Talkin' to Takayo: a turning point, Samb, Sims and starting the CAA schedule
Here’s what the UNCW coach had to say during his radio show on Dec. 27
Somehow, both nonconference play and the Christmas break are already in the books as UNCW prepares to begin conference play on Wednesday night.
Coach Takayo Siddle was back with play-by-play voice Mike Vaccaro for another episode of his radio show on Monday afternoon, where he reflected on some key moments from the first 11 games and looked ahead to a big matchup with Delaware to tip off the CAA schedule.
A few important pieces of news up front:
Siddle said that the Seahawks were all healthy and tested negative for COVID-19 upon their return on Sunday.
Friday’s game vs. Drexel is postponed due to COVID issues within the Dragons’ program.
The CAA is considering changes to its COVID policies. No word on exactly what that could mean or when those could be announced, but the ACC announced on Monday that it will be shortening isolation periods for those who are vaccinated.
Coming up later in the week, we’ll publish a Q&A-style interview with Athletics Director Jimmy Bass, so be on the lookout for that Friday morning.
Without further ado, the highlights from Siddle’s conversation with Vaccaro on Monday afternoon:
His assessment of the nonconference schedule
It was tough for a lot of reasons. We were on the road a lot, we experienced a lot of adversity – a lot of highs and lows – and it was a character test for us. We were able to build character, we were able to get more connected as a group, we were able to learn a lot about ourselves. Winning on the road is tough; we were able to get a couple of road wins, a couple of big road wins.
It was one of those things where I knew challenges were ahead of us in the nonconference, and I thought for the most part, we handled them all the right way.
On Mike Okauru’s play
Mike is doing a really good job. I don’t have to run plays for him – I don’t think he does as well when I run plays for him – He kind of gets it within the flow of our offense, whether it’s catching it and rip driving it or catching it and having a room-and-rhythm three, getting on the backboard and getting an offensive rebound. I don’t have to call plays for Mike and he just, somehow, finds a way to step up and make big plays for us down the stretch.
On whether the loss at Jacksonville was a turning point
I think it was, Mike – I think it was. It was one of those things in the nonconference where some more adversity was in front of us and it was one of those times during that part of the season where you could fold or you could become connected and get through your adversity the right way.
I used that time when we got back – it was tough on me too, it was tough on me and my coaches because we haven’t experienced anything like that with this group – it was one of those things where I knew I had to step up and be a big-time leader and mentor for our guys. Me and my coaching staff, we met, we talked and I had a ton of meetings, whether it was one-on-one, group meetings or team meetings with our guys. Just tried to explain to them that this is going to be good for them later on in life too, when adversity is slapping you right in the face, you have to learn how to handle it. You have to learn how to handle the good times as well. We talked about that a lot, we talked about this being the season and adversity coming to us and it’s going to keep coming and how we deal with it is going to determine our success.
I thought our guys responded like men — they responded like mature men — and we came out and responded and did what we needed to do in the next game after Jacksonville, and now, we’re on a three-game winning streak.
On improved shooting recently
We’re a really good shooting team and I’ll take the responsibility that we haven’t shot the ball well. I started to, if were going an hour-and-45 or two hours in practice, I slimmed it down to about an hour-and-15, an hour-20. Just taking some more off their plate so they’ll be more fresh for the games.
We tweaked what we’re doing just a little bit, because I think we’re better playing inside-out. We’re trying to be imposing driving the basketball, trying to be imposing posting it and then making the right, simple play when we get to that point. Our guys have done a really good job of making their adjustments as well, and it’s helped our shooting percentage tremendously.
On the High Point win
They showed us a high level of mental toughness. I think the adversities that we had experienced leading up to that game, helped us handle the adversity that we faced in that game to come out with a great road win. I thought we played really, really hard, which is a standard here for us. We dominated all the effort plays – that’s one of our program values that we talk about … I thought we imposed our will and disrupted them on the defensive end and turned it into offense.
Offensively, I thought we got into the paint and made plays and we made it tough on them. I could feel it; I could feel it. We responded to adversity in the game and we made the plays that were presented to us at the end and very proud of our guys for getting a tough road win against High Point.
On Shykeim Phillips and his late heroics at HPU
When I changed his position and tried to flip his mindset a little bit, that’s what I had envisioned. I had him being who he is and that’s being a scoring guard. Obviously, making the play that’s presented to him, but having that scorer’s mentality, being super-aggressive and he took us home down the stretch. Made some really big plays down the stretch to get us over the hump in the High Point game.
His biggest concerns vs. Campbell
Guarding the Princeton Offense. You have to have great discipline and communication when you play against the Princeton Offense with their passing and cutting with exceptional speed, a lot of back cuts trying to get you off-balance to get layups and the ability to shoot the basketball. Those were some of the things I was thinking about on that end of the floor.
For us offensively, being able to score against them going under our pick-and-rolls and packing the driving lanes down. I thought we did a really good job spacing them and getting to our spots, and we made plays when they were presented to us.
Why they were successful vs. Campbell’s backdoor cuts
We were switching one through five and we’d get out in passing lanes and deny, but we dialed our guys back a little bit. When we did get beat on backdoors, our ball–pressure was so good and our weak-side load up defense was so good, it covered those backdoors up. I thought we did a really good job imposing our will on that end.
I guess they saw something they wanted to get more flow and we were spaced out a little bit, and they started driving us and we had to pick our one-on-one defense up. I thought after a while, we made our adjustment and made them start taking tough shots.
On big plays late vs. Campbell
That was huge. It reminded me of conference games where they’re possession games and you have to limit your mistakes, you have to be efficient at the offensive end and when you get free points at the free throw line, you’ve got to step up and make them. I talked to our guys about that after the game, I thought we did a great job of stepping up and answering the bell.
