#UNC coach Hubert Davis press conference after victory over Georgetown
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These last four games, you guys played
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three teams that are pretty physical and
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then had the game at Kentucky. Um, how
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do you what do you think about how your
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team kind of worked through learning to
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play against all that physicality? And
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before you answer, Caleb said learning
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to play through it
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offensively is something that he
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learned. So, how would you gauge how you
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guys
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I would agree with that. you know, one
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of the things that I've said to them um
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over and over again that there's no way,
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there's no route, there's no road other
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than um you know, being able um to be
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tough on both ends of the floor. We've
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identified that, you know, when the ball
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goes up in the air, it's on the ground.
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We've got to be physical and tough
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enough that it's always all UNCC.
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uh the physicality even on the offensive
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end to be able to set screens, come off
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screens, the patience to be able to take
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the bump, be able to score, get to the
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free throw line, knock down free throws,
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makes the extra pass. You're right, you
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know, the last four games in regards to
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St. Bonaventure and Michigan State and
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Kentucky and now Georgetown. Very
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physical teams and I think it's great
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for us to learn lessons on what it's
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going to allow us to be successful.
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When I say there's no road, no route, no
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other way in order for us to be
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successful. We got to be a great
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defensive team and a great rebounding
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team, you can't do that without being
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physical.
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And as a quick followup, Henry
1:18
specifically said that the lesson from
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Michigan State about being physical and
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meeting it for 40 minutes instead of
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however many minutes it was was probably
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the best thing that you guys learned
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during this stretch and that you're
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taking it with you now moving forward.
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I believe we're we're growing. We're
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we're we're getting better at it. It's
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not a finished product. I feel like
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we've got a long way to go, but you
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know, one of the things that I
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consistently talk to them about is how
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do you react and how do you respond? And
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so with the physicality, how are we
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going to respond? And the way that we
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did specifically in the second half to
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hold them to just 10 points in the
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paint, zero fast break points, I thought
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was huge. And so I I, you know, again, I
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thought our defense 22% in the second
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half versus a a really good Georgetown
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team. and um outrebounded them as well.
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So really happy about that.
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Rob and Brian
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Schubert felt like a really big stretch
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when you guys were able to hit those
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three threes in a row, create some
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separation. Yeah.
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Do you feel like the breakout's coming
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for this group with with how many
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opportunities?
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I like it. I like it. I like it. But you
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know, I mean, you know, from an
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offensive standpoint, we're inside out.
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I've been clear and definitive like I
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want to dominate points in the paint
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through post penetration, offensive
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rebounding. live in the paint, live at
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the free throw line, put max pressure on
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the rim. I believe when you do that,
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that generates the open threes. And I
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felt like we generated really good
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threes. Even though in the first half, I
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thought we had some good looks. We just
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didn't knock them down. But really, I'm
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really looking forward to the day where
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we're dominating points in the paint and
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we're hot from three-point range.
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That'll be that be. And we make all of
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our free throws.
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That was kind of where I was going with
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with Henry and Caleb creating so much
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attention there. Do you feel like with
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those opportunities continue to be there
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that it's going to come at some point?
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Yeah, I do. I I believe that we have the
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ability to really shoot the basketball.
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I was really proud how we handled when
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they double teamed. More and more teams
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are doubleing, you know, Henry and and
3:14
obviously Caleb and the way that we
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handled it and passed the ball out to
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the perimeter and made the extra pass. I
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thought even though when we missed it, I
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felt like we made the right play. Brian
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then Josh.
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Um, I think Derek had 14 kind at a
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couple early points. When that when that
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back court is playing because obviously
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said that the offense kind of runs
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through the front court, but when that
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back court kind of starts scoring, how
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does that maybe open up the offense and
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open up just things in general?
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Yeah, it did. I thought the start that
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uh um Kai had was huge for us. I mean,
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it's not just the shots that he made. I
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he was confident, he was aggressive, he
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was on point. Um it's been five out of
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the eight games where he's gotten into
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foul trouble. And so we've got to uh
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find a way to keep them out there on the
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floor. I really like Kai and Derek on
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the floor at the same time. I've said
4:00
always that, you know, I love multiple
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ball handlers. You can't take us out of
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our offense and with those two, you
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know, with the way that Georgetown was
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switching defenses. We always had
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somebody that can handle the basketball
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and get us into a set and get us
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organized. But I thought Kai got off to
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a really nice start and Derek, his
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confidence just continues to grow on
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both ends of the floor. Josh, then
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with that rotation in mind, we also saw
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Jiren and Zayen playing together. How
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important are the next four games
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leading into conference play and you
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identifying what combinations work best?
