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#UNC coach Hubert Davis press conference after beating Virginia for Heels' third straight win.
Feb 22, 2025
#UNC coach Hubert Davis press conference after beating Virginia for Heels' third straight win.
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it's been the number one difference the
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last three games how you guys have kind
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of changed and the players have maybe
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hav um I think our uh I think our
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uh our attention to detail has been more
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consistent I think defensively we've
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been better and consistent I
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think getting to the offensive glass has
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been a huge change for us we've gotten
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Second Chance opportunities we had 17
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points off of se you know 17 Second
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Chance points I can't remember what we
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had we had 17 in the first half against
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State against States that's been huge
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and
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then um us being able to get to the free
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throw line and make free throws was huge
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for us today and
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so you we're doing some things really
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well and consistently some I asked some
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of the guys that they said that they HED
1:00
that Clemson was a bottoming out there's
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been a sense of urgency and as you say
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emergency since then it's been with
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everything they've done has that been
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the case as you guys came back to
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practice after Clemson just been a
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different team across the board in that
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respect I I do I I I our practices from
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that point on have been
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different they've been
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feisty uh extremely
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competitive um short-tempered um
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[Music]
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the competitive
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fight has been there and
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I you know whatever
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it it ends up in terms of what it looks
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like I I just I feel like we're getting
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better and so u i just really proud of
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the guys you talk about the offensive
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rebounding and Drake's been a big part
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of that as you mentioned hug gets the
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early one gets the dunk have you noticed
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a better Comfort level from him since
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he's back his spot on the LNG as far as
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natural position yeah you know I well I
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I will say this you know
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I'm I'm a positionist coach and so to
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say he was playing this position and
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that position I what I what I
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recruit what we individual develop and
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and what I play are basketball players
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at varies different sizes and so you got
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to be able to defend and rebound you
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have to be able to handle the ball shoot
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make plays and
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so you
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know Drake's in the same spots and and
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maybe some different spots that he was
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in um earlier in the year but you know
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Drakes goes from quote unquote the three
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to the four all throughout the game
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that's just
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um he checked so many boxes defensively
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it sound you know just a length on
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McNeely it's just against a shooter and
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I the the number one thing that bothered
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me was
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athletic you know guys with length like
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Drake and um I thought Drake's length
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bothered mcely so defensively he can
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rebound he can shoot threes he can
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attack the basket finish Above the Rim
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get Second Chance opportunities knock
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down free throws and so I think the
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combination with him in wit give us um a
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really nice big athletic lineup that um
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that really helps us on both ends
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you've talked about liking Jaylen
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withers's game all the way back to high
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school I yes you have heard you on that
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yeah um what do you think has allowed
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him to sort of
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ReDiscover how he's capable of playing
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because because these games that he's
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produced the last couple of games seem
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like what he's capable of like how has
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he found himself again would you say
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from your vant well I think as a player
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you're always there's ups and downs
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throughout the season I just I can't
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remember a time when I played where
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everything was going great the entire
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season you've always had
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to you know persevere through the ups
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and downs but for Jay wit and I haven't
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specifically spoken to him in regards to
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that specifically
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but you know there are times when
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you you know him this is his last year
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you see the end and you could see things
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from a different
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perspective and I think that perspective
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has really helped out Jay wit from the
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standpoint of really wanting to be
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consistent and solid in his plays on
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both ends of the floor and that's what
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he's done yes he's produced 16 and 11
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but I think the consistency of his
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defense his rebounding his shot making
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his
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playmaking um we need his experience one
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of the things that I've told him over
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and over again and a lot over the last
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two weeks is that this team desperately
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needs his wisdom in terms of experience
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he's seen everything yeah so you know
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Ian and Drake they need to see it SE J
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wash they need to see it everybody they
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they need to hear it from you and they
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need they need it from you and he's
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really taking that ownership and really
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running with it and I'm just really
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really proud of him what about his
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personality too he mentioned it he
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talked about the experience with us but
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then there's also he mentioned his fire
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we saw some of that today even with the
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technical foul but on the good side what
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yeah that wasn't the good side that
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was good side
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um no I I that's one of the reasons I've
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always um was a big fan of Jay wit is
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because he plays with emotion and he's
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got a fire inside of him to always want
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to compete
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and he's playing his best basketball
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since he's been here and I've said this
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before when he plays well he completely
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changes our team on both ends of the
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floor we are a completely different team
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when we get 28 minutes like this from
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Jay wit you that feistiness that you
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mentioned during the practices since the
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clemon game what player or players have
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been at the Forefront of that all of
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them and I've poked at
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them to to make sure it goes that
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way and um I don't know how you play
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this game absent of emotion
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and it'll be a competitive practice
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tomorrow to get ready for Monday against
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Florida State but the guys have respond
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it
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and I feel like we're getting better
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every
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the guys talked about playing with joy
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again how does it feel for you as a
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coach to see them see that Joy play out
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on court no that that that puts the
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biggest smile on my face because I
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want I do I I just there's nothing
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better than seeing them smile and being
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happy um you know I talked about the
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quietness of this team well the the
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level of quietness has like the the
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noise says it's gone up like just in
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shoot around today they're in shoot
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around today and they
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were I mean yelling and jumping around
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and at the beginning of the year it
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was I had to I had to start it and today
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I just got to sit and watch it and so um
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the joy of being here the joy of being
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together as a team and trying to become
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the best that we can be has really
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gotten better and as I said before it's
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always been a group that has enjoyed
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being together and being a team from the
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start the chemistry is a 10 out of a 10
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they just they love being around each
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other respectfully Huber but why do you
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think it took this long for them to find
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this and unlock
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this who
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cares it's here
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now youber the the last two games for
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art you won the last two games by
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healthy double digit margins and yet RJ
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has had some rough shooting nights um
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both of those games do you think that
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speaks to the growth of the guys around
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him and just the team as a whole because
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some of those might have tripped you up
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earlier in the season and and you you've
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still been able to blow teams out
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without him going crazy well I I think
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you know we have a number of guys that
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are playing confident out there um and
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just making impactful plays um on both
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ends of the floor and so you know Vin's
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been playing really well Drake we talked
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about Jay wit you know Ian comes in and
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he gives us a boost and um Jay wash K
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the last couple games and so we're
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getting impactful plays from a number of
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different parts and so that's what helps
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out when you know the rare times that RJ
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percentage wise um is shoot the ball the
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way that he's usually able to I know you
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don't want jayw to get a technical foul
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but when he hits some of these threes he
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does a lot of barking afterwards
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fans benches that kind of thing yeah but
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is that part of his game does he need to
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do that to be who he is on the court I
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told him to do is talking by continuing
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to play the way that he's playing you
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know one of the things that
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uh when I was in college I used to talk
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a lot and Coach Smith used to tell me
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over and over again a lion never growls
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after a kill and so that's what I told
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Jay wit a lion never growls after a kill
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and so just
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got you know you did your talking by
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knocking down the three let's do more
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talking by getting a defensive stop
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rebound and making another three and he
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said I got you uh coach
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Davis thank you everybody thank you