‘Elite transition team’: What was it like to play against UK basketball in season opener?
The Jason Hooten era of New Mexico State men’s basketball is officially underway.
After an abrupt and tragic end to last season for the New Mexico State program, Hooten was hired away from Sam Houston State to essentially build the Aggies back up from scratch.
His first task at his new job with an entirely new roster? To face No. 16 Kentucky on opening night in Rupp Arena.
While the end result was largely predictable — an 86-46 victory for UK — Hooten had several insightful takeaways as the first head coach to face Kentucky in the 2023-24 season.
Here’s everything Hooten said after Monday night’s game between Kentucky and New Mexico State:
Opening statement:
I thought that we were pretty competitive the first 20 minutes, I didn’t think we played great. But I thought we played good enough to be kind of in the game and where we needed to be. I was happy with our effort. I thought defensively we flew around pretty good. Had a few too many turnovers and obviously just gave them way too much in transition, and they’re an elite transition offensive team.
I told our guys if we could just make them play in the halfcourt that we would have a chance to be right where we needed to be, and I still believe that. Out of 86 points, they scored 35 in transition… We were right there where we needed to be when we (got) what we wanted to give them in the halfcourt.
Offensively, we were inept… We’ve had eight people at practice. We suited up two managers… I’ve not had my starting five together. We just haven’t had a chance to practice together. We’re a long ways away offensively.
Q. On if he expected Kentucky to be as aggressive as the Wildcats were defensively
… It was just really hard to tell because Kentucky State, no disrespect, I mean I watched that game and Georgetown, no disrespect to those guys, (Kentucky) didn’t play overly hard defensively in those games. And I thought the games in Canada, it was very hard to tell defensively, I just didn’t see the intensity. And I thought tonight they really got after it and guarded, which I assumed that they would.
Again, and this is not anything against Kentucky, I mean we just lost by 40, but I really think that our turnovers were more of us, and just trying to get comfortable with who is going to be, I can’t sit here and tell you right now who our point guard is going to be. I think (New Mexico State players) right now are just trying to figure it out.
Q. On if New Mexico State would have been better if they had played exhibitions in the summer
When I took the job at the end of March we had zero players on our team. I signed about 13 guys in two months. So when we got to summer, we had five guys in practice all summer long. We got to the fall and we probably worked out with about six guys…
We’ve played two scrimmages and that’s all we’ve done. We’ve hardly even scrimmaged in practice because we have so much to teach and so much to learn. So we’re way behind. We’re way, way behind… Would I have liked to have played this summer? I would have liked to have practiced this summer.
Q. On if he shares the Rupp Arena history with his players
With social media and TV, everybody knows what this place is all about. The only thing I shared with them is in 2010, when I was a young assistant coach at Sam Houston State, we came in here and we’ve got two records in this gym.
We had a guy named Corey Allmond come in and make 11 3s which is a Rupp Arena record. And then our team that night made 18 3s, so we got two records that were in here, so that’s what I shared with them.
We led a lot of that game that night down the wire, and (UK) had five lottery picks on that team. So I think it’s just what you make of it. That’s an unbelievable opportunity. I appreciate Coach Cal setting this up and us getting this game. In the end, when it’s all set and done, we’re going to look back and this game is going to help us… When you play great teams, it shows what you need to get better at. That’s how you have to take it. I think overall it’s just a neat opportunity, but it’s just another game. We’ve got 31 of them left.
Q. On the difficulty of stopping Kentucky’s balanced scoring
I think the hardest thing really guarding them right now is... They’re so elite in transition… Even if you had a team that had been practicing together for a while, it’s hard to simulate the fast and quickness of the transition.
What makes it really hard to guard is that a different guy can bring the ball up the floor. Most people in the transition, the point guard brings it up, or maybe an off guard, but with (UK) you’ve got Edwards who plays the wing and he’s bringing it up and (Adou) Thiero he can bring it up. You’ve got so many guys that are bringing it up and pitching it ahead. It’s hard to guard. I’ll be honest, when we started the game, we sent three guys back tonight and we still didn’t stop them so.
They’re an elite, elite transition team. (When) he gets those big guys back, they’ve got a chance to be really good.
Q. On how UK not having Aaron Bradshaw, Zvonimir Ivisic and Ugonna Onyenso affected the game plan for New Mexico State
It’s not really our team. Kaosi Ezeagu… high character guy, as good a defender as I’ve coached, protects the rim, he got in foul trouble tonight in the first half. That really hurt us. But he’s not a guy that’s going to score 20 points per game inside, I think our game plan would have probably been the same game plan if (UK) would have had the big fellas out there.
I thought in the second half I was disappointed in our ball screen coverage. They got downhill way, way too much and that’s not like one of my coached teams. That was probably my (most) disappointing thing as a coach tonight, is I felt like I didn’t do a good enough job of getting these guys to guard ball screens better.
(Kentucky) really got to the paint. They outscored us by 26 in the paint, which is unacceptable as well.
Q. On how good Kentucky can be when the injured big men return
They can be a team that you guys can be excited about, I think at the end of the year. I think they’re that good.
The transition part, you’re going to start getting into league play where people are going to get better at guarding in transition and bigger, and that part will slow down a little bit for sure. But I just think (Kentucky) has a lot of different weapons. They’ve got some guys that can really make shots and get to the basket. I think they fit (Calipari’s) system and the way he plays with the dribble drive and to me, I think defensively will be the biggest key (for Kentucky)…
I thought that they contested shots better tonight and pressured the ball better. I thought Dillingham and Wagner and (Sheppard) pressured the ball a little better than what I expected them to. I think when it gets down to it at the end of the year it’s going to depend on how they are defensively, and if they get those big guys in there that can protect the rim, I think they’ve got a chance to be great.
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