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Roy Williams
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
UNC-Davidson Quotes
December 29, 2018 | Men's Basketball
North Carolina 82, Davidson 60 ● December 29, 2018
Postgame Quotes
North Carolina Head Coach Roy Williams
Opening statement:
"Well I liked several things – I like five guys in double figures, I like the fact that they shot 29 percent. The bad news is that they missed some open shots, I don't think we guarded them as well as we wanted to… It was a five-point deficit, 24-19, then we had a long stretch at the end of the first half, beginning of the second half where we outscored them by a big margin… I think at times we were good defensively, I think at times we did close out on the shooters. We don't like to foul a three-point shooter but I think we closed out pretty well on them. I thought Luke [Maye] in the first half defensively was really good on the big guy inside. He missed a lot of shots that he would normally make, and I realize that, but Luke didn't jump up in the air and foul him and bail him out; he stayed down and tried to wall him and be big. So I think that was good and I think we got some guys off the bench who gave us some good moments. Sterling [Manley] had five – all in the first half, Nassir [Little] had 10, B-Rob [Brandon Robinson] had seven so those guys gave us a lift but we didn't shoot the ball very well. We've only shot it really well one game all year so maybe we're saving them up for the stretch run or something. That's a good team, I feel badly for Bob [McKillop] – he's one of the best guys in out coaching profession and to have your top player hurt is a load on those other guys trying to pick up for him. If they get him back that would really help them a great deal."
On any defensive improvements
"A couple of times. One time, Cam [Johnson] and Luke didn't talk and a guy got a wide open lay-up and I jumped on them and in the second half it was taken care of. It boils down to the fact that at times during our practices we're pretty good defensively, we communicate great, but we've got to do it in the games at well. We've got to get everyone talking as much as Luke and Kenny [Williams] talk. The more active you are with your voice that means you're seeing the bigger picture and you're helping your teammates. I think that's the biggest problem we have is communicating and trying to make sure everybody gets picked up. I don't know that I saw it get any better in the last two hours, no."
On the focus throughout the week:
"Just getting better. I know that's corny but that's the truth. We talked about we've got to get better as a basketball team. Getting ready to play Davidson you've got to understand that 47% of their shots are threes, and they've got some guys that can make them, not just take them so it's a little bit different than a lot of teams that we're going to play. They don't have a low post guy except the freshman, and he's really going to be go. If Bobby [McKillop] can keep some shooters around him for the next couple of years, their team is going to be hard to defend… But, just trying to get better every day."
On what he learned from the stretch of five tough games:
"We're not as good as I want us to be, is the biggest thing. I think it's been a good stretch for us; I think it's getting us prepared for conference play. At one point we had played ten games, or eleven maybe, and only had five of them in the Smith Center. I think for us, that kind of schedule, I'm hoping, will have us more prepared for conference play. It doesn't do you any good to play a great, very difficult schedule unless you win some of those games, because that's what they look at is wins over some big time teams. I think we've played a kind of schedule that made our guys be attentive every game and not just go out there and go through the motions so I'm hoping that helps us."
On Kenny's confidence after hitting a couple early shots
"Yeah he had three turnovers the first half and ended with three. He's been great at passing the ball and what was he two-for-eight? I don't know that two-for-eight is going to make him any more confident… The thing is if you hit them early and start missing them I don't want you to shoot the dadgum thing. Kenny, Cam and Luke are all three really good shooters and they just haven't made the kind of percentage in the games yet that I think they're going to shoot by the end of the year.
On team's overall performance:
"The most encouraging thing to me about our team is that we haven't shot the ball really well. Some of our turnovers are sort of silly but we only had five in the second half – I can live with some turnovers because we play at such a fast pace. We should have more assists than anyone in our league – and we do normally. It wouldn't surprise me if we had more turnovers because we play at such a fast pace but the percentage of turnovers is way, way up there so that's what we've got to stop."
