Video: Ernie Kent after Stanford
ERNIE KENT
Opening statement
Building programs, you go through a lot of times like this. And to me, I really get the sense that the Pac-12 stepped up. Just like this game, when Stanford steps up in this game, there were a lot of times we didn't step up with them, just like there's a lot of times we didn’t step up this year, and it cost us.
Sometimes it's frustrating when you have guys on their game and other guys are not there, or that guy's on, that guy's off, that's all part of the process that you have to go through. So we're going to take tomorrow off, regroup them again. Our rallying cry this week obviously is try to get a win for these seniors before we get out of here in this last home game on Sunday. I thought we did not play particularly well offensively in the first half of this ballgame. We just 61 percent from the field in the second half, but got in too much of a hole. We let Stanford get away from us, I thought, by giving them way too many good looks from 3 and it cost us the game.
(I'm sure this has been a difficult week for you. Does that put things in perspective?)
Well, a couple things with that. I've gone through this before with my dad. Where I had to literally bury my dad and send one of my Oregon teams to Buffalo, and met them there in the NCAA tournament. I think again, as our parents age and those decision have to be made in terms of parents giving up their independence and those things, you have to go through it. Unfortunately, we have a profession where if it hits during the season, you have all those things you have to be responsible for. There's nothing you can do but handle it to the best of your ability.
Whether or not it puts the losing streak in perspective, I really don't look at it as a losing streak. Where this is going this year with this group, this is telling me what we need to do, what I need to do as a coach, the type of personnel I need to bring in the door to stay connected to the conference, the toughness of it and the intelligence of it. And it also tells me about the quality of the community. I think it's fantastic that people continue to come out and support this team. So, for us in terms of looking at the program as a whole, you are constantly tweaking ,evaluating, building until we get to the point where we can all reap the rewards of having the Ws and some success. So, really, and I really can't let myself – as hard as it is on these young people, we continue to bring them back. Because you've got to keep grinding, you have to keep growing, even if it's individual growth by certain players, that's enough right now until we get the personnel, system in place that can stay connected to the conference and this conference has stepped up big time over these past couple years.
(Why hasn't the team been able to sustain its early leads?)
Well, as I continue to look at the same tape again, and again, and again. Some skill things get away from us where we make some mistakes. Some experience things get away from us where we don't sustain our mental toughness, and some things break down. And the last piece of any program that you're rebuilding, that has been mirrored in some losing seasons, is to change that mentality. Because it can sit on you so much. And that's the thing we're fighting through right now. With seniors that are leaving the program who have really not had an opportunity to have some success. They're your leaders. What is the blue print? What does it look like, what does it feel like, what does it act like? That's the piece that we're trying to put into place as we grind through this and fight through this. When we do get it there, those that will have survived all of this, boy you're talking about being better off and being nails tough when they understand what it took to get there. Because it's hard, it's hard to get there, and we're pushing these young people as much as we can push them and yet putting our arms around them and supporting them too. Because I know where we're going even if sometimes they don't see the vision. But my job as a leader is to keep that vision in front of me and I have it well in front of me.
(How important are these finals games as a spring board into the offseason?)
It's extremely important to again, continue to have the individual growth. Because the individual growth will help you with our team growth. For instance, last week when Que played his best basketball since I've been here. Ny Redding played his best game since I've been here. Brett Boese played his best game since I've been here. Those are miniature victories, even though we didn't get a team victory and let Colorado get away.
I thought we could have won this ball game. I wish we would have shot it better. I wish we would have been a little more locked in and not let the 3-pointers get away from us. It's important that you grow individually but it's important that you feel some team things happen as you head into the spring. The spring takes you into the summer, the summer tour then takes you into next year.
(Is it obvious what kind of personnel you need to compete?)
I think the biggest thing is not only looking at the Pac-12, because it is, if not the toughest, certainly the second-toughest conference out there. When you talk about looking the part of a team that's in the hunt for a championship, we know there's still some pieces that we have to add to that. Some of it has to do – a lot of it has to do with just getting the ability, getting pieces that will let everybody else better around them. More than the guy coming in by himself, what piece is that that makes everyone better. With Milan coming in next year, that's a good start. As well as Pollard. Those are two really skilled basketball players, so we've just got to stay the course and keep grinding.