On the play of Okauru and Sims vs. CU
Sims, he saw one go in early, he didn’t’ fall in love with the 3-pointer — he took them when they were presented to him — but he stayed aggressive, trying to get to the rim, trying to get to the free throw line. He took us through the first half with his offense. I thought he did a really good job overall in the game on both ends of the floor; I thought it was probably one of his better defensive outputs.
Then in the second half, I was trying to get a feel for Mike. He didn’t have the energy that I’m used to him having, so we were on him about that. He was on his way to having one of those games where he kind of disappeared, but he found another gear and he picked us up in the second half. He made some really big plays against their zone; he had a couple of big drives against their man-to-man defense. I thought he was tremendous taking us home against Campbell.
On the need for guards to rebound
We won’t ever be a physical rebounding team. It’s always going to be a scrappy effort on the rebounding end. Our guards are going to have to come back and get rebounds … they’re going to have to come back and get rebounds because our big guys are going to be down there boxing out, because they’re going to be going against physical guys. Most of the time, it’s hard for them to get the rebounds because they’re boxing out so hard, and that gives the guards an opportunity to come in and gang rebound, which we’re going to need them to do at a high level for the next 18 games.
Player of the Week – Jaylen Sims
I definitely think it helped his confidence, coming from the High Point game-winner. He had some really good practices leading up to that game and leading up to the Campbell game, I thought he had some really good practices. He’s made a few adjustments: he’s driving the ball more versus settling for tough twos. He’s getting closer to the rim before he takes off, which is allowing him to finish better. He’s getting to the free throw line, hitting some threes, running in transition, so, he’s getting it in a lot of different ways.
I talk about it with you and with our guys, if you’re a scorer, you can’t just do it in one way; you have to be able to do it in a bunch of different ways, and he’s starting to come into his own a little bit.
The three that he hit early to start the game, it was a room-and-rhythm three – it was wide open. Then, I thought every shot after that he took was a really good shot for him. He just carried it on throughout the game, and in the second half, he didn’t force it. He competed on the defensive end, competed on the backboard; he didn’t force anything. He was just a really good basketball player in that game and I was really proud of his development throughout that game.
On Sims’ growth as a distributor
That’s one of the things that we talked to him about in the (spring) and we worked on it when he got back. We wanted to make him a better basketball player, and what I mean by that is just making the play that’s presented to you while being aggressive, and not taking a bunch of challenged shots, end-of-shot clock shots. … He’s developing, he’s buying in to coaching and he’s obviously a hard worker – probably our hardest worker. He watches a lot of film on himself and he’s embracing us and what we’re trying to give him, and I think it’s really helping him out.
On staying safe and healthy over the break
You can tell them whatever you want to tell them. I told them to do their part, we all have to do our part, but they’re young men and it’s tough for them to be cooped up in the house, so they’re going to get out and be around people. We just told them to do their part and try to limit that as much as possible. Luckily right now, knock on wood, everybody’s healthy and tested negative.
On Sunday’s practice
It was actually better than what I expected it to be. We had great energy; it wasn’t pretty a lot, but I thought we had great energy. When we left after the Campbell game, I challenged them to at least get in the gym once – take a little time off – but get in the gym once so we wouldn’t lose the momentum and how well we were playing. I thought yesterday, we took a step forward. I thought we had a really good day. They started to die down at the end of practice, which was expected, trying to get their wind back, but I was pleased with yesterday’s practice.
On whether he’s figured out his rotations
I am, I am. I know what I want my rotations to be now and I know what guys work together well. Minutes-wise, I kind of know where I want to be. We have some versatility on this roster; on any given night, anybody can have a big night and I understand that, but I know who’s going to play winning basketball consistently now. I feel good about that.
On Khadim Samb playing regular minutes
His practice habits have improved, and they know if they want to play, they have to earn my trust in practice. He’s getting better in practice; he’s limiting his mistakes and he’s playing with a good level of toughness that I like. We’re going to need all of those guys down there at that position to help us out, so I wanted to make sure I rewarded him for practicing better. He’s taking advantage of his opportunities in the games.
On facing quality big men in the CAA
They don’t have a night off this week and we’re hitting on it in practice yesterday, just trying to get them to understand the sense of urgency and the level of physicality they’re going to need to play with against (Delaware’s) Dylan Painter – he’s a handful. We’re trying to get them ready for it; I don’t think we can quite get them ready for it the way that it’s going to happen in the game, but at least from a mentality standpoint, getting them to understand that they’ve got their work cut out for them. I thought they took a step forward yesterday in practice with that.
On the start of CAA play
My main message with my team yesterday was, ‘Raise your level. Raise your level with everything that you’re doing – your attention to detail, your focus, your physicality, your effort – everything,’ because we know it’s going to be ratcheted up now in conference play.
On splitting with Delaware last season
I look back at those last two games we played last year, and we obviously won the first one and I thought we should have won the second one, we just ran out of gas and made too many mistakes. That gave us confidence to know they are a good basketball team, but if we play the way we’re capable of playing, we can put ourselves in a position to win.
His impressions of Delaware
They’re the most talented team that I’ve watched on tape on our whole schedule. They’re deep, they’re experienced, they’re a really, really, really good offensive team. I was watching their games – they’re 9-4 right now – they’re still trying to get used to each other, but they’re so talented, they’re just out-talenting people and figuring out a way to win. Really good basketball team, and we’re going to have to play a really good game to give ourselves a chance to win.
They’re so tough to guard because everybody on the court for them can score the basketball and can have a big night. Guarding one-on-one is something we’ve been emphasizing; making sure that we don’t give Dylan Painter deep paint touches. Having pride in your defense and gang rebounding, that’s something we talked to our guys about yesterday, but it’s going to have to be one of those games where we’re going to have to make them guard us as well.