Coach Postgame Q&A: Indiana basketball head coach Mike Woodson reacts to performance against Ohio State

Indiana basketball head coach Mike Woodson spoke with the media to discuss the team’s performance against Ohio State.

Woodson touched base on his senior players’ legacy within the program, Trey Galloway’s big late game three, the importance of his coaching staff and more.

Watch the full postgame Q&A below.

Q. Your last home game this season, a loaded question, forgive me. The way people remember you as a player, certainly is pretty much set in stone. How do you want them to remember what you’ve done for this program over the last four years?

MIKE WOODSON: Well, you know, the one thing I look at it is, you know, we’ve been in the tournament a few years. We’ve been able to recruit players. Been able to graduate players.

You know, I just want the program to be successful. That’s all. That’s all I ever thought about when I took the job, and that’s how I feel now, you know.

Q. Knowing the last game at assembly Hall, what were your emotions like today? Did you try to put that out of your head? If you would be willing, you haven’t talked about it a ton, but what went into your decision to step down in the first place?

MIKE WOODSON: Say that again?

Q. What emotions today, did you try to put it out of your mind throughout the day or what were they like? And if you would be willing, you haven’t talked about it much, what went into your decision to step down.

MIKE WOODSON: Just focused on the game. It’s a very emotional game. You know, I think back to 1980 playing this same team for the Big Ten title. That’s the only thing that was going through my head throughout the day, and wanted it so much for these seniors to win because I knew how special that night was for me my senior year, and walking off that floor as a Big Ten Champion.

You know, we still have an opportunity to win the Big Ten Tournament. Just like the other 14 teams that will be in it.

Is that’s all I’m thinking about at this point. You know, nothing else.

Q. You mentioned what an emotional victory this was. Two-part question. First, what do you think about the offense going in in the last five minutes, and secondly, how does it feel to you that Trey Galloway, who has been here with you for the whole ride, was such a large part of it?

MIKE WOODSON: I couldn’t be more proud because he’s caught so much hell, and it was only fitting that he hit the biggest shot of the game tonight, you know, to really seal it and give us the cushion that we needed to win.

So I couldn’t be more proud of Trey Galloway and his career he’s had here on this basketball floor. You know, I mean, as a group, we haven’t experienced very many losses in this building.

I mean, we’ve won a lot of games in this building, and Trey has been a big part of that because he’s been with me from day one. Anthony has been a part of it from day one.

So I’m proud of all of our players, but I’m proud of those two guys, especially, because they have been with me the longest.

Q. I was actually going to ask you about that Galloway three at the end. First, it seemed like there was some confusion with the shot clock. What was going on there? What’s it like to see Trey have a moment like that on senior day?

MIKE WOODSON: I think we got caught, you know, not really knowing the rule, you know what I mean. It was a loose ball. They came out — went out on our end. All you get is 20 seconds on the clock. We were screaming that the clock was wrong, but Trey kept focused and once the pick-and-roll broke down and the guy kind of went up under the screen, he stepped up and made a big shot, which is kind of nice.

Q. How do you want Trey to be remembered here?

MIKE WOODSON: I mean, the only way — thing you can remember Trey is that he plays hard. He competes. And you would be fooling yourself if you think anything else. That’s all I’ve never known him as. I nicknamed him “Crazy Man” when I first started coaching him because he was all over the place. Didn’t know what you were going to get from him but he competed. That’s all he’s ever done.

For the fans to sit in here and boo him during the time that they booed him, it just wasn’t right. It just wasn’t. Because that kid competes. He gives his heart. Have nothing but respect and love for Galloway.

Q. Speaking of competing on a day when shots were not falling for most of the day, you had Goode and Leal both had career-highs and rebounds with eight apiece. What does that speak to in terms of effort?

MIKE WOODSON: Seniors that didn’t want to lose. You know, and I rode them. I’ve been riding them.

I wasn’t going to take them out at the end. I mean, if you lose, you want to lose with your seniors on the floor. I wasn’t thinking that way. I mean, I think once we — Malik hit the two free throws to give us the two-point lead, we never looked back from that point on. Our defense really got stiff. We made play after play and made some good offensive plays. Made our free throws, a few of them, and enough to give us the cushion to win the game.

Q. Is your staff has been with you all four years, but specifically today, Rosemond on the score screaming and calling out plays. What has he meant to you this season and all four years?

MIKE WOODSON: All my coaches have been special. I took this job after spending 34 years of my life in the NBA, it was a different move for me. The fact that I had some college guys that had done it awhile, and they always reminded me of that, called me a rookie coach when I first started, and which I was like, hell, I coached a lot longer than a lot of you guys.

But at the end of the day, they have helped me recruit. They have helped me coach on the floor. They have helped me put film sessions together, practice sessions together.

I mean, there’s a lot that goes into coaching, a lot that you guys will never, ever know because you don’t sit in the day-to-day grind that we sit in. But it’s a part of what we do.

But they have been very special to me, a big part of what we’ve done over the last four years.

Q. On the CBS broadcast, you said your first thoughts were, maybe I’m leaving too soon.

MIKE WOODSON: I mean, there’s always going to be that thought. But you know at the end of the day, it’s not — it’s not about me right now. It’s still about this team, and us going up to Indianapolis and trying to win the Big Ten Tournament.

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