Hubert Davis Post-Louisville Quotes

On the energy from both teams and proud of the team's effort…
"First of all, Louisville is such a good basketball team and extremely well coached. The two games that we have played them have been so competitive. Both sides, great players, and great plays. The competition level is at an all-time high. It is such a joy to be able to have a front row seat to watch both of these teams compete against each other and tonight was unbelievable for both of us. It is difficult to play high level games so close together. Both of us played on Saturday and for us to come here on Monday at 7 o'clock and leave everything out there on the floor. It was fun for me to watch and my hope is that everyone else enjoyed the competitive fire and nature of both teams. I am really proud of our guys and one of the things that I talked to our guys about before the game was to validate our performance and win on Saturday. To make our win against Virginia Tech on Saturday even better would be to validate our effort, toughness, and playing well against Louisville tonight. It wasn't perfect. There were times where we struggled on both ends of the floor but one of the things we talk about is stepping up and making plays when plays need to be had. When we needed a defensive stop, we got a defensive stop. When we needed a basket, we made a basket. I am really proud of our guys."

How do you handle the time from now until Saturday against NC State…
"We have tomorrow off and then we will start with our preparation for NC State. They are very talented and a very good basketball team with a terrific coaching staff. They play extremely well at home. It is late February and we have talked about this as a team. It is not the time to take a deep breath, get relaxed, and take your foot off the gas pedal. It is to act the opposite and floor it in terms of our preparation, practice, and play. We are focused on what is ahead and our preparation for NC State, for us to continue as a team to get better and better. There is not a time to rest."

On utilizing the bench players…
"I am looking at the production. I felt like the four minutes that Kerwin (Walton) was in, he did some nice things defensively and got a steal and a couple rebounds. Those are beneficial to us. I thought Dontrez (Styles) athleticism in the four minutes that he was in allowed us on both ends of the floor to match up with their size and athleticism. I thought Puff (Johnson) was fantastic off the bench. I don't just look at the points. I look at the energy, effort, and the plays. One of the biggest plays was Puff in the corner and the bounce pass to Brady (Manek) for two. His ability to make plays with his length and versatility. We did not have a lot of minutes off the bench but the minutes that were played by Dontrez, Puff, and Kerwin were very beneficial for us to have success and win tonight."

What stood out to you in recruiting Brady Manek to North Carolina…
"His ability as a shooter and how he plays the game. Obviously, he has a skill that is unique because he can shoot the basketball with great size. Immediately when I saw the film, that is what I saw. I also saw his ability to pass the basketball and make fundamental plays consistently on both ends of the floor. Also, his success in the Big 12. For four years, he was a starter and put up big numbers, played in big moments and situations. When I saw it on tape and that confirmation when I talked to him the first couple times, I knew he was a Carolina guy and would be a joy to coach. Everyone keeps telling me to enjoy it because it is rare. I really enjoy coaching him and being around him. It feels like Brady has been around here for four years. I am so thankful for him and his family for trusting me and trusting this university and this program. For somebody that has never lived outside of Oklahoma, to just decide and play for a coach in his first year and a new place. The team loves him and he is part of Carolina Basketball for the rest of his life."

Do you try and get Brady Manek involved early…
"That is the unique thing. I call very few specific plays for him. The ball just finds him. He knows how to get to open spots. He knows how to set ball screens, when to pop, and when to roll. He is a fantastic screener and because he is an excellent passer, it puts him in position to shoot and score. I am sure the scouting report for everyone is don't leave Brady (open) but he finds a way to be open. I know another thing for Brady is that he can score around the basket. There are some guys that can shoot when they are wide open but struggle when a defender is close behind him. Brady isn't that. He can hit contested shots. If you put a smaller guy on him, he can post up. If you put a bigger guy on him, he can shoot threes. His last basket when he put the ball on the floor and it was a jump shot at the baseline, he can put the ball on the floor and hit a mid-range jump shot. That was such a big time play by Brady."

On holding Louisville to three points in the last six minutes…
"Our energy and effort in the last three minutes of the game was the best we played defensively. I felt at times we were tired. The game that we played against Virginia Tech on Saturday and the guys that played big minutes were fatigued at times especially on the defensive end. Our rotations and close outs were not consistently great. Louisville was able to get to the basket and score consistently in the paint. Then, we did a better job of guarding the ball. RJ (Davis) and Caleb (Love) did a really good job on the ball with their pressure. Our bigs were up at the point of the screen where it didn't allow Louisville's guards to get downhill and it put our bigs in better position to close out to the pick-and-pop guy which allowed us to stay at home with their shooters. One of the things that I always say is the ball is the problem. If you just take care of the ball, everything else will take care of itself. Those last three minutes, I thought we did an excellent job of defending on the ball and allowed us to be in position to guard off the ball because of our job that we did on the ball."

On his 20^th head coaching win…
"I haven't really had time to think about it. To be honest with you, I am just happy when we win. It is a big deal to get to 20 wins. Obviously, it is not our goal and standard and where we want to stop. Over the last three years, we haven't gotten to 20 wins. What I am proud of is that it is great we have gotten to 20 wins and how we have gotten there. This group has gone through a lot. We have gone through injuries, lineup changes, and we are here. Not necessarily focusing on the 20^th win but focusing on how much we have had to preserve to get to this point. I am really proud of the guys but I am not taking a deep breath, our team is not taking a deep breath, and not relaxing at all. We have tomorrow off and then it is full steam ahead with our preparation for a really good NC State team on Saturday afternoon but it feels good right now."

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University of North Carolina Athletics

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Brady Manek

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