On Coby White adjusting to the pace of the college game:
"It's a work in progress. I don't give a grade out before the new year. I've seen some guys struggle early in the year and all of a sudden get the load and be great for me. I'm extremely confident in Coby, I think he's going to be a really good player and has had some really good games already. He had seven assists today before he ever had a basket so I think that it's not just how many points he scores. He had a great scoring game against Texas, we lost. So, I don't care who scores, I want North Carolina to score but he's going to be fine. I'm not worried about him"
Postgame Quotes
North Carolina Head Coach Roy Williams
Opening statement:
"Well I liked several things – I like five guys in double figures, I like the fact that they shot 29 percent. The bad news is that they missed some open shots, I don't think we guarded them as well as we wanted to… It was a five-point deficit, 24-19, then we had a long stretch at the end of the first half, beginning of the second half where we outscored them by a big margin… I think at times we were good defensively, I think at times we did close out on the shooters. We don't like to foul a three-point shooter but I think we closed out pretty well on them. I thought Luke [Maye] in the first half defensively was really good on the big guy inside. He missed a lot of shots that he would normally make, and I realize that, but Luke didn't jump up in the air and foul him and bail him out; he stayed down and tried to wall him and be big. So I think that was good and I think we got some guys off the bench who gave us some good moments. Sterling [Manley] had five – all in the first half, Nassir [Little] had 10, B-Rob [Brandon Robinson] had seven so those guys gave us a lift but we didn't shoot the ball very well. We've only shot it really well one game all year so maybe we're saving them up for the stretch run or something. That's a good team, I feel badly for Bob [McKillop] – he's one of the best guys in out coaching profession and to have your top player hurt is a load on those other guys trying to pick up for him. If they get him back that would really help them a great deal."
On any defensive improvements
"A couple of times. One time, Cam [Johnson] and Luke didn't talk and a guy got a wide open lay-up and I jumped on them and in the second half it was taken care of. It boils down to the fact that at times during our practices we're pretty good defensively, we communicate great, but we've got to do it in the games at well. We've got to get everyone talking as much as Luke and Kenny [Williams] talk. The more active you are with your voice that means you're seeing the bigger picture and you're helping your teammates. I think that's the biggest problem we have is communicating and trying to make sure everybody gets picked up. I don't know that I saw it get any better in the last two hours, no."
On the focus throughout the week:
"Just getting better. I know that's corny but that's the truth. We talked about we've got to get better as a basketball team. Getting ready to play Davidson you've got to understand that 47% of their shots are threes, and they've got some guys that can make them, not just take them so it's a little bit different than a lot of teams that we're going to play. They don't have a low post guy except the freshman, and he's really going to be go. If Bobby [McKillop] can keep some shooters around him for the next couple of years, their team is going to be hard to defend… But, just trying to get better every day."
On what he learned from the stretch of five tough games:
"We're not as good as I want us to be, is the biggest thing. I think it's been a good stretch for us; I think it's getting us prepared for conference play. At one point we had played ten games, or eleven maybe, and only had five of them in the Smith Center. I think for us, that kind of schedule, I'm hoping, will have us more prepared for conference play. It doesn't do you any good to play a great, very difficult schedule unless you win some of those games, because that's what they look at is wins over some big time teams. I think we've played a kind of schedule that made our guys be attentive every game and not just go out there and go through the motions so I'm hoping that helps us."
On Kenny's confidence after hitting a couple early shots
"Yeah he had three turnovers the first half and ended with three. He's been great at passing the ball and what was he two-for-eight? I don't know that two-for-eight is going to make him any more confident… The thing is if you hit them early and start missing them I don't want you to shoot the dadgum thing. Kenny, Cam and Luke are all three really good shooters and they just haven't made the kind of percentage in the games yet that I think they're going to shoot by the end of the year.
On team's overall performance:
"The most encouraging thing to me about our team is that we haven't shot the ball really well. Some of our turnovers are sort of silly but we only had five in the second half – I can live with some turnovers because we play at such a fast pace. We should have more assists than anyone in our league – and we do normally. It wouldn't surprise me if we had more turnovers because we play at such a fast pace but the percentage of turnovers is way, way up there so that's what we've got to stop."
