University of North Carolina Athletics
UNC 61, FSU 60
February 8, 2003 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 8, 2003
Recap| Box Score| Photo Gallery
Head Coach Matt Doherty
"We've been fighting the last month and a half, and we haven't given up. I think that shows the character of the kids in that locker room. They had to grind it out, and they did. They could've dropped their heads several times, but they didn't, and I'm really proud of them. I was concerned that there would be a bit of a let down. Even though we didn't win against Duke, we played well and invested a lot emotionally.
"Boy did David make a big play. Jackie... Jawad... Melvin diving on two loose balls. Those are the little things I want Melvin to do, and he did them today. I don't care if his shots don't go down as long as he takes good shots."
On David Noel...
"I believe in the kid. He thanked me for that after the game. He said, 'Thanks for believing in me.' I said, 'I believed in you, that's why I offered you a scholarship for next year.' It's great to see young men like (David) grow and blossom, and it's very rewarding."
On defending Florida State...
"I think we did a good job against their set offensive. But when we took bad shots, it was frustrating. When our defense is set we're pretty darn good."
On Jackie Manuel...
"He can always block shots. Jackie blocks shots on jump shots, which is hard to do, and on the weak side when guys go to the basket. Look at his arms, at how long his arms are, how quick he is, and his commitment to the defensive end."
On Rashad McCants...
"His back is not 100 percent. His back is better than it was, and it is a very tough time. Only he knows what he is going through, but I can relate. I've been there as a player where you don't think you can do anything right. It happens, we just have to help him get through it. We need Rashad - I just hope he's a jump shot away."
On breaking the four-game losing streak...
"It's a big relief. It's like a big balloon that you just get to untie the knot at the bottom and let the air out. I am so proud of these kids because we have invested so much emotionally. To go over to Duke a play well, and then come back and practice one time, it's a hard thing to do, to get that energy up."
PLAYER QUOTES
On teammate David Noel...
"David's a great player, and he's getting the opportunity to show it. He's working hard, getting better each game. He's showing it now. He's a great player, a great defender - he's an all around player."
On the sloppiness of the game...
I think it was basically just us tired from the Duke game. We gave so much to that game, and we still won after that, but we're going to get a rest these days and get ready to play Virginia."
On free throws in practice...
"We definitely do every day in practice, but we've got to keep working on it, keep working on it because we've got to knock our free throws in big games."
On playing UVA...
"It's a great win. We try to get all our wins here. We have to try to win all the rest of our games in the ACC, we're down a little bit in the Conference and we're trying to get some big wins."
On how it feels to win...
"It feels really good. We finally got that monkey off our back. Now we've just got to build on this win and get better every day. I think it was a matter of time before we got a win. We went out and played hard every night but kept coming up short. Now it feels good to get a victory."
On the end of the game...
"We could have ended the game a little bit earlier. We missed a couple of free throws and then we hit some big free throws and then David Noel made a big play when he stepped up and stole the ball."
On David Noel...
"Athleticism, defense and his heart. He goes out there and plays hard every night. It was just a matter of time before he came out of his shell. When he first came in, people just labeled him as an athletic player who played defense, but now he's developed a great outside shot. He's making it hard on other defenses."
On hitting threes...
"I was just taking shots as I was open - I didn't want to force anything. Just trying to get my teammates involved and hope that we win the game."
On helping Rashad McCants...
"We make sure he stays positive, it's all we can do. The worst thing we can do is get down on yourself. If you stay positive, you'll play your way through it. I think it's making other people to step up and when he comes back 100 percent healthy, we'll all be on the same level."
On his thoughts at the foul line...
"My thoughts were: I got to make it, I got to make it. That's all I was saying. After all my teammates were huddled around me, I was like, 'calm down, you gotta make it.' I was really nervous, but I stepped up to the line with confidence, and I hit one."
On his confidence...
"It was fluctuating during the season but now it's sky high. Now I have to continue to go out every game, play my hardest and the sky's the limit. It's exciting to be a part of a great team and be a premier player. That's all I ask for. Things have been looking up for me."
On the awkwardness of coming off the bench to start...
"It's very awkward. In practice, Rashad is still the best player, doing the things that he does. When he gets 100 percent, the sky's the limit for this team. He's going after it hard every day in practice, and he's teaching me a whole lot. That's where I get most of my confidence from: him."
FSU HEAD COACH HAMILTON
On Carolina's Rally...
"I thought they got about four or five uncontested jumpshots. We were not playing very good defense. I was surprised that they shot as well as they did."
On Florida St.'s going inside on offense...
"We knew they would put a lot of pressure on us, and obviously with Trevor [Harvey] playing subpar, we tried to get to the foul line by driving to the basket and attacking the inside, but this game started to look like a lot of other games. We just couldn't figure out a way to do it."
On Anthony Richardson...
"We just felt that with Pickett out, he's our second-leading scorer and with his quickness and athleticism, we thought he could do some things around the basket."
On Benson Callier...
"We really didn't have much choice. We were in foul trouble. They were going with a smaller lineup, so in order to defend them, we went a little smaller. Benson's pretty athletic, and he's been improving. I told him prior to the game that we were going to be using him and he would need to be productive. Today was his opportunity and he came through for us. Unfortunately, it won't be very meaningful to him since we came up short."
On the end of the game...
"I'd have to go back and look at the film. I don't think it would be appropriate for me to comment on that now. I just find it discouraging that in the last four or five games, our competition has been able to shoot last-second free throws. I think the statistics speak for themselves. It's almost like we've been running drills on how to foul. Maybe I'll do a video. Some coaches do videos on how to shoot free throws. I could do one on how to foul."
On his team...
"I think our guys played very hard and focused. They never really got discouraged and this was a great crowd today. That is what tradition will do for you."