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I think that's huge. I mean, it's only
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what is our record eight. Okay, it's
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only nine games in which, you know, you
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know, I I don't know who I talked to
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before, but you know, it's, you know, in
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the preseason, you know, we didn't have
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Luca, then we had a full team for two
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games, and then then we haven't had Seth
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for six games. And so, it's it's trying
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to figure out uh rotations, and then
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when Seth comes back, it's finding it
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again. And so, but um different
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combinations is one of the things that I
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was um excited about coming into this
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season that the versatility that we have
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that we can throw out a number of
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different um rotations out there that
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can be really effective on the floor.
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No other than Jeremiah,
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these these last four games that you
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guys played, all four teams could very
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well be tournament teams by the end of
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the season. How would you gauge the
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basketball that you guys played and how
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would you just moving forward? What does
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that stretch mean for this team?
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No, it's good. I mean, I obviously the
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the level of play, you know, talent that
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that we've played against is has been
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real. Um, unbelievable teams and and
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programs and, you know, with with the
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exception of that couple stretches in
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the Michigan State game, I felt like
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we've responded really well. Only nine
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games in, it's so much to to grow, so
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much more to improve on. and again
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mentioning, you know, when Seth comes
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back, um
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really reorganizing a a new team and um
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looking forward to him get getting back
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on the floor.
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Jeremiah, then Michael.
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Yeah, Cuber, I know we've asked you
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before about, you know, Caleb and
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adjusting to the new defenses and or the
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uh the increased defensive attention,
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everything like that, but what do you
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think he's learned through that process?
6:20
Um obviously, we saw the way that he was
6:22
able to play tonight. What do you think
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he's learned through uh you know those
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extra double teams, the heightened
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physicality and how have you kind of
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seen him respond to?
6:29
Well, I think one of the things that I
6:32
would say opposing teams are learning is
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like one of the things that he's a lead
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at is passing the basketball. I mean, he
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can find guys and so actually when they
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put two on the ball, you know, he
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becomes a playmaker and he's he's really
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instinctive and he knows where his
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teammates are and gets the ball to where
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it needs to be. But, you know, as teams
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continue to build um more people around
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him, uh just learning when to be
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aggressive, when to get the ball back
6:59
out, we'll get it right back into you. I
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remember in the second half I said,
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"Look, um you don't have to force it.
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Just throw it back out. We'll throw it
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right back into you. Uh because we love
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the ball in his hands. He makes great
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decisions."
7:11
Michael and then the gentleman in the
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second room. Sorry. Michael
7:14
Hubert, the last time we saw you guys
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here was the Navy. and maybe had that a
7:19
really big run in the second half.
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Yeah. 218 to end the game. Yeah.
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Tonight there wasn't a run for
7:24
Georgetown in the second half once you
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broke that lead. What changed?
7:28
Yeah, you know that you talked about
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have we learned? I think that's
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something that we're learning is that
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you know you you continue to have to
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execute. One of the things that we
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always talk about in a huddle is fourm
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minute stretches. So obviously the
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timeouts usually every four minutes and
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like let's cut the games into halves and
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fourm minute segments and say we've got
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to win it you know and let's raise the
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level of attention to detail will and
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want to effort and let's make sure we
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win these four minutes but it starts
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defensively and rebounding the
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basketball and so not having those um
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times where you take your foot off the
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gas and just continue to finish the race
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and I think uh earlier when we have done
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that we we're getting better at it and I
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thought We did a really good job tonight
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just staying the course and continue to
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get stronger throughout the sec second
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half
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there in the second one then last two
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Shelby and Brennan
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coach you know Ed runs a lot of actions
8:21
offense to this was the first time this
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season where that offense got really
8:26
really stagnant and it forced Mack into
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a really poor shooting day. What did you
8:31
or what is a couple things that you took
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away from them that really gave them a
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lot of issues with them wanting to get
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the ball where they really needed to get
8:39
the ball?
