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#UNC coach Hubert Davis press availability Sunday before the Maui Invitational starts Monday
Nov 24, 2024
#UNC coach Hubert Davis press availability Sunday before the Maui Invitational starts Monday
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talking about you know title is
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important to them uh out here in this
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tournament well I mean anytime you get
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an opportunity chance that's should be
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the motivation right to win um but um
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you know our guys you know are ready for
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the challenge and uh we're excited about
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the teams that we're going to play and
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um opportunity for us to even take
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closer look in terms of things that
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we're doing well that we continuing
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enforce and things that we need to work
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youber you had obviously Bahamas last
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year and then Portland a couple weeks
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ago can you kind of speak to the uh I
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guess quick turnaround when it comes to
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preparation like you know not only
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playing your game but then trying to get
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Scouting For You know the next team just
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what does that you know process kind of
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look like going in a 3-day tournament L
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yeah I mean it's very similar to like
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the ACC tournament you know and uh one
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of the things that uh you know I talked
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to the players all all the time is is to
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be bound by the discipline and details
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and that's just you know the the habits
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created over practice over time even
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starting from the summer and so um and
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also tell them when I played there were
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no Scout reports coach smth used to put
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the names up on the board he put a star
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next to a guy that could shoot and a two
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stars next to a guy that could really
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shoot that's it we didn't walk through
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plays we didn't see film we didn't go
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through a scouting report he just felt
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like if he just did the things that you
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practice and practice whatever happens
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on the floor put you in a position to be
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successful and I 100% agree with that it
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was about you right yeah it was about us
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yeah so but we don't do that
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now the kids have more comfort knowing
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you know anticipation in terms of what's
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happening and um and it's also
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preparation for you know the guys that
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are good enough to go to the next level
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because that type of scouting happens at
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the next level so we're trying to
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prepare for that as well what are the
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challenges date will present to you
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tomorrow well I mean they they've uh a
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physical team uh a terrific guard hard
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play um they'll pick up full court
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pressure especially on dead ball full
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court situations try to create
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turnovers um good basketball team and uh
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outstanding coach at Anthony grah so
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it'll be a challenge for us but we're
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excited about it not a team that's going
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to try to slow you down I don't think so
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but we can play at any Pace it doesn't
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matter our pace is our pace and so if we
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get stops and we rebound then that
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allows to run so you know we'll play at
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our B coach did you have any kind of
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special message for your team uh you
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know coming here this year after what's
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happened in the last 15 months well our
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team has a a really um clear perspective
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in terms of um being thankful a blessing
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and an honor not only to play here but
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to play the game obviously they know the
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history of Maui and and you know the
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invitation of being played here after
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all the stuff that happened here and um
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but our guys have always had a clear
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picture of um looking Beyond themselves
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in a way of thankfulness and
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appreciation for doing something that
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they love with people that they love at
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a place that they
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loveth the last 15 years since you back
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have you seen
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certain Main especially the rest of
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sport yeah you know it's um I can't
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remember the biggest difference is you
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know Shaman part of of the tournament
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than that it's always been St Feld you
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know free competitive games and um and
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to be able to do it here it's pretty Co
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deal you know for
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me this will complete you know for me
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time as a head coach I've been here as
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an assistant coach twice and then also
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played here 91 so I get to see it from
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all different perspectives and excited
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about you mentioned um when you were up
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there the Hawaii game allowing you guys
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to get used to the time zone difference
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a little bit uh can you kind of talk a
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little bit about the schedule as far as
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you know getting down here and just the
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the time of day you're practicing and
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just how you're getting those guys I
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guess acclimated to the five hour time
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differences oh it's a big deal you know
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5 hours to 5 hours and so um getting
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over we here on Wednesday and playing on
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Friday I feel like that we've adjusted
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and we're on this time zone but you know
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it it's an adjustment and um the travel
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wears on you and so you have to adjust
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practice in order to help our guys be it
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at our best and um again having a chance
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to play a road game it was sold out
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against Hawaii and so just another
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opportunity to find out more about our
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team and you know what we need to
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improve on it was 19 to1 in Fast Break
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points the other night
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American it was 230 in your favor I know
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we're very early in the season here but
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dare I say those numbers to your liking
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in terms of getting out on the break I
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like that I mean I I think consistently
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and early in the season it's you know
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our Pace has been you know and our the
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way that we transition from defense to
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offense even after a made basket we're
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up the floor in scor position pretty
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quickly um but again it just goes down
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with defensive rebounding and you know
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against Hawai Expos us we got our
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rebounded by 13 which is not going to
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work this week and the remainder of the
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Season you know we've got to find a way
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against physical taller bigger teams to
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be able to rebound the basketball that's
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just going to be an issue for us all
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year you know kind of already seen it
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you know I always talk about how do you
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react and how do you respond
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feel like you know the games even
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exhibition without our the way that they
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have reacted and
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responded talk to him about is you know
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we have been at that level that I feel
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like we have to be in order to teams
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like this but you got to start there you
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got to stay there that that's the next
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step for us can we start there can we
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stay at that level the
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floor you've played in coaching this gym
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but obviously it's hot environment has a
