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#UNC coach Hubert Davis after his team held on to win the opener against Elon.
Nov 5, 2024
#UNC coach Hubert Davis after his team held on to win the opener against Elon.
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0:00
from that 14 nothing run that Elon had
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to take the lead what do you take from
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that run and what do you want them to
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take from it well I think there's a lot
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to learn from the entire game I think it
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it's an opportunity to grow um and get
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better
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um in a number of different areas on
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both ends of the floor so it you know
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it's um it's the first game of the
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season and um there are things that I
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was really proud of that I thought the
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team did really well and did at a high
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level um and there's things that um
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we've got to improve on and uh we feel
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um very fortunate and uh to be able to
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pull away I think Elon was up 7371 and
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you know we talked about in the Huddle
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how are you going to react how you going
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to respond and that this is actually the
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perfect game and a perfect situation to
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be in is because this this will help us
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grow this will help us get to be the
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team that we want to become and so from
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that standpoint um there is a lot to
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learn from it and um it's it's nice to
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learn from it uh from a victory did you
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feel there was anything in particular
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you guys maybe got away from doing that
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allowed Evon to kind of come back and
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eventually take that twoo yeah you know
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just you know from a defensive
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standpoint uh in the second half for uh
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for the first part of the second half uh
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they were shooting 60% from the field
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they shot 50 in the second half so I've
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been straightforward clear and direct
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about for us to be the best team that we
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can possibly become we've got to be a
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great defensive team and allowing a team
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to shoot 50 to 60% the second half is
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just not going to get it done and then
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on the offensive end just uh being able
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to get you know uh the shots that we
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want you know Elon does a really good
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job of mixing up their defenses going
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from man to Zone and um at times I felt
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like it took us out of rhythm and uh in
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terms of the shots that were trying to
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get and there were a lot of times it was
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we were shooting shots up against the
2:04
shot clock and um and then we started to
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find the Rhythm in terms of what we
2:11
needed to do on the offensive end but um
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the defense in the second half was not
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at the level that we want to play at
2:18
Hubert as you said you guys are trailing
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in the final what seven six and a half
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minutes of the game what what was your
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message at that point uh to these guys
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about responding yeah you know I was um
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sorry guys
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um um I did exactly say that in the
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Huddle I said I'm glad that we're in
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this situation I said we're going to be
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in this situation a number of times and
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you know we've talked about at practice
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how we're going to react how we're going
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to respond and you said from a defensive
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standpoint we have to be sound and
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disciplined we've got to get stops we
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got to finish uh uh the defensive
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possession with gang rebounding and then
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on the offensive end you got to take
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care of the basketball we got to get
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shots and get the shots to the guys that
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can make shots and I thought we were
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really intentional about doing that um I
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think we went on 110 run and
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um uh from that standpoint for the first
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game I mean there's a lot to learn I
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mean we we've gone on the road at
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Memphis we've played here at home and
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now we play against a really good Elon
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team and it's a we're down by two with
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seven minutes to go there there's a lot
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to learn from and to be encouraged about
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about how we've responded in those
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situations how important was it to have
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a player like RJ Davis you're down by
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two very
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important what saying is you have a
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player down by two and then you have
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that leader like RJ Davis that really
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just takes the rain he had been cold for
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most of the day on the field a shooting
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thing like only shot three field goals I
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made three field goals so how important
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was that at that moment to have him step
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up and have the energy his energy just
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uh pered through the entire team well
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you need in those situations you need
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guys to be able to step up it's not just
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from points it's also energy effort
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plays I mentioned before jayw wash and
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Elliots diving on the loose ball getting
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defensive stops and rebounds there's a
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number of ways that you can make
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impactful plays in order to uh help your
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team uh be successful obviously having
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RJ a fifth year senior first team
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All-American in those situations that's
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nice to have as a coach and it's nice to
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have as players out there on the floor
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um it's nothing new for him um he's
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somebody that has always stepped up
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throughout his entire career and he was
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able to do that tonight first possession
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of the game Elliot knocks down that
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three was that designed for him and then
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he made three out of four I think on the
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night a a new career high said he worked
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on it a lot in the offseason have you
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seen that kind of improvement from him
