University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina Men's Basketball Press Conference
March 28, 2000 | Men's Basketball
March 28, 2000
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UNC Coach Bill Guthridge:
I'm happy to be working still. It was a great thrill to defeat Tennessee and Tulsa and advance to the Final Four. I'm really happy for this team because they have hung in all year long under some adversity, and they have worked hard and come back after losses with their heads up. And that's how they keep me up.
I think I made two big mistakes with this team. One was I think I overscheduled them, and we probably lost some confidence. Secondly, we tried to put back our pressure defense. Without the depth and without Ronald Curry and Brian Bersticker being able to play much, I think that hurt us. We went back and changed defenses and it's taken a while to get back to the philosophy, to get back in gear.
(on Florida's pressure defense): Florida is a very good basketball team. Billy Donovan has done a great job of assembling good players that fit in his style. He's done an excellent job coaching. Their style of play, we've struggled with some this year. And we hope that we have profited from playing against teams like that, teams that press us all the time. We hope we respond better against Florida. I know they want to go up and down and make it a 94 foot game and wear us out because they'll play nine or 10 guys a lot. We'll probably only play six or seven. That could be a factor, but I hope our players are in good shape. I think they are and they're used to playing 35 or 40 minutes a game.
(on Florida's press): I think Florida will press us the entire game, at least we'll be prepared for that. Joseph Forte and Jason Capel will handle the ball a lot and our big men, in certain situations, will have to catch and pass the ball.
(on going to the Final Four): I felt all year long that this was possible. I'm disappointed that I wasn't able to get the right buttons pushed and get them to where they are now earlier. I thought we played very well against Wake Forest (in the ACC Tournament), especially defensively. We built on that.
(on the team's improved play): I think it's the accumulation of a lot of things. Our team gained some confidence with our wins over Missouri, Stanford, Tennessee and Tulsa. Our defense has gotten better throughout the year, also our offensive execution. We just put it all together.
(on the team's motivation): They're very good competitors. They've always responded well, and they work hard. I'm not sure if there's any one thing that motivates them, but certainly they have pride, and if you're a competitor you're going to hang in there. I think they should certainly be congratulated for doing that. I think a lot of players would have folded their tent and gone home, but they've really hung in there, and I'm so happy for them.
(on the Final Four experience): To get there is a tremendous feeling. It's one that I really cherish. I feel fortunate that I've been able to participate in as many as I have because there are a lot of great coaches that don't get to the Final Four. So it's something that I really cherish.
Ed Cota:
We had high expectations for this team. Throughout the year we all felt we underachieved, and we all accepted the criticism. We just couldn't figure out what was the problem. The problem was we weren't playing defense. Now we're playing the best defense that we've played since I've been at Carolina. In these last four games, none of the teams I've been on had this type of intensity for 40 minutes.
(on what winning the NCAA championship would mean): I could say to myself that I had a great college career, and I accomplished what I wanted to. Before I came to Carolina my goal was to win a national championship. I feel I can accomplish my main goal.
(on the team's motivation): They know the feeling of winning, especially in the tournament. How you get treated on and off the floor. It just feels great to keep winning. I think guys have a better understanding of knowing how to win. Everybody wants to win a national championship. We're all playing for ourselves, our coaching staff and the fans, but we all just have a lot of pride because we want to win.
Jason Capel:
(on his family being present during the NCAA tournament): It's huge. It feels good to me because my dad's taken teams to the tournament, and my brother's played in the Final Four. I've always been the son or the little brother that's watching, and to know that my dads going to be there and my mom, my brother and my family is going to be there supporting me, cheering for me, I'll be on the floor actually playing in the spotlight, it just feels good to me. When he (Capel's dad) came on the floor (after the Tulsa game) and hugged me and congratulated me that was a very special moment because I can remember doing the same things for him and my brother.
