University of North Carolina Athletics
Haywood And Forte Comment On The Duke Game
February 1, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 1, 2001
Carolina starters Brendan Haywood and Joseph Forte each shared some of their thoughts this week on Thursday's Carolina-Duke game. Here's some of what they had to say:
Senior center Brendan Haywood
On the differences between Matt Doherty, Bill Guthridge and Dean Smith:
"The difference is in the way he comes across when he wants you to do something. They all have a great knowledge of the game and are great with the Xs and Os. Dean Smith was more sarcastic when he wanted you to do something. Coach Guthridge is more laid back, and Coach Doherty is more fiery and vocal when he's trying to get a point across."
On what is the hardest thing about playing in Cameron Indoor Stadium:
"Probably the hardest part is just the noise. Sometimes you're trying to get your play calls out and you have to rely more on hand signals when they go on a run and it gets loud. You can feel the floor bouncing and it's very hard to hear."
On Mike Dunleavy:
"Dunleavy is a good ball player. He's a coach's son, so you get him on the court and he plays very, very smart basketball. He's one of those players that doesn't really do anything to hurt the team. If you add in that he's 6'9" and has extraordinary range, he's a tough guard. But, hey, we have to go out there and play against him and that's that."
On defending Jason Williams:
"It really depends on the situation. If Jason Williams has a direct line to the basket, I'd rather see anybody shoot a three-pointer than a layup. If our guards stick with him, then maybe he's thinking `Should I pass or shoot?' At the same time, I'm confident I can get over and block some shots to help our guards. It's going to be a challenge because Jason is a very good player, but we take pride in our defense."
On Carolina's strength and size advantage inside:
"You don't ever want to think you can just overpower anybody, especially Duke. I feel we have an advantage inside. It's basically a height vs. quickness matchup is what it comes down to, and it's a matter of who's going to win."
Sophomore guard Joseph Forte
On what the UNC-Duke game means to him:
"It means a lot to me. It's the rivalry, Carolina and Duke goes back so far. I can remember watching these games as a kid. With both teams ranked it makes it even more special. There's a lot on the line when these two teams play."
Has Coach Doherty talked about what it meant for him to play against Duke when he was a player?
"Definitely. He always shares his experiences from the past, mainly because they mean so much to him. It's good for us to hear those stories and get motivated by what he was able to accomplish on those great teams in the early 80s."
On Jason Williams:
"I'm a competitor and he's a competitor. We may not be really going head-to-head, but he's going to try to outplay me, and I'm going to try to outplay him. The main thing is for Carolina to win. It's not just a personal battle between two players."
On shutting Duke down:
"I don't think we're necessarily going to try to shut them down. We're concentrating on what we do best. And for us, we always want to look inside and get our big men involved in the offense. I don't think we have to play a perfect game, but we have to play a very good game. We just have to limit what they do best. I think if we do that, we'll make a very good game of it."
Do you take anything from the Maryland-Duke game from last weekend?
"We play our own brand of ball. But you could see in that game how they not only used their quickness, but they also showed a whole lot of character and proved they are a great team."
On the hype surrounding the Carolina-Duke game:
"All through the summer, all through the year, all Carolina fans want to talk about is beating Duke. Three days before the game, is just like the day before the game. There's just a lot of intensity and hype."
