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#UNC coach Hubert Davis press conference ahead of Saturday's home game against Virginia
Feb 21, 2025
#UNC coach Hubert Davis press conference ahead of Saturday's home game against Virginia
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well Hubert obviously uh Ron Sanchez is
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his own coach but he was a longtime
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assistant under Tony Bennett um at
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Virginia so how have you seen Virginia
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keep some of
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Tony's keep some of Tony's strategies
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but also switch up their identity under
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Sanchez this season well first of all
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I've got a great relationship with Coach
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Sanchez we've been friends for a number
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of years and I thought he did an amazing
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job at um Charlotte University as head
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coach and again he's doing a terrific
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job in this role as well um you in
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regards to
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Virginia um under coach Sanchez I think
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you know from an offensive standpoint
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they will push the ball a little bit
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more in transition but they're still U
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methodical in terms of their approach
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and what they want where they want the
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ball to go to and the shots that they
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want to get on the offensive end and
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defensively
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you know they've mixed in uh switching
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everything on the ball that's something
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that normally they haven't done but
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irregardless
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whether whatever scheme that they play
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defensively um they do it well and they
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do it consistently well I asked you
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after dukee where you thought the team
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was at that time now we got the five
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games up the regular season three weeks
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since then where do you think the team
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is right now and where where is there an
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area you think they've grown or maybe
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change some perhaps maybe in your
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approach with them or in any other
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area um I don't really think about you
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know where we are right now especially
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in comparison to um you know a couple
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weeks ago I I I do feel
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like defensively we've been more
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consistent I think um you know the
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things that we have talked about that we
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needed to address before and moving
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forward is is US consistently being able
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to defend but really in two areas one
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defending without fouling two rebounding
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the basketball and finishing the
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possession with the box out and then on
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the offensive end just taking care of
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the basketball and that comes in two
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ways one just original turnovers and
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number two is shot selection and so I
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think we've gotten better in that
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regards and um but we still have a lot
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more to improve on uh moving forward
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Hubert what would you say as you've
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looked back over the last couple of
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games that what have you seen is maybe
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the different dynamics of playing bigger
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lineups like you guys have done
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different lineup bigger lineup
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combinations maybe the benefits uh of
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going a little bigger what what have you
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noticed just in these last couple
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games well the benefits of of going
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bigger uh first of all helps us
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defensively
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it just does you know the you know
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playing Syracuse and
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also playing NC State you've
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got you've got guys at that position
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that can yeah they can shoot threes but
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they can score in the paint and they can
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post up and and so those are positions
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specifically over the last two games
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that we haven't had a need to double
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team down low on the post so that that's
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huge also playing a bigger lineup it
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moves Drake more out there on the wing
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and he's
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6667 and so it it's not just a bigger
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lineup in terms of quote unquote the
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four and the five it it makes our whole
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lineup bigger and maybe that's a result
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of us you know rebounding the ball
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better um but it does change us I I
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would say more on the defensive end um
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but it really helps us defensively get
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stops and rebound and I mean you kind of
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don't put yourself at a disadvantage
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right you see what I'm saying yeah no it
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it is I mean we don't purposely do that
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right yeah but
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um it has really helped us the last
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couple of games it really has I can
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follow up on that how does when you
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defend another team's four when they're
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pretty big when you're big how does that
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help you actually defend the five if you
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only have to have one guy on a four and
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not have to double the four sometimes
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and sort of scramble some down there at
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times it's left guys wide open well I I
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think you I think it can go both ways I
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I I think you know from a standpoint of
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not having to double team another person
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when you double team you're putting
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yourself in rotations and so you know
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you're putting yourself in Long
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Closeouts and different types of
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mismatches and so from a defensive
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standpoint that makes you vulnerable on
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the other end double teaming the post
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whether it's one or two people that
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gives us an opportunity to get Steals
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and deflection
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which something that we have needed to
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generate to be able to get out and
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transition and so I think at times maybe
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it has hurt us but I think there's also
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been some times where it's really been
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beneficial for us as well when it comes
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to Jay we asked you about him at the
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teleconference I believe you said his
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production kind of makes you guys you
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know a different scene changes
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completely I think uh but when it comes
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to his approach to practice recently
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what have you seen from him that you
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know maybe has been different obviously
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we've seen the production on the court
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but has he been different in any way
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when it comes to practice and when it
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comes to like off the court like I guess
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in other words has his approach has a
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changed approach helped him helped him
