filling in for RJ Godfrey at the four spot: “I feel pretty comfortable playing any position. I’ve told you guys many times already. Whatever coach needs me to play. If I need to play the point guard, we have two pretty good point guards, so probably not. Two, three, or four, and five would probably be a little problematic for me, but no, I can play two, three, four, pretty easy, and could switch up on all the plays. I know all the jobs that they have to do, and obviously we’re hoping that RJ is going to be eligible and can play, but you know obviously not yet.”
On going up against Godfrey in practice: “I’ve done pretty well. I love his physicality in practice. I love how positive he stays with this process taking even longer than we would love to. I love him. He’s a pretty good player, and that’s why we want him more.”
On how Brnovic plays: “I like how he plays, and I see a little bit of how I played at the beginning here. Coming here from overseas alone. People don’t understand it. It’s like a 12-hour flight. It’s not like a two-hour drive from Tucson to Phoenix. It’s a 12-hour flight, like in the air. So if you think about that. If you say, ‘Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow, before that they have to fly 12 hours.’ So I really appreciate his enthusiasm at practices, his physicality, he has ramped up enormous, and rocks has been on him, but he’s been doing a great job on the court and also in the locker room and off the court, eating good, eating a lot. If he slows down just a little bit more, I think he’s going to make the next step.”
On Krivas’ difference in play from last year to this year: “It’s his time. It’s his time, and he’s the best big man in the country. We are feeding him as we should because he’s the best big man in the country, and if you have a player that is the best at his position in the country, we should use that to our advantage in both ends of the floors, and Mo is doing a pretty good job, and he doesn’t he doesn’t take a play off. He always plays defense, and always ducks in or seals, and we’re not always throwing him the ball. We should probably just a little bit more, but he still does his job, and it’s really tough fighting against another big guy without getting the ball out of it, and then still having to rebound, and then still having to run back, and then the coaches still on your ass about it.”
On his chemistry with Krivas: “Just a little bit of our background. We’re both from Europe. We kind of know the European style of basketball, the high-low style of basketball. The other day. Coach asked me if I only threw the ball to Mo because the coach told me to, or because I’m just a good player and see it, and I’m like, ‘It’s tough to see a not to see a 7-foot-2 big guy being in front of a 6-foot-9 big guy, sealing him underneath him. So, I just read the game and he just seems to be open all the time.”
On Holt’s defense: “He’s super energetic, super aggressive, and if you assign him to someone, he will make this guy a really difficult job to get the ball. He’s really good at navigating screens if he has to go under or over, and it’s just really uncomfortable, especially over time when he does this not only for one possession but over and over and over again, and then the guys just checks out. He’s like ‘I don’t want this anymore.’ He’s just gonna be like sitting in the corner and that’s what Caleb does.”
Brnovic on how he felt from the first exhibition to the second: “Feeling really good. When I came in the first time, I just brought the energy on both ends of the floor. Just compete with the guys.”
On how his body has changed since arriving to Arizona: “It changed. I’m much faster, much stronger with more physicality, it’s helping a lot.”
On playing with a high level of energy: “Just to be locked in all the time, just be there, just trying to do the right thing all the time.”
On acknowledging the history of Arizona basketball: “I learned that Arizona basketball has a rich history, and we’ve got to respect it every day when we come to practice. We need to give ourselves 100% every day we step in the court just to respect the culture and history.”
Mandaquit on playing with Dixon at the same time:“It’s been great. He’s a really good player. Obviously, he can play both on the ball and off the ball, but just a smart player. Does the right things. Can shoot the ball really really well and can also create for others really well. So it’s been awesome.”
On Lloyd saying he is a born winner: “Just doing whatever it takes for the team to win, obviously like him saying that makes you feel good a little bit, but I haven’t won at this level yet. So, to me, that’s not a title that sticks to me yet. This year I’m looking forward to proving that and earning that.”
On acknowledging the history of Arizona basketball: “Obviously everybody knows the rich history, but also just how much this program means to the community. I think that’s huge, and that’s something I take a lot of pride in stepping into this place. I want to represent it the best that I can and put on a show for the community every night.”
On working his way back from injury: “I think this is my first two games since January, and I feel good enough to be out there and playing, competing with my guys, and I think that’s just the biggest thing. I’m just happy and grateful. I think being out for so long gives you a different perspective. It’s when you’re finally able to be out there. You play a little more loose and have a little more fun. I said, first two games. So slowly trying to adjust back, and hopefully I can get more comfortable with more practices and more games”