University of North Carolina Athletics
UNC-Vermont Postgame Quotes
December 22, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 21, 2004
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UNC Head Coach Roy Williams
Opening Remarks:
"We caught them on a night where things didn't go as well for them. We were really active defensively. We've talked to the guys about trying to challenge them to do the job defensively, and I think we've gotten better and better since the season started. In the first six or seven minutes, I was not pleased with the way we played. [After the first timeout], that jumped them a little bit and then after that, we were very good. We were very active on the ball. Jawad, Sean and Marvin did a nice job and the perimeter players helped them. Defensively, we were extremely active. We didn't shoot the ball very well, especially in the first half. But the urgency on defense should always be there and that's what I thought was the key to the game.
On Rashad McCants not starting:
"Rashad got to the gym later than he was supposed to; so I didn't start him. But it wasn't a big deal...he still played 24 minutes for us."
On minutes of play of Quentin Thomas:
"I want to play him a little more. He's the only one of the top nine averaging less than 10 minutes. I think he's getting better. I got mad at him at that stretch in the first half because of his casual approach in one of his turnovers...But I think he's getting better. It's extremely important for us to give him playing time because I think he can be a big-time player for us."
On areas of improvement for the team:
"Every area of the game, we can get a lot better. We're nowhere near as good as I think we can be. Offensively, we have to make plays instinctively instead of having to think, `Should I pass the ball to that guy?' I also think we can get a lot better particularly on the defensive end of the floor."
On the team's chemistry:
"There have been some commentators that have said our team chemistry is really bad and that's why they've had doubts about this club. Team chemistry depends on how important the team wants to make it. I think this group has chosen to make it really important. [Even with] Rashad being late and not starting, the team pulled together and said, `Hey, we're going to play.' [At Virginia Tech Rashad] was cheering for the guys on the side. He had a tough day with the officials, but very positive on the defensive side of the floor. Losing the first game and bouncing back after that, I'd say [the team] has done a nice job."
On Melvin Scott's role this year:
"Melvin has been fine. His ankle was hurting him tonight. He hurt it early in the game. He tried to play through it. At the end, he showed he couldn't go and took himself out of the game. In Maui, he played great basketball for us. The Southern Cal game was the only game that I was disappointed in the way he played. I'm not into individual things; I'm into what's best for our team. Jackie was our best defender last year, and I said if it's even this year in preseason practices, I'm going to start Jackie. And Jackie had a great preseason, and that's the reason he's starting. But Melvin is extremely important to us."
Vermont Head Coach Tom Brennan
Opening remarks:
"Well, somedays you're pigeons and somedays you're statues. That pretty much sums it up. No one since we've been here last has done that to us, they really got us shook. They are really tremendous. I really have no doubt that if number 2 had played in the first game that they would be the number 1 team in the country right now. They are fabulous. Let me get this right; it's the other Williams that is the lottery pick right? It's not Jawad, it's the other one. Good luck, you have a lot of problems around here. They're tremendous. I think they've really bought into Coach Williams and what he is trying to do and accomplish. We are always treated here wonderfully. Coach Williams was just as gracious as he could be. It's a classy operation here. You don't even mind getting pounded here because they treat you so well before they do it. But they are good, they are very very good. McCants' just does whatever he wants. So they're a tremendous team, and I told my kids that humility is good, humility is good for the soul. We've had our way, we've been the darlings the last couple of years. We go to Kansas and we play them tough, and we get to the NCAA twice and we're in Sports Illustrated. There's no free lunch, we all know that's how it works. Today, the check came and we tipped very well. Again, this is a wonderful thing for us to do. It's a very nice of UNC to do this. We make a lot of money, and it's a great prestige game for our program. I know you guys wouldn't believe this, but at our level, we're good. We weren't at our level tonight. We were at the very top level, and in my opinion, they are as good as any team. But if there are any teams better than them, I do not want to play them. °/°°
UNC's athleticism on defense:
"First off, the guy is a hall of fame Coach. So, edge Williams, right out of
the chute. Secondly, they have such size and they are such good players on
defense that they did a really wonderful job on Coppenrath. They made our
wings come our further than we wanted to. It was hard to get the ball into
Taylor. When he got it, he only went one for four in the first half. What
they did is they shook us and no one has done that in the last two years. We
were shook. I was shook. I was the first one, I was shook and the rest of us
were shook too. It all starts at the top, so you can take that for what it's
worth. I didn't think that on offense they pushed the ball as much in the
first half as I expected them to. In the second half, they really did that.
