University of North Carolina Athletics
Roy Williams Quotes
November 6, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 6, 2009
UNC Head Coach Roy Williams Comments on the win over Belmont Abbey:
Opening Statement:
"We want the ball inside but we've got to do a better job with spacing on the outside. We rebounded the ball well, but we should rebound it by outjumping them because we're very big. I think we will block some shots, but just getting out in front of the crowd and getting some first-game jitters out of us is what's truly important.
"I thought Deon (Thompson) and Marcus (Ginyard) particularly made me feel very comfortable. Deon's not going to go 11-for-12 every night though I wish he would. Larry (Drew II) had some flashes where he made some good decisions and some good plays. He's a much better shooter than he was last year, and he will take and make more shots. All in all, I think we got more out of it than we would have if we would have had a really, really spirited practice. I think it's something that will be good for us and I hope the Belmont Abbey kids felt like it was good for them."
On the quickness of the Tar Heel big men defensively:
"I do think that we still want to try to create tempo and try to make it an up-and-down game. I think that perhaps we can play a little more full-court pressure than we have in the past but we'll have to wait until we play some teams more like we are."
On the developmental process of such a young team:
"This would be a team that you'd like to have a few more days practice with. Yesterday was our 16th practice and we're playing a game Monday night. We've got two seniors and one junior and the rest are freshmen and sophomores. Even Tyler Zeller said in the locker room he felt like a freshman again. It is what it is, and we've got to make due with that. We're going to come in tomorrow and work on a few things, then hopefully have a great practice on Sunday and try to learn every day in practice and every day in the game. I do think, needless to say, that all of our teams get better as the season moves on. Last year, we probably improved defensively throughout the course of the year as much as any team I've ever coached. This team needs to get better and get better and I think it will."
