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#UNC coach Hubert Davis press conference in Charlotte ahead of Tuesday's game with Florida
Dec 16, 2024
#UNC coach Hubert Davis press conference in Charlotte ahead of Tuesday's game with Florida
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we could even done it even better I we
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had 22 assists and so um there were some
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good things that uh we can build on and
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we emphasized and we talked about over
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the last two days of practice and
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honestly the last two days of practice
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have been the best practices all year um
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it's the first time all year that I went
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home and I was like wow this you know
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we're getting better we're improving and
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I was just really encouraged by uh our
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game on Saturday but also by the last
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two days of practice all 10 m threes
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were assisted Saturday what does that
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reflect that maybe wasn't taking place
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previously a while well I I wouldn't
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reference what taking place um in the
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past I just um I really liked we we
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always talk about good to great and I
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felt like the ball didn't stop at good I
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felt like it stopped at Great and um we
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were just instinctively making the extra
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pass whether it's for three or uh in
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transition or um looking for more
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opportunities to get the ball down low
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into the paint close to the basket and
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so those are encouraging things that uh
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we can build on and we definitely got to
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um uh consistently do it better you left
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you left happy the last two days I did
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from work I did I do I always leave
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happy but I just was really proud of the
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group the last couple of days I just
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felt like it was from start to finish I
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I think I've talked to you guys about
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getting to that level and staying at
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that level and I felt like the last two
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days of practice we started and we
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stayed there and so we'll see if we can
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translate that to Mar uh tomorrow night
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against Florida Huber out your assess
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where you guys are through 10 games now
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kind of while we're through that point
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and going into a big week with two
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really big opportunities yeah I mean
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I've been straight forward with the team
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and straightforward to anybody to ask
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questions uh you know the level of
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success that we have is tied to two
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things our commitment to defense and re
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founding you know again I don't think
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we've been hot in terms of shooting the
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ball from the outside and we still lead
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the league in in scoring offense is is
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not the issue it's it's can we
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consistently be a good defensive team
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and rebounding team and so that's that's
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going to be the key for us against
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Florida UCLA and and moving forward the
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remainder of the Season how much have
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you emphasized rebounding Florida's
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stats this point well yeah I mean
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obviously you know Florida's you know
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top five nationally in terms of Second
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Chance opportunities uh they have two
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things one a commitment to getting
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Second Chance opportunities number two
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they've got size and length and
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athleticism so that's going to be huge
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force can we limit them to one shot
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every possession be able to rebound the
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basketball and you know the way that
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we've been transitioning from defense to
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offense if we can rebound the basketball
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it's going to put us in situation where
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we've been really effective in
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transition offensively what has been
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Allen done to spify his starting spot in
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what does he need to continue to improve
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on yeah you know in regards to a
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starting spot there's I don't put
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anything into that at all um Vin um has
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been getting um more comfortable and and
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better in terms of uh running the floor
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finishing around the basket rebounding
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defending he could he could defend
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guards out on the perimeter and bigs
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around the post uh but in regards to the
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starting lineup that's just who I start
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I've started different guys in the
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second half and tried different
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rotations um starters doesn't mean
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anything to me but Vin is an important
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piece to this team and uh I'm glad that
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he's here coach I'm not sure if you've
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been asked this I haven't seen a comment
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if you have but what are your thoughts
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on Bill bich che's hiring and and what
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he could potentially bring to the
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university yeah I got to meet him after
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practice yesterday and so what an honor
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and a blessing to be able to meet him
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and just be able to uh spend some time
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with him and obviously um our University
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is really excited uh about him becoming
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our head coach and um obviously is his
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resume speaks for himself and and what
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he can bring to a program and what can
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he bring to our University and so we're
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really excited about it uh but also I'm
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a a great friend of uh Coach mck Brown
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he was uh our head coach when I was in
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school um I spent time with him when he
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was the head coach at Texas when I was
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playing for the Dallas Mavericks and it
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was an honor and a blessing to work
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alongside him as head coaches while he
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was a head coach at North Carolina as
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well so I'm a b I'm a fan of both of
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them assuming you know some of the
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factors around C belch being hired with
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the the the position that the
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University's taking by investing a ton
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in the football en maybe more than
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before what do you think that says about
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the effort that they're making to
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finally kind of take that plunge that's
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a question for football I understand
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that but I'm just kind of curious
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someone who's known this University and
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for this University for as long as you
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have maybe more of an of an effort and
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emphasis is being put on making it work
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there consistently than before well
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again that's that would be hard for me
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to comment on the commitment to football
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when I haven't been a part of any of the
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conversations or the
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negotiations um I know North Carolina's
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uh commitment to everything uh Athletics
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academics I love the leadership of
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Chancellor Roberts I love the leadership
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of uh Bubba Cunningham and um I'm very
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happy to be here did you tell them you
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used to play wide receiver I did I did
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yeah he laughed I I was pretty
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good Mr yeah yeah I was all state I was
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like that's pretty good cuber Dayton
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appears to be a fabulous team so far
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yeah um but in terms of the the games
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you guys have played and won and lost