On Coby White adjusting to the pace of the college game:
"It's a work in progress. I don't give a grade out before the new year. I've seen some guys struggle early in the year and all of a sudden get the load and be great for me. I'm extremely confident in Coby, I think he's going to be a really good player and has had some really good games already. He had seven assists today before he ever had a basket so I think that it's not just how many points he scores. He had a great scoring game against Texas, we lost. So, I don't care who scores, I want North Carolina to score but he's going to be fine. I'm not worried about him"
Davidson Head Coach Bob McKillop
Opening Statement:
"Certainly not our day today. Looking at the shooting percentages it's not characteristic of us. I was delighted by the 40 minutes of fight that we had from the opening tip until the end. We had the chance to really fold our tents, but did not and fought back and got it to 15 points, which is a big lead but still at least it was a dent. The key to the game was them speeding us up. They have that capacity to do that, and have always had that capacity to do that. It invited us into sometimes making the wrong decisions. If you are not detailed, do not make the right decisions, and you do not have the discipline to do that, getting sped up is something they capitalize on very very well."
On having the lead early on:
"We were seven for eight from the foul line. That is an indication that we were making them defend us. We took two foul shots the rest of the game, which meant for twenty to twenty-six minutes we were very quick with our decision making in terms of not making them defend us. That is an attribute to their defense as they have the capacity to speed us up."
On takeaways from game:
"We have to get better. We were exposed by one of the top programs in the country. A lot of guys played today. A lot of guys fought today. No one gave up. Some guys, if they would make some of the shots, which were open shots, all of a sudden the stats are significantly better than they showed. We did get terrific shots, we just did not knock them down."
Player Quotes
Cameron Johnson, Graduate Student, Guard
On shooting adjustments
"I wouldn't say there's anything technically different, I just wanted to sure up some of my mechanics and a little bit of my footwork, foot placement. Some shoulder work, putting the ball on my fingertips, off the palm of my hand, holding the follow through toward the rim. Just a handful of things to sure up going into conference to give me a little boost. I wanted to work on getting my feet a little wider and pointed toward the hoop and also sink my hips into it a little more. I feel like when I do that, I have a pretty good chance of making it."
On the late first half run:
"Effort. Sometimes we can score points quick and get going. We stopped a few easy baskets. Luke hit me with a great tip out pass. Plays like that put the momentum in our favor and when we get that, we can capitalize."
On defense:
"They missed a lot of shots. Statically when you hold a team to under 30 percent, you come out feeling a little alright about it. We know that it's not going always going to be that way with the way we played defense today. We can play better. We allowed too many straight-line drives. I did myself. We just have to stay locked and keep getting better."
On this year's shooting compared to last year (3s):
"We're just saving them for conference. Just putting them in the bank for when we might need them later. We have guys that can really shoot the ball. Maybe the percentages don't quite show it yet, but I have confidence in everybody who steps on that court to make the shot."
On ACC play at Pitt/going home:
"I'm excited to go home. I've played a lot of games at that gym. To be able to go back and play one my senior year in front of my family and friends will be nice. Besides that, it's just another game. It's the first game of conference. I'm really looking forward to it."
Garrison Brooks, Senior, Forward
On the size advantage:
"Just positioning. I don't remember anything specific we did but we just tried to take advantage of positioning and getting in the right spot and finishing when we get there."
On what they learned following a tough stretch in the schedule:
"We had a tough game against Kentucky, but it is to be expected with the tough schedule we play. That whole stretch really helped us to become a better team."
Coby White, Freshman, Guard
On the new hairstyle:
"I just got it twisted for a little bit. I got tired of looking at it. It wasn't anything playing wise, I just wanted to change the look a little bit."
On this past week in practice:
"I think that these last couple of practices we came in with a lot of energy. Coming off of a break and a loss we all had one common goal and that was to get better. Coach wants us to get better and we just try and do that each and every day."
On how he has improved during the season:
"Things have slowed down a lot compared to when we first started the season. I just feel like I'm getting better each and every day. Against Kentucky I had a lot of turnovers, so I am just trying to be more efficient. It's just slowing down and don't try to make the hero play, just try and make the easy play."
Kenny Williams, Senior, Guard
On Defensive Performance Today
"The effort was there. We had a couple lapses, gave them a couple wide open threes, but for the most part the effort was there and it was there from the start."
On Defensive Performance Improving from Past Games
"At times, yes. Especially the communication. They do a lot of cutting and screening, and I think we did a pretty good job communicating on when we wanted to switch and when we were going to get through. I think it got a little bit better today.
On Team Improvements Going Forward
"Our defense. If we continue to bring effort and everyone tries hard the way we did today, I think we will be pretty good."