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yeah I have I mean he worked extremely
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hard um over the summer um in terms of
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his shot uh he was a a really good
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shooter last year um shots just didn't
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go in I think the biggest difference in
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terms in regards to his shot is just the
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times and the shot selection you know
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he's he's so much more mature and poised
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out there on the floor very confident
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understands when to take a shot when not
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to obviously his ability to distribute
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the basketball he's playing at a high
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level Hubert Seth said that the guys
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maybe got a little selfish in the second
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half on offense when Elon was making
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their run did you uh see that from where
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you were and what do you think
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contributed to that no uh this is not a
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selfish team there there's not one bit
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of selfishness on this team um I've
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never seen that since this team has come
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together I didn't see that tonight
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um that's never come into my mind in
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regards to this team RJ Elliot couple
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more RJ Elliott and Seth combined 56
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points you think that that cohesion
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between those three is natural or has it
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been built up in the past couple months
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in practice and stuff like that well I
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mean those guys I mean we need them to
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step up every every night and they've
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done it in practice so for it to play
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out in the game is is not surprising to
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me but for us to be the team that we
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want to become everybody has to step up
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just is what it is and so we need
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everybody playing at a high level and
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when everyone is locked in and playing
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at a high level um this is a team that I
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think has really good potential
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good minutes tonight um The Freshman
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Drake and Yan got pretty good minutes
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how' you feel about their impact in
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their first game yeah I thought they did
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some really good things both Ian and and
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Drake you know one of the things that it
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they just keep getting better every
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practice and every game you know one of
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the things that I think people lose
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sight of is just the transition from
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high school to this level is real and so
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you can be first team McDonald's
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All-American and still playing at this
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level um it takes time and I really love
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how they have bought in
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defensively um they do a good job but
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not particularly on the stat sheet but
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they do a really good job of rebounding
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the basketball and then on the offensive
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end you know they can create and make
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shots and so um they're going to play a
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ton of minutes this year we need them to
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step up and be big and I'm so glad that
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they're here last two Andrew and Adam
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how much this seen that much Zone this
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early in the year especially with a dude
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like they had in the middle of it help
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you guys moving forward no that that
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really help helps you know I
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again their their ability to switch
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defenses from man to Zone and then have
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a
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74 center right there in the middle that
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that causes problems and so
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um that's why I say this is a great
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learning experience for us because
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people are going to play zone we're
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going to play against teams that have
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tremendous size and so um we're going to
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have to rebound we're going to have to
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dominate points in a paint we're going
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to have to be efficient whether they
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play man or Zone and this really gives
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us a blueprint on things that we've done
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well that we continue to reinforce but
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also some things that we need to we need
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to get to work on and so um I'm really
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excited about look working at that and
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looking at what we need to improve last
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one Adam just remind we'll back here on
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Wednesday at 2:30 so and shebert talking
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to Jaylen Withers tonight he said it
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meant something to him to earn the the
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starting nod you know to open the season
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um what have you seen from him of late
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he said maybe you know he has to do it
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through defense to maybe get some more
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playing time what what have you seen
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from him from late that that had him out
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there as a starter tonight well I mean
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you know coming off the bench starting
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that's just that's not something that I
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think about um you know I never thought
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about it as a player and I don't really
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think about it as a coach uh but what um
8:57
Jay wit has done really well early in
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the season is being consistent I I've
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said this you know he's the one he's our
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most athletic most versatile big you
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know from a defensive standpoint he
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could guard one through five offensively
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his ability to be able to attack the
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basket you know and those are things
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that I want him to continue to work on
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he had you know zero free throw attempts
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I think he could live at the free throw
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line the way that he can attack the
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basket and so he's been really good for
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us he's huge and um you know him you
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know obviously the exper expence is Big
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Force been in those situations playing
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at the highest level and so um I've been
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really happy with Jay Wht and how he's
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played thus far thanks everybody thanks
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