Fortunately, our young kids played pretty good in the end and Jensen played
pretty good in the end to make it somewhat respectable. Coach Williams again
was very gracious with subbing. I just can't believe the one guy is going to
be a lottery pick and he can't even play and the guy who plays ahead of him
gets 15 points and he is just on the all-help team. That's pretty good when
he's just on the all-help team, then you know you're loaded. I just think it
was men and boys, but that is fine with us. We know who we are and where
we're from. This is a wonderful experience and I think that for the rest of
the season we are just as good as any team we play. This was good for us.
It's good now that it's over. It wasn't good while we were going through it.
We got whacked around but that happens in life and that happens sometimes.
You pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and you go onto the next one."
Has there ever been a game where Coppenrath and Sorrentine have been
controlled liked this?
"Not really. When we move up, it's hard. People think that Coppenrath is a
pro. He's got a lot of people talking about that, but I don't know. I coach
Vermont; I don't know what a pro is. I think that T.J. has struggled in these
kinds of games. Like I said, we appeared to get shook. Like those fouls that
Taylor got in the end. It was almost like he was saying 'I've had enough'. I
might have left if I could've. You do what you gotta do, bounce back, and at
our level, I think we'll be very good."
On Jawad Williams' defensive effort:
"He did a great job. It's like Gretzky, you make the pass that leads to the pass.
We were never able to do that because they guarded us so well on the outside
that by the time we got it to the next guy to get it to the third guy, it was
done. Williams was there, and Taylor couldn't get into position. They helped
from the back side tremendously, they're playing for a Hall of Fame coach and
it's a Hall of Fame program, so that's what you would expect."
UNC Players v. Vermont: December 21, 2004
On beating Vermont who have a good record:
"Yeah. We played a good game defensively. We wanted to keep [Taylor] Coppenrath and [T.J.] Sorrentine out of the game as much as possible, so we just concentrated on keeping the ball out of their hands and making other people score."
On the athleticism on the Tar Heel side helping out (on defense):
"Oh yeah I think so. Also our depth, we got guys in and out, fresh on Coppenrath and Sorrentine and also their other players just to mix it up a little bit and try and wear them down."
On Vermont being shaken up, if he got that sense:
"No not really because they start four seniors, so we figure they are used to this type of atmosphere, they are used to the pressure and all those types of things and they did a good job of coming back. We just did a greater job of answering their run."
On what this win means to the Tar Heels:
"It means a lot. We have been through a long stretch and we just want to continue to keep it going. Going into Christmas break we just wanted to go home with a win and not have it on our minds anymore."
On what Coach Williams said during the time out after Vermont narrowed the lead to 20-17:
"Nothing. We knew we had the game in control. We got a little bit rattled, we let them get some shots. Our big emphasis, we took [Taylor] Coppenrath and [Sorrentine] out of the game, it was going to be pretty easy to shut them down. They are two really good players, they have NBA potential, a lot of guys are looking at them, but we did a great job of shutting the big two down and that is why we came out on top tonight."
On the strategy against Coppenrath:
"Just don't let him get the ball. He is so good, once he gets the ball his guards do a great job of giving him the ball in the right positions and we did a great job of having a guy behind and in front. He is one of the best-coached players in the country and he doesn't get that much exposure. But I remember watching him last year, I think he dropped 40 on somebody with a broken hand, so I knew he was pretty good coming into this game."
On Coppenrath getting frustrated with Jawad Williams being on him:UNC:
"Oh definitely, I think he did a great job of trying to play within his team. But anytime you have a guy who is really comfortable at making shots around the basket, I think his first two or three shots were jump shots, and we did a great job of having great ball pressure. I think that is what frustrated their team the most, but Coppenrath got a little bit frustrated when Jawad [Williams] was up in him and Marvin [Williams] did a great job coming off the bench and bringing the same intensity that he always brings."
Talk about hidden benefits of having to run half-court offense:
"I don't really think we were trying to make it an up-tempo game, we really wanted to execute and become more sharp on offense."
Talk about getting into the flow of the game because you didn't get to start:
"It's just being a basketball player, I didn't "get in to flow" or anything like that. I think for me it was just focusing on the job, the task at hand and that was just winning the game. Doing everything and anything possible for my team to win."
You seem to be looking more to pass. Is that accurate?
"I wouldn't say I'm looking more to pass. It's that my teammates are becoming more open and a lot more able to hit open shots. As a whole our team has so many weapons that you really don't need me to score 20 points a game."
Talk about where this team is as you go home for Christmas break:
"I think our team is very disciplined, we'll go out there and we'll run, we'll shoot around but the biggest thing is to get our rest ...we'll have five games before school starts and I think that's important."
