Miller benches key players after blowout loss, demanding maximum effort and a culture shift. "If you don’t want to play, you’re not allowed to enter the game.”
For the second game in a row, Texas head coach Sean Miller had a lot to say in his post-game press conference, and once again, it wasn't pretty.
"I learned a lot tonight. We had a couple guys that just really didn’t want to play," he said after the Longhorns 85-71 loss to Tennessee. "If you don’t want to play, you’re not allowed to enter the game.”
It's a strong statement from Miller, and one that suggests he's growing frustrated over Texas' lack of improvement since the start of the season.
In the second half against the Volunteers, starting point guard Jordan Pope, starting center Matas Vokietaitis and starting forward Dailyn Swain all played significantly fewer minutes than usual. The three have accounted for almost half of the Longhorns' points this season.
The benching of Pope, Swain and Vokietaitis when Texas was trying to claw its way back into the contest sends a powerful message -- give maximum effort or get out.
"Our lineup has to change. I can’t keep playing certain guys," Miller said. "We’re at that point where we’re just gonna have to go, whoever is ready to play hard, we have to go with them cause that’s going to be our best bet.”
Miller understands the task at hand. The saying "Rome isn't built in a day" is often overused, but in this case, it fits perfectly.
Miller inherited a dumpster fire when he arrived in Texas. The program had no identity, no culture, and it's his job to reverse that. But of course, that'll take time, even in the era of Name, Image, and Likeness and the Transfer Portal.
In all likelihood, the Longhorns will be a bad team this season, and Miller knows that. However, if you're going to lose, it'd better be with fight and passion. Right now, Miller's not seeing that.
“We’re not a very good team. We have a long way to go," he said. "What we have to do is we have to be a team that’s connected and plays the game with great, great effort.”
Play time is over for Texas players. Miller's given them a grace period, but now he's laying down the law.
"We have to establish that I'm playing for the University of Texas. I play for Sean Miller," Miller said. "He's the coach. What he says goes, this is how we do it."