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#UNC guard Derek Dixon after he scored 14 points in his first college start
Jan 18, 2026
#UNC guard Derek Dixon after he scored 14 points in his first college start
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0:00
um got a lot of stuff to work on, but
0:03
you know, I wouldn't rather do with any
0:04
other set of guys and I think we're
0:06
going to be a really good team and we're
0:07
going to build from this and grow from
0:08
this.
0:08
First college start today obviously I
0:10
guess what was your mindset and your
0:11
your thought process going into this
0:12
one?
0:13
Uh just nothing changes. Um just be me.
0:16
Uh be vocal, lead us to start the game
0:19
and uh just go out there and
0:21
what was the trigger point got you guys
0:23
going there in the second half where
0:24
you're able to cut there was 20 at one
0:26
point like 17 minutes left. What got you
0:28
guys going? Uh, I think we we got a
0:30
little fullcourt pressure, sped them up
0:31
a little bit, got a couple turnovers.
0:33
Um, vibe started, you know, increasing
0:36
and we started getting a couple shots to
0:38
go down the offense and cutting into it
0:39
and just building off that momentum.
0:41
A couple of their players said that they
0:42
were really surprised at how active
0:44
Caleb is in that press, the length and
0:47
all that kind of stuff. Think this is
0:49
something maybe you guys can utilize
0:51
maybe when things are going poorly in
0:52
the first half after not just made free
0:54
throws, but just made baskets in general
0:56
to shake things up. Yeah, I think it's
0:58
something we can explore. Uh we got a
0:59
lot of length on this team, a lot of
1:01
size, so I think, you know, pressuring,
1:03
uh speeding guys up, speeding teams up.
1:05
Uh it's good for us.
1:06
What was the message just from Coach
1:07
Davis at halftime?
1:09
Uh we got to pick it up. Um at a certain
1:12
point, it's just about pride and effort
1:13
and you know what they the amount of
1:15
threes they made, the guy leaving guys
1:17
wide open. It just can't happen. So, we
1:18
just had to pick it up.
1:19
Was it was it a lot of communication
1:21
issues uh just not talking out there on
1:23
defense to allow them to get so many
1:25
open shots? Uh, I think that's some of
1:27
it. Um, some of it's just one-on-one
1:29
defense, you know, drive, guys. They're
1:32
leaving guys open. Um, not talking on
1:34
screen, stuff like that. But, you know,
1:36
just overall just effort. Got to be
1:37
better.
1:37
How much did the first half feel like
1:39
the second half the other night?
1:41
Um, I mean, teams go runs and we got to
1:44
be able to respond. Um, so it's tough.
1:48
70 made threes for the opponents in the
1:50
first five ACC games. Is there like a
1:53
number one trigger point that kind of
1:55
trickles down with with that?
1:57
Uh, I mean it's a mix of things. Um,
2:00
taking bad shots, turnovers on offense.
2:02
They get out, get open looks. Um,
2:04
miscommunications on defense, leaving
2:06
guys open. Uh, then some just one-on-one
2:09
defense. So, I mean, it's a mix of
2:10
things. We just got to be better.
2:12
There a few points um saw just some
2:14
players in particular being really
2:15
vocal. Obviously, you know, Seth's one
2:17
of the captains. He's clapping. Heard
2:18
timeouts. There's this one point where
2:20
Caleb was just kind of like yelling on
2:21
the bench. Who do you feel like um in
2:23
terms of the players was the most vocal?
2:26
Uh yeah, I think it was a mix. Like you
2:28
said, Kale Caleb spoke up, Seth spoke
2:30
up. Um I tried to use my voice on the
2:33
floor and in timeouts. Um came from a
2:35
lot of different areas.
2:36
So when you walk away from this, do you
2:38
look at the last 17 minutes, the way you
2:40
guys came back, or do you fixate a lot
2:42
on what happened in the first half that
2:43
put you in that hole? How do you balance
2:45
that out?
2:45
Yeah, I think you look at it both. um
2:48
got to start games better, start games
2:49
faster. Uh can't be putting ourselves in
2:51
those types of holes to have to come
2:52
back, but also the last couple minutes
2:54
is something to build on. Um the way we
2:56
play with energy, play together, play
2:57
unselfish, and we're happy for each our
2:59
teammates and cheer for each other. You
3:01
know, that's stuff we can carry. And
3:03
what do you think that you provide?
3:05
Stepping as I guess Hubert says he
3:07
doesn't say positions, but you're the
3:08
pseudo point guard out there. What do
3:10
you provide that maybe you guys have
3:12
needed?
3:14
Um I don't know. I think just getting a
3:17
guy getting getting us into the offense.
3:19
Um, like I said, trying to be vocal,
3:20
talking, uh, you know, making shots when
3:23
they're there for me and just trying to
3:25
run the team.
3:26
Anything I guess maybe from a kind of
3:27
exos standpoint that changed the ways
3:29
that you guys defended in the second
3:32
half. I know that their coach was
3:33
talking about what was it like a
3:35
top
3:36
top lock. Um, I don't know if it came
3:38
out to that or was it just like an
3:40
energy thing or where do you kind of put
3:42
it?
3:42
Yeah, I don't think it was anything X
3:43
and O's. um just effort, pride, um I
3:46
mean a little bit like the diamond and
3:48
stuff to speed them up, but other than
3:50
that, you know, half court defense
3:51
wasn't wasn't X.
3:53
It sound like he was inferring that you
3:54
guys were trying to take away three and
3:56
encourage a little bit more back door
3:57
because you guys had better protection
3:59
down low. I guess that's what sort of
4:01
what he was saying.
4:01
No, I don't that wasn't a thing that was
4:03
communicated.
4:03
That's what he saw. I guess some Yeah.
4:05
And then you guys did go to a zone in
4:07
the first half that we haven't really
4:08
seen this year. I guess is that
4:09
something you guys worked on um after
4:10
Stanford? Yeah. Uh, we work on it at the
4:13
end of practices all the time. Um, but
4:15
definitely this past couple days we
4:16
worked on it a little bit more. Um, just
4:18
try and give it a new look.
4:20
Bumpy stretch obviously for you guys.
4:21
That's what coach Davis is just talking
4:22
with us about. Um, what gives you hope
4:25
that you guys can kind of write the path
4:27
the rest of ACC play?
4:28
Yeah, I mean we got a really good group
4:30
of guys. Um, started the season well and
4:32
you know I think we're a really good
4:33
team. Just haven't been able to find our
4:35
rhythm in ACC play but I think it'll
4:37
come and when it does I think we're a
4:38
scary team to play. I'll go with Derek.
4:41
Thanks, Derek. Appreciate it.
4:43
Thanks, Derek.