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be more I don't think his approach has
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changed I you know he's been you know
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there's many benefits of having older
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experienced players you know there was a
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time during the season where he wasn't
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getting extended minutes and he kept
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showing up and preparing and practicing
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and playing as hard as he could and now
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that his numers called a lot more
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frequently
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he's he was ready and so um but I have
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said he you know
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um and I think also you know this being
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his last year there's a reflection of
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of you know seeing it's February and
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that um enjoying every moment taking ADV
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advantage of every day whether it's a
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practice shoot around in a game and you
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know as I said before when he plays well
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and he plays consistent um he completely
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changes our team from on both ends of
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the floor Hubert how do you explain Seth
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becoming the team's best rebounder and
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how do you view it in comparison with
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everybody else with him being a 63
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guard well it confirms what I tell them
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that rebounding has nothing to do about
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the physical size is the size of your
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willed want to out there on the floor
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and so um Seth leading our team in
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rebounding um shows that you
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know you know that pursuit of the ball
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whether it's on offensive defensive end
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um is not a sign to someone who has
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length and height and it also shows Seth
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and just in terms of his versatility as
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a basketball player I mean he can
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obvious obviously he can you know handle
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the ball he can distribute he can shoot
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he can drive he's a three level scorer
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he's a good defensive player and then
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now he's leading the team in rebounding
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it's just he checks a number of boxes
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and then you can go on the other end and
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go well Seth is leading our team in
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rebounding you know others have to pick
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it up because we can't rely on Seth
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rebounding the basketball and and that
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goes in part with you know the last
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couple of games you know having Whit
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more at the four and Drake at the three
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then you have Seth out there that's
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leading our team in rebounding that
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really puts us in a good position um on
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both ends of the floor to get Second
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Chance opportunities and then to limit
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the opposing team to one shot per
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possession does does Seth remind you of
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anyone rebounding Guard from back in the
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day or recently like just he calls
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himself Jason Hart okay Josh har Josh
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Hart Josh Hart that's what he say J
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Syracuse yeah yeah Josh Hart that's what
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yes all right that's what he says and
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that's it and you're going along with
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that then if he keeps rebounding and and
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playing as hard as him and go for
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it even though he played on Villanova's
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team when we lost in 2016 it's let's go
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for it great great player yeah going off
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that Hubert how's that you sp spoke to
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it a little bit but how's that changed
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the messaging with the big guys like hey
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look set 63 and he's leading the team in
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rebound we got as far as kind of poking
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and proding those guys to to to pick up
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the what they can do well the messaging
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has been to the entire team you know
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this is not you I said this last year
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this isn't an Armando Bott Harrison
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Ingram rebounding game it's a UNC
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rebounding game and uh this is not a
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Seth tremble rebounding game everybody
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has to get involved everybody has to
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rebound and and and
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I and I emphasize on both ends um I'll
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give you something um over the last I
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think it's two or three games Drake pal
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has gotten seven offensive rebounds
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that's been huge for us the prior 14
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games he totaled seven offensive
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rebounds so like just his pursuit of
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getting Second Chance opportunities um
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other guys are um coming along and uh
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it's really helping us out how much of
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that for Drake is coming in from the
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wing and having maybe different people
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to deal with
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it I don't know if it has anything from
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the wing um you know or playing bigger
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people I I I think over the last two or
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three games I just been really proud of
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Drake's
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pursuit of um getting us Second Chance
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opportunities um he's working really
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hard to get off box outs um his Pursuit
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is you know going after loose balls and
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those Second Chance opportunities and
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giving us additional cracks on the
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offensive in have been really huge for
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us the last couple
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games going up in Virginia but with your
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ties to Carolina what what was this game
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like when you were a little
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younger time to pray not yet not
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yet wake
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up we're counting down over here oh my
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goodness
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goodness well I mean I
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um you know obviously the you know
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Virginia and North Carolina has you A
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lot of history in terms of their
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matchups in in the ACC and me being able
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to watch them when MCO was at Carolina
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and me going to Charlottesville to see
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the tar Hills play when I was growing up
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so I have a number of memories going
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into those games and really excited
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about um the challeng are playing
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against a really good uh Virginia team
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tomorrow afternoon youber I was going to
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ask you about Ben Allen Luben just he's
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taking on seems like a bigger role here
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especially last we been starting just
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the way his season has gone just in your
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eyes the Way's
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yeah you know we've you know it it it's
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a big transition I
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know and the reason why I say that is
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you know I was traded three times in the
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NBA and it it's an adjustment you know
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you just can't go to another team and