8:40
Well, you know, one of the things
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defensively, specifically in this game,
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we switch one through four. And so, like
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when you're switching defenses, it, you
8:48
know, you switch to take away. And so,
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what it basically comes down to is, you
8:54
know, one-on-one basketball. I felt in
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the first half we didn't do as good a
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job as we should have, but I thought in
9:01
the second half we made them more of an
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isolation one-on-one team, less ball
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movement and um maybe took some things,
9:08
some rhythm from them on the offensive
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end. But I felt like our defense,
9:12
specifically in the second half, all of
9:14
our switches really took them out of
9:16
their actions and out of their plays and
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made them more ISO oriented. And that
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was good news for us and and bad news
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for them.
9:23
Last two, Shelby, then Brennan. coach.
9:25
Uh I think Harry's up to maybe five
9:27
career double doubles. And I know you
9:29
said when he got his first like you
9:31
I was shocked. I was like what the bee I
9:33
was shocked.
9:34
He was when we were talking to him, you
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talked a lot about um specifically
9:37
working like defensive rebounding with
9:38
Coach May over the offseason. That was a
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really big point of emphasis. But what
9:42
have you maybe seen from him so far in
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the offseason now that's allowed for,
9:46
you know, this great stretch for him?
9:48
Yeah, I mean, you know, he's
9:51
we put a lot of weight and importance on
9:55
him. He's so huge for us on both ends of
9:58
the floor. Um, his rebounding is real.
10:01
His length, his ability, not only just
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to rebound, but to keep balls alive up
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in the air that allows us to be able to
10:08
get those rebounds,
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um, get to the offensive glass. That's
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something that's always been an emphasis
10:13
for us. And honestly with him and Caleb
10:16
that they're our two best offensive
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rebounders.
10:19
Um but you I mean you saw tonight I mean
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I thought that three he hit was huge in
10:23
the second half and man you got a
10:26
sevenfooter that can score around the
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basket, can pass, can handle and can
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shoot threes.
10:31
Somebody that I like that's on our team
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and I'm really happy for him. Um he's
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playing extremely well and um he's a
10:39
great kid to coach and be around.
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I think this was the first game that
10:43
Caleb didn't have dunk somehow. Um, but
10:45
he was in the mid-range.
10:46
He almost did because they called a
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foul. It was the second half. They
10:50
called it and I told I told the he he
10:53
had a dunk there. He had a dunk there.
10:55
But he still has the mid-range going.
10:56
Oh, and then he also had the you know
10:57
Derek threw the lob and then you Okay.
11:00
It was close. It was close. We tried. We
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tried. We tried.
11:03
But he had the mid-range going still.
11:04
Has he ever told you where that's come
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from? And just sort of broadly for a
11:08
month into the season for him, how would
11:09
you sort of evaluate where he is?
11:11
No, it is. I mean, his mid-range is
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elite. It's so funny. You know, people
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um
11:19
you know, and and nothing against them
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at all. There's metrics of, you know,
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threes and layups. You know, I I like
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four level scorers, guys from three
11:29
mid-range, get to the bucket, and also
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from the free throw line. You know what?
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I really like FGM's field goals made and
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uh from 12 to 15 feet that thing goes in
11:39
and so that's what I want. Okay. And so
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um but just
11:47
said this before and this is just my
11:49
belief. I don't think you can have a
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better five-star player, fivestar person
11:57
and a fivestar teammate than Caleb.
12:01
it it it may be out there, but there's
12:05
nobody
12:06
better than him. And um it's not just a
12:12
blessing to be able to coach him. It is
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a gift. And um
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I tell you one thing, in practice, he
12:20
did something in practice and everyone
12:22
stopped and I got on the team. I said,
12:24
"Act like you've been there before." I
12:26
was like, "Guys, everybody does this.
12:28
Everyone's does, you know, we we've seen
12:30
that play before.
12:32
Then everyone looked at me and then I
12:34
said, "Guys, this is the first time that
12:35
I've lied to you. I've never seen that
12:37
one."
12:38
What he did?
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He dunked and I I mean it was and
12:41
everyone just stopped and I was like,
12:43
"Man, I you know, I never seen that one
12:46
before." And you know, some of the shots
12:48
that he hit today, that wasn't
12:49
individual workout. That's just because
12:51
he's a dude and he can play. And so I
12:54
never seen that before either. So, I
12:56
like to continue to see things I've
12:57
never seen before in a good way. Okay.
13:00
Well, in the last 65 plus years, it's
13:02
just the second time we had two guys
13:04
with at least 18 and 14.
13:06
Wow. Um Sean and Marvin did it in 2005.