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yeah haven't won any of these power
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conference games yeah against against
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teams out of conference yet okay does
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that in any way become part of the
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motivation for this group heading into
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this week with these opportunities no I
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you know I you know I know what you're
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saying and and and people have
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referenced this is a big week I I think
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every week's a big week you know after
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this we play Campbell and then we go on
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the road at Louisville and and at Notre
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Dame to start conference play so that's
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a big week as well I don't the number
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one Focus for me and and and I
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communicate this to the team is US
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improving every day and let's get better
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as a team not to put the focus on here's
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a non-conference opponent that could be
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important to us it's about us getting
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better about us improving and um if we
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continue to improve and do the things
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that we have to do to become the team
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that I think we can become then the
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results will take care of itself you're
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not throwing resume in there like right
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now in terms of what you talk I never do
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I never do I I I am 100% always focused
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on the preparation and the process I
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just am uh the end result will'll take
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care of itself it's something that I
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learned with Coach Smith and coach
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guthridge and it's something not only
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that was enforced and taught by them
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it's something that I believe in and
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it's something that I
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coach you we talked about the rebounding
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from Florida what are some other things
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that pop off the film and Paige when you
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look at them well they I me they've got
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some good guards too I mean that you
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know they can shoot the ball from three
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uh the way that they uh you know our
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pace is faster but their pace is is
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pretty good um from an offensive
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standpoint so that they can score their
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Dynamic uh they have the ability to
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score close to the basket in the post as
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well and so um it'll be a challenge for
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us but um we're a pretty good team as
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well and uh look forward to the
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challenge of playing Florida tomorrow
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night seems like when you put Tai Claud
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in kind of gives you a little bit of a
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shock uh physicality down in the paintt
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what do you like about what he's able to
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do the other day he had a couple a
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little Armando moment where he rebounded
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a couple of his misses but he stayed
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with it we haven't seen a ton of that
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this year but it you think he was trying
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to do
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that arm joked one time that if he
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didn't miss all those shots around the
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basket he wouldn't have been the alltime
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Le rebound but he gives you that little
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bit of an edge down there he uses his
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backside he's boxing out on the
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offensive glass you don't see that a lot
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yeah he does do that um um he brings in
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energy effort enthusiasm will and want
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to and toughness not just in the games
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but always in practice and uh he has a
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burning desire to uh be out there on the
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floor he's somebody that uh doesn't shy
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away from contact actually seeks it out
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and that's something I think desperately
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our team needs is that type of
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physicality that type of uh
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aggressiveness um especially rebounding
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and finishing around the basket that he
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brings and so um I'm glad that as feels
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better and he missed a Georgia Tech game
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but I'm glad that he was available and
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for him to play against the S he'll be
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ready to play and he'll be out there
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against Florida Coach what does it mean
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to play in this Invitational for the
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Jumpman brand obviously it means a lot
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to UNC but just being a part of only
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three other schools that represent this
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brand the way that you all do what does
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it mean just to play in this invitation
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well it is it's you know it's um we're
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very thankful to be a part of this
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Invitational it's obviously playing in
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Charlotte it's connection to MJ and um
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us being sponsored by them to be playing
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these type of games on the highest stage
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not everybody gets a chance to be able
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to do this they do a terrific job with
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this event um it's always been exciting
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games whether we played Michigan or
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Oklahoma and now Florida and so these
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are things that our guys you know will
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remember for the rest of their life
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playing in in games like this and a part
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of Invitational for jum me you know this
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is you guys you guys have played every
10:04
team now when you play Florida tomorrow
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night Oklahoma okay yeah do you know if
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this will continue on this event I don't
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know I mean I don't mean to put you on
10:13
the spot thought about it when she was
10:15
asking that's a great question I have I
10:17
have no idea I do not
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know good but I'm sure I'll find
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out about a week ago you talked about
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how the team was wounded and you know
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the the Outlook of the team was wound
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could be wounded and how's how's the
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team's mental space after since then is
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has there been kind of a
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reset well I think um I think we're in a
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good spot right now um you know last
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week there was a a combination of things
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going on I mean obviously we had
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practice and and and preparation for Lal
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but also uh final exams and so final
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exams are done now and so uh um but I
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feel like we're in a really good spot
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and I really think that contributed to
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having two good practices the last
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couple of days and so I like where we're
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at and um we'll continue to prepare
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tonight and tomorrow I shoot around see
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what happens tomorrow night does it does
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it feel like to you that Elliot's not
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looking for his offense as much as he
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was maybe in the first couple games of
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the season I haven't noticed I haven't I
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haven't noticed that I haven't noticed
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that at all um um the one thing that I
11:30
have noticed and this is in in regards
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to Elliott but just our entire team I
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felt like At the beginning year we were
11:38
Elite in terms of taking care of the
11:39
basketball and over the last and we did
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a we did a much better job against Lal
11:44
but prior to that I just felt like uh
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we're trying to hit home runs instead of
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making the easy play so not referencing
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one individual I just felt like
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collectively as a team we weren't taking
11:55
in Valu in the basketball we got to get
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back to that cuz that that was something
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that we were really good at the
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beginning of the
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Season thanate okay good to see you guys
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