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reputation of soft rins can you talk
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about what it's like playing there it is
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hot I will not have a sport coat uh
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tomorrow so I'll be in a in a golf shirt
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and it is hot but um it's a great place
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to play I don't remember the rims I
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don't really pay attention to that you
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know it's baskets and gyms are theane
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and uh the crowd is right on top of you
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and uh we'll get the practice there
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today so our guys will get understanding
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of the surroundings but just a really
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cool event a little different from the
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ballroom little different from the
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ballroom it is a little bit different
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from the ballroom but it's a good
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different you know and it's neat uh you
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know the game before so the Auburn and
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uh Iowa state will be sold out and then
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the locker rooms are right next to each
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other so we'll be right there with
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Dayton and you got four teams right
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there fans it's it's it's not the final
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four but it's just it's a real cool
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experience that only can happen here in
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M sorry if you've been assess already
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but you're the match up with Dayton what
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do you know about the flyer what do you
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think about play I mean they're a
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terrific basketball team obviously
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they're undefeated terrific guard play
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um you know from a defensive standpoint
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they're physical they're tough they
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create
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turnovers um they try to dictate the
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side how efficient you are on the
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offensive end and so you know you can't
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let that happen so extremely well
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coached team they'll be ready to play
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but we'll be ready to play as well does
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the team have any excursions while
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you're over here well we had an
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Excursion went to Hawaii I mean why why
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you having activities while you're here
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no not you know it's you
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know there's really no time that we flew
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here yesterday uh as soon as we landed
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uh we had practice and then uh we got
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preparation today we'll give the guys a
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little bit of time because we're are
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later game we have later practice that
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they'll have time to walk around the
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island and walk around um but you know I
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told the guys before this is a business
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trip this is not a vacation we are here
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to become a better basketball team and
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that is our number one Focus no bike
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runs no no no none
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scheduled as of now in the dark we coach
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C else on the bike ride I still don't
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know why we did that but it was fun it
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was
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fun happy
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with yeah yeah yeah I mean you know one
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of the things that is it's always a
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transition you know whether it's new
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roles freshman transfers and you know um
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then is R his ability uh to score around
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the basket to rebound the fin and shoot
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the three is something if we want to
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become the team that we want to become
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he's got to be out there and he's got to
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be playing at a high level I love
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coaching him I'm so glad that he's here
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and um he's going to have a great season
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us Jackson I know he had the injury and
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missed the one game but playing well
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yeah double figures off the bench at
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Kansas double figures the other night
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um how's he coming along do you feel
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like I know it's still again super early
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but he's getting better every day I mean
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I told you before he's every day after
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practice he comes what can I do better
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you know um can we talk and we watch
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film he's always wanting to listen and
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learn and uh he's getting better
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defensively start to understand Concepts
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uh off the ball and I just see him
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getting better and better each day so
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you're right's he's feeling more
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comfortable out there on the floor and
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be out there a
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lot free
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thr no he is he can shoot free throw and
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you know what it's um he's not scared at
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a moment remember I mean like at Kansas
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as a freshman he was like what let's go
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you know at Hawaii what's up you know
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and it's just um you can't teach that
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you can't coach that either you have it
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or you don't and he has it that's what I
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was going to say what Curry said is that
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getting to the line is one of his
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abilities right in addition to his other
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skills I do I I I tell him that all the
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time I was like you're so athletic and
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quick I wish I was like you I would go
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to the cup every time I said you should
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average six or seven free throws a game
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and the way that you shoot free throws
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that's a easy six points for him and
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he's starting to understand that and
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with his size and athletic
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athleticism he can finish with either
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hand he's left-handed and so he right's
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left-handed and so he feels you know
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comfortable finishing with his off hand
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and so we've been encouraging to do that
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more coach two more question a non a
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non- basketball for you just being here
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back in line as a guy who you know
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played in this event been in this town
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uh what struck you as you just you know
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pass through the town but as far as the
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recovery what you saw and just the you
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know some of the the damage still still
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there yeah I mean it's it's um it's it's
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really um um thankfulness and and a
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blessing to be able to be here in the
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first tournament um um since everything
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happened last year and um it really puts
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things into perspective you know you
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make so much so basketball but it's you
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know they were people's lives that were
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changed and um uh to come back here and
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maybe for a moment uh take people away
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from what they're going through and put
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a smile on their faces that's an
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opportunity to serve and that's a place
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that our team always likes to be um I
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know obviously over in August you guys
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you know put out statement in regardless
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to you know Zen high is there a update
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on that situation could you see him
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potentially reing to team um there is no
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update on the situation right
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now
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games that's a
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win all
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three but no it's um you know
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um you know playing three games in three
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days uh it's going to rely you you going
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have to rely on your
12:23
dep I've been playing 10 11 guys I
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played 11 guys uh against Hawaii so that
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Gap is going to help
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us so um and again it really is
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obviously you want to win but you also
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want a clear picture of what you need to
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work on and you want to check those
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boxes thanks coach thanks everybody
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thanks guys see