See what Tre White, Kaleb Glenn, and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, the head coach of the Cardinals, had to say following their victory over the Yellow Jackets….
LOUISVILLE, KY: The men’s basketball team from Louisville, who was on the verge of a double-digit home loss against Georgia Tech, managed to rally and win 79-67 by finishing the game on a 28-7 run.
Following the victory, head coach Kenny Payne, guard Tre White, forward Kaleb Glenn, and forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield said the following:
(Statement of introduction):
“I have to admit that I was somewhat anxious about this game going in. I saw the Georgia Tech team play Wake Forest, and I knew we wouldn’t get that team. The club recently defeated Duke, Carolina, a formidable basketball team. They fight nonstop. My hat is off to our men, who deserve this victory for their perseverance and defense in the final eight minutes, which saw them complete the game with a 32-11 score.
It only serves to highlight their potential as a respectable defensive unit. Despite our errors, I am proud of the way they battled. That’s the reason you never give up when it comes to young athletes and teams. You keep pushing. To get better, you have to keep fighting them. With 15 points and 13 rebounds, Kaleb Glenn was outstanding.
He wanted us to prevail. Those were some massive rebounds. Tre White was having trouble shooting the ball, but he knew it would eventually find him. Mike James drove the ball really well, and his man sank a fantastic shot. Due to his poor shooting performance, Mike James has been really concerned about it. We executed a maneuver for him, and he successfully knocks down the trio. Giving them self-assurance and enabling them to believe in themselves to be the players they want to be is what this is all about.
(About maintaining confidence after a sluggish start in the latter part of the race)
“I’m not sure how simple the buckets were for GT, but I do know that we persisted. Initially, the team was sagging in, so they kept moving the ball in an attempt to loosen them up. They did relax as the game went on, allowing us to drive the ball down the lane, draw fouls, and set up opportunities for one another to score. Huntley-Hatfield’s Brandon put them in some foul trouble. KG, or Kaleb Glenn, performed an excellent job of posting frequently. To keep doing what you are doing until they yield to you is exactly what this is all about.
(About Kaleb Glenn: He personifies the values that the team culture aims to establish.)
“I adore that I have faith in him, and I want him to pursue his goals and keep improving as a basketball player. And for him to be aware of the three pillars of his game: toughness, rebounding, and defense. Sometimes, he made plays that Brandon Huntley-Hatfield was unable or unwilling to make. balling up when a driver jumps and makes sure they don’t miss. One thing you look for in athletes is their ability to grab rebounds with two hands above the rim.
He does it instinctively. All he needs to do is realize that he needs to do it more regularly. After the manner he performed, I am proud of him. I’m hoping he expands on it. In the locker room, I told him, “Kid, you are no longer a freshman; you have earned that right. Ty-Laur (Johnson) and Curtis Williams are also no longer freshmen.” Now that you’ve watched enough basketball, you can confidently declare yourself a sophomore.
(About closing out a game tonight and seeing that the hard effort is paying off after suffering an emotional setback against Syracuse.)
“I believe that being honest with you is important and that it is essential. We put up a lot of effort in our work. There are moments when they doubt everything we do. Every day, we undergo conditioning. I refuse to let it go. They find it objectionable. However, it is evident that the conditioning is effective whether they like it or not as I watch us play the game and I see the opposing team fatigue while we continue to cruise and fight.
We went on a run and got stops near the conclusion of the game, which is why I am proud of them. We forced them to miss, and we recovered, demonstrating our improvement. There are still many things we need to get flawless. Everyone who participated in the game made me happy and delighted.
(Approximately six players in double figures, demonstrating to the team that no one player needs to accomplish it alone.)
“Hopefully, people will grasp that. They have trouble with it occasionally. They fight to avoid being the guy who dribbles five times, looks about, and then shoots. They seem more at ease, in my opinion, knowing that we have a talented group of players. If we triumph, it will be because a number of our players will perform well on the same evening. It says something to have six men in the double digits. The direction we are going in is correct. Even though there is still much work to be done, this team has made progress.
(Regarding the boisterous gathering aiding the team in the run)
“I believe that the generation these children belong to loves affirmation. It gives them strength to lead and act decisively during a difficult moment, to see the crowd support them, and to hear the loud applause from the audience.
Kaleb GlennHow can I help my son cope with all of this criticism? There is so much hate for this program everywhere we look, both in the media and on social media. I tell them that in order to improve this team, they must come every day and concentrate on one thing, just like me. The negativity will vanish if we prevail. It will remain there if we don’t take action. It is what it is, really.
(Regarding GT’s Miles Kelly’s meager eight-minute scoring burst and the defensive adjustments made by the Cards) “I thought Skyy Clark was unbelievable coming down the stretch. I put Skyy on him and he denied him the ball and made it hard for him to catch it. That is what winning players do. It is not about scoring the basketball; it may be about denying the guy from getting the basketball that may change the course of the game. The kid was hot in the first half. We had issues with him, but we wore him down. We rotated players on him and he didn’t have as much success as he did in the first half.”