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you know there's new personalities new
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relationships new coaching new
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terminology and now you throw in you
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know new surroundings and a new school
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and um you're doing that with 18 19 year
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old
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and so that is an adjustment I think Vin
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has done a really good job of adjusting
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to coming here he's a such a joy to
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coach and be around every day and you
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know specifically over the last couple
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of games just his consistency in terms
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of finishing around the basket
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rebounding the basketball he's a really
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good on ball
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Defender um and his ability to post up
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especially smaller Defenders and be able
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to score has has been has been really
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key for us you RJ Rec recently talked
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about playing with playing with a joy
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how important is that to play the game
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of basketball with a joy is that
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something you stress or is that just
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something he's kind of taking a off no I
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stress that all the time I I tell the
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guys all the time you have to find joy
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and enjoyment of how hard it is to be
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successful individually and as a team
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this is hard work but you have to find
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joy in being able to do something that
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you love at a place that you love with
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people that you love and if that doesn't
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bring out an emotion of joy in you when
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you step out there on the floor
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irregardless if it's a practice or shoot
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around or a game um you're not you're
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not meant to play basketball Hebert the
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the Press was pretty effective against
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NC State especially early in the game
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when you're coaching is there a Telltale
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sign in the flow of the game that you
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look for as to when to deploy that or is
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it just a field thing no I mean I I
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think it's a combination of both I mean
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you know dead ball full court situations
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that that's a that's a good time for us
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to maybe try it um if we get a steal um
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and able to score you know that that's
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also a nice time to be able to stay in
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it um and sometimes even after made
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baskets you know just being able to put
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our guys in situations and positions to
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be able to get those Steals and
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deflections and kind of gives them life
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out there and and it gets us um to play
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at the pace that we want even in the
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times we didn't create a turnover um I
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felt like at times we we sped other
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teams up where they would take quick
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shots um and that would allow us to get
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the rebound and be able to get out in
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transition so it does a number of things
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for us but I would say sometimes
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I it's it's planned on when we're going
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to do it and other times it's it's a
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feel on when we're going to do it how
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much we stay in it that's time for about
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three more questions seems like you and
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Tony Bennett have always had a good
14:27
relationship going back to the to the
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NBA days early 90s have you reached out
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to him since he retired have you guys
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spoken uh since he stepped no but I look
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forward to speaking to him after the
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season um I do um have a really good
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relationship with him because we played
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against each other in the NBA it's very
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difficult to have those conversations
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during the year um but um the way that
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he coached the way that he
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um was an example for for the University
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of Virginia and for those players uh um
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I just have tremendous respect for him
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hbert I want to go back to Monday of a
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conference call you were asking about
15:10
your plans with general manager and
15:12
staff you didn't want to elaborate on it
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I was a little bit confused about that
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has anything changed in your intent from
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what you said in the radio show is there
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any Clarity you can kind of offer about
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what you said originally verus what you
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said Monday yeah I mean nothing has
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changed but I just I I want to I want to
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stay away from commenting
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about that position I want to talk about
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basketball that's the only thing that's
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on my mind right now is um coaching and
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and helping our team reach its full
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potential and be the best that it can be
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and that's just where my focus is right
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now but just not that something had
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changed in your thinking just you've
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moved on Beyond you've addressed
15:52
it yeah I mean I addressed it during the
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radio show but
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I'm the only thing on my mind now it's
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and it was the only thing on my mind
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been too is this team and getting ready
16:06
um to be our best the rest of the season
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when you have a lineup of of Dre J Whit
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and Luben versus four guards how does
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that change the spacing half court and
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how you
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attack I don't think it changes the
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spacing at all I mean you know we want a
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combination of ball and player movement
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and um we want to have tremendous
16:26
spacing and so that um um um you know
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from an offensive standpoint one of the
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things that we always talk about is0
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five mentality you know when you catch
16:35
the ball you got to shoot you pass or
16:37
drive it and um in order to do that you
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have to have great spacing and so
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irregardless out there on the floor we
16:44
have guys that have the ability to make
16:46
impactful plays whether it's on the
16:47
perimeter around the basket whether
16:49
through the pass the dribble or or shoot
16:52
the basketball and and that's one of the
16:54
things that gives us that spacing on the
16:56
offensive end last one Rob h a couple of
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the guys talk about Paxton and Harrison
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being back and being around practice and
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you always asking those guys to speak to
17:04
the team when they come back what's they
17:06
want to speak they didn't want to speak
17:08
they didn't want to speak
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um it it made the cuz when they were
17:14
here we had so many former players come
17:16
back and speak and it's just been one
17:19
year removed so they didn't want to feel
17:20
old like they were the old veterans but
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um it was great having them back just
17:26
their presence you talk about Joy those
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are two guys that played with tremendous
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Joy um not just Joy of of playing
17:36
basketball but the joy of being here and
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being a part of a team um it's something
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that has driven them individually in
17:45
their careers and it's a huge reason why
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they've been successful as they've moved
17:48
forward thank you hbert thanks everybody