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#UNC coach Hubert Davis after the Tar Heels roll past Campbell
Dec 30, 2024
#UNC coach Hubert Davis after the Tar Heels roll past Campbell
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0:00
obviously this being the final game
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before you guys really Embark into
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conference play this week just I guess
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when you look at this team you know
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where it is right now what are the I
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guess key areas that you think you guys
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need to I guess emphasize on
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specifically to kind of have a similar
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run that you had last year that well I
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mean I I'm not moving off of what I've
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said with this team from the beginning
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you know uh success and or lack of
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success with this team is tied to two
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things defense and
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rebounding um
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we can
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score uh but can
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we um become the best defensive and
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rebounding team that we can become
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and and when I say that is is in large
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part the
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consistency so for like for example they
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you know shoot 31% in the first half and
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then in the second half they shoot 6
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61% okay that's not suain
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able and so for us to be able um to have
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success moving forward not only do we
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have to become you know a good defensive
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and rebounding team but it it has to has
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to be consistent as well how close I
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don't know if you like put in
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percentages on things like this but how
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close do you think you guys are to being
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I guess a team that can have a similar
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run you know through ACC play last year
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you're mentioning the things you need to
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do how close do you feel you are to I
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guess kind of you know being adequate in
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those areas yeah I don't look at it that
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way in terms of comparison to last year
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at all I think this year's team is this
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year's team uh the only thing that I
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focus on is that for this year's team to
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reach its full potential and for this
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team to reach its full potential it we
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would have to be a really good defensive
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and rebounding team I I've been
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straightforward and direct with them
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from the start um I've also added one
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extra thing and that's taking care of
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the basketball we only had seven
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tournament overs at the beginning of the
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year I thought we were number one in the
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country in terms of fewest turnovers and
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you know if we take care of the
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basketball we get shots and we're a team
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that can make shots and so those three
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things defense rebounding take care of
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the basketball it it's something that I
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stress talk about
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emphasize every day whether it's
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practice shoot around or even an off
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day the first good uh you mentioned
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Campell second half in their offensive
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reduction you guys it felt like what was
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the adjustment at half but it seemed
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like you guys were creating more rim rim
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pressure in that first frame in the
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second half and that feel like that just
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propeled you the rest of the way talk
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about how it was well it is um something
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that I say from an offensive standpoint
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every day is that I want to dominate
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points in the paint through post and
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penetration I want to live in the paint
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and I want to live at the free throw
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line they can recite that because I say
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that to him every day and so in the
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first half we only went to the free
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throw line eight times but we had 17
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threes
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taken and we're four
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17 okay I I love threes but we have the
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ability to put Max pressure on the rim
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and I thought in the second half we did
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a better job of that and talking with a
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couple guys about just that a few
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minutes ago Jay washing particular said
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the inconsistency with post
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opportunities has a lot to do with the
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digs not doing a good enough job to make
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themselves available so Elliot and the
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guys in the perimeter can see them what
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is necessary for you guys to get to a
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point where there are a lot more
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consistent touches in the post where
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things can happen positively there yeah
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I mean that's something that you know
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over the last three weeks that we'
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really emphasize that from an offensive
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standpoint it's a part of our offensive
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game that we haven't been able to tap
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into and that there are opportunities
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whether it's in
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transition uh any one of our halfcourt
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sets where where our bigs are close to
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the basket sealed that we can't Overlook
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that and we've got to give them looks in
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the in the in the paint when you do that
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obviously it's a higher percentage shot
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it gives you an opportunity to score in
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a paint it gives you an opportunity to
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get fouled and get to the free throw
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line and with the guards that we have
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being able to get to the free throw line
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and knock down free throws is a huge
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part of our offense and so um when I say
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post and penetration that's what I'm
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talking about and that's that's an area
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that we definitely have to improve on
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offensively is noticing locating and get
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the ball to our bigs when they have good
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position close to the basket and staying
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on that first two buckets second half
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Elliot to JW Watch the second one you
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were pretty animated on Elliot like
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that's what I want you to do yeah is
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that what you envision this group be
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able to do a lot more consistently
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moving forward and how much that is also
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on Elliot whoever's on the perimeter to
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see The Bigs when they're open well it's
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also me too I mean the first two plays
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of the game I called specific post plays
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for for um J wash and so um I'm not
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going to put it on them I I've got to do
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a better job of um calling post plays
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specifically to get post catches and
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looks down low Jay wash missed a