Opening Statement:
"Certainly not our day today. Looking at the shooting percentages it's not characteristic of us. I was delighted by the 40 minutes of fight that we had from the opening tip until the end. We had the chance to really fold our tents, but did not and fought back and got it to 15 points, which is a big lead but still at least it was a dent. The key to the game was them speeding us up. They have that capacity to do that, and have always had that capacity to do that. It invited us into sometimes making the wrong decisions. If you are not detailed, do not make the right decisions, and you do not have the discipline to do that, getting sped up is something they capitalize on very very well."
On having the lead early on:
"We were seven for eight from the foul line. That is an indication that we were making them defend us. We took two foul shots the rest of the game, which meant for twenty to twenty-six minutes we were very quick with our decision making in terms of not making them defend us. That is an attribute to their defense as they have the capacity to speed us up."
On takeaways from game:
"We have to get better. We were exposed by one of the top programs in the country. A lot of guys played today. A lot of guys fought today. No one gave up. Some guys, if they would make some of the shots, which were open shots, all of a sudden the stats are significantly better than they showed. We did get terrific shots, we just did not knock them down."
Player Quotes
Cameron Johnson, Graduate Student, Guard
On shooting adjustments
"I wouldn't say there's anything technically different, I just wanted to sure up some of my mechanics and a little bit of my footwork, foot placement. Some shoulder work, putting the ball on my fingertips, off the palm of my hand, holding the follow through toward the rim. Just a handful of things to sure up going into conference to give me a little boost. I wanted to work on getting my feet a little wider and pointed toward the hoop and also sink my hips into it a little more. I feel like when I do that, I have a pretty good chance of making it."
On the late first half run:
"Effort. Sometimes we can score points quick and get going. We stopped a few easy baskets. Luke hit me with a great tip out pass. Plays like that put the momentum in our favor and when we get that, we can capitalize."
On defense:
"They missed a lot of shots. Statically when you hold a team to under 30 percent, you come out feeling a little alright about it. We know that it's not going always going to be that way with the way we played defense today. We can play better. We allowed too many straight-line drives. I did myself. We just have to stay locked and keep getting better."
On this year's shooting compared to last year (3s):
"We're just saving them for conference. Just putting them in the bank for when we might need them later. We have guys that can really shoot the ball. Maybe the percentages don't quite show it yet, but I have confidence in everybody who steps on that court to make the shot."
On ACC play at Pitt/going home:
"I'm excited to go home. I've played a lot of games at that gym. To be able to go back and play one my senior year in front of my family and friends will be nice. Besides that, it's just another game. It's the first game of conference. I'm really looking forward to it."
Garrison Brooks, Senior, Forward
On the size advantage:
"Just positioning. I don't remember anything specific we did but we just tried to take advantage of positioning and getting in the right spot and finishing when we get there."
On what they learned following a tough stretch in the schedule:
"We had a tough game against Kentucky, but it is to be expected with the tough schedule we play. That whole stretch really helped us to become a better team."
Coby White, Freshman, Guard
On the new hairstyle:
"I just got it twisted for a little bit. I got tired of looking at it. It wasn't anything playing wise, I just wanted to change the look a little bit."
On this past week in practice:
"I think that these last couple of practices we came in with a lot of energy. Coming off of a break and a loss we all had one common goal and that was to get better. Coach wants us to get better and we just try and do that each and every day."
On how he has improved during the season:
"Things have slowed down a lot compared to when we first started the season. I just feel like I'm getting better each and every day. Against Kentucky I had a lot of turnovers, so I am just trying to be more efficient. It's just slowing down and don't try to make the hero play, just try and make the easy play."
Kenny Williams, Senior, Guard
On Defensive Performance Today
"The effort was there. We had a couple lapses, gave them a couple wide open threes, but for the most part the effort was there and it was there from the start."
On Defensive Performance Improving from Past Games
"At times, yes. Especially the communication. They do a lot of cutting and screening, and I think we did a pretty good job communicating on when we wanted to switch and when we were going to get through. I think it got a little bit better today.
On Team Improvements Going Forward
"Our defense. If we continue to bring effort and everyone tries hard the way we did today, I think we will be pretty good."
Players Mentioned
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