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right-and jump hook but I thought it was
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a great shot and so I've got to do a
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better job of putting them in situations
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consistently from the start so that we
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can establish the post Hubert RJ was
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giving a lot of credit to coach Paige uh
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for helping him uh reach New Heights in
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his in his career and obviously break
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Marcus's three-point record tonight what
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is is it about the way coach Paige has
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worked with RJ that you think has been
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so effective well I think it's always
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one uh coach Paige is a was a great
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player and he's an unbelievable person
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um he's done such a great job as a coach
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because he knows the game but he's also
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able to communicate it in a way where it
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just resonates with the players I think
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it also speaks to you know you know
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Marcus is the youngest so he's you know
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he basically just left he his freshman
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year was my first year as an assistant
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coach and just the way that he
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communicates uh with the players and
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especially with RJ haven't been in that
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position before you know both RJ and um
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coach Paige were that's not my alarm and
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um are like combination guards you know
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they have the ability to uh distribute
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and run the offense but they can also
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score with the ball in their hands and
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coming off screen as players they're
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very similar and you know when Marcus
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played you know he was always on the
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floor with other guards Joel Barry and
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and so now with RJ on the floor with you
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know Seth and Elliott and Ian um there's
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a lot of similarities in their career
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and what they've had to do out there on
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the floor what that setting out was that
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just a precautionary thing uh for today
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yeah it just has an upper body um injury
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and so um he was unable to play today
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that's something think practice Yeah
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like
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a nope no there isn't RJ said tonight
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that he's felt a lot more comfortable
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like himself going back
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to and part of a sign of that that we
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canot see everybody else can see is that
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there's more step backs he's been able
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to create space for himself off the
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dribble more than he had been earlier
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what would you say about that have you
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seen a little bit of a different RJ in
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the last few games I do feel like he's
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in a a better Rhythm out there on the
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floor
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um um and so I I do feel that way I feel
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like the last three games
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um um he's finding his rhythm it really
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is with with a with a new with a new
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lineup you know and changing lineup too
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I think one of the things that helps is
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um just the growth of Ian got another
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score out
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there you know and so when you have
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another person out there that can go get
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Buckets um very similar to what he
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experienced last year where you had
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Cormac Harrison
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Armando um got a little bit more space
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to be able to um get into his offensive
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game and so I'm really happy for him
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gber Elliott kind of talked about just
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the the tough stretch that he had had
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the past couple of weeks the high
8:22
turnovers felt like he kind of got back
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to being himself a little bit tonight
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obviously you're agreeing I guess what
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did you kind of see from him tonight
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guess what was that stretch like for him
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you know you talking to him as a
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coaching player just what was that like
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yeah before the game is I said I'm
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expecting a double double in points and
8:38
assists and he says I'm also going to
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have zero
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turnovers and then at halftime I
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reminded him he had three but in the
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second half he had zero and um I was
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really happy for him
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um just his ability to create and find
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instinctively teammates is is
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Elite and um I felt like he played
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really well today like under control but
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his ability to get to the basket knows
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when to pass when when to shoot and um
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his defense just continues to get better
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every day and I was really proud of him
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he's a huge piece for us you know when
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he's the ball is in his hands and he's
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making consistent plays um it takes us
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to a different level and I'm really
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happy for him couple more questions a
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pair of free shoes that he's according
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to his words about maybe the deal about
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some pre Jordans or something if he got
9:34
to certain of
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assist okay
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done he said the play he made at the end
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of the game last week in MSG the
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defensive play that he made and how he
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was physical there helped him a ton that
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he needed to make a play without the
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ball in his hands to help the team it
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seemed like a small thing to a lot of
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people how big can that be for a young
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guy like him who has been batting a
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little bit of confidence stuff bu
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such an important play like that I think
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that's huge you know we talk all the
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time about how small things make big
10:06
things happen there's so many other
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areas out there on the floor other than
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scoring and rebounding and assists that
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you can make a huge impact in terms of
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the outcome of the game and so um you
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know Elliott stepping up defensively
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being able to get that stop at the end
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of the game against
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UCLA um doesn't surprise me that it gave
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him confidence that he's a complete
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basketball player there so many other
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parts out there on the floor even
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without the ball that you could impact
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winning and that single play gave us a
10:38
win because of his ability to defend
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without fouling and be in a position to
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box out so that Drake can get the
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rebound and so um I'm glad that gave him
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confidence and that's something that he
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can do consistently moving forward he's
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that complete of a player sorry coach
10:54
thank you everybody