UNC-ETSU Postgame Quotes

POSTGAME QUOTES
UNC 77, ETSU 58
DECEMBER 16, 2025
DEAN E. SMITH CENTER, CHAPEL HILL, N.C.

UNC Head Coach Hubert Davis
On the team's patterns of slow starts…
"There's no other road, there's no other route, there's no other way. You can't push a button and recalculate. You know, it's not going to give you another route. The only way for us to be successful is we've got to be a really good defensive team. We've got to rebound the basketball, and on the offensive end, we have to make the easy play…and when we check those three boxes, it leads to everything else on both ends of the floor to allow us to be successful."

On James Brown's contributions to the team…
"He is not a good teammate - he's an amazing and great teammate. He's always talking in the locker room, in the huddle during practice. He's someone that loves this place and wants to be a part of the winning."

On Jarin Stevenson's performance tonight…
"With his size and versatility, I just think he's a matchup nightmare."

UNC Forward Caleb Wilson
On Henri Veesaar's performance tonight…
"He's a great player. You know, we work really well together. I was able to get some assists off him tonight. So it was good for sure. Great game by him."

On the work to be done before conference play starts…
"Just attention to details and having strong starts, no matter the competition we play. As long as we pay attention to what the team is doing that we're playing and execute our game plan, I feel like it'll be good for us."

On Jonathan Powell's spark off the bench…
"That definitely gives us a great lift. JP is a great player, and every game he's showing more and more of what he can do. So I'm really proud of him."

On playing in his hometown on Saturday…
"I think it'll be great. I definitely haven't been to Atlanta in like five or six months, so it'll be fun for sure. But, you know, atmosphere doesn't really matter to me. I'm just gonna go out there and play my hardest."

UNC Guard Kyan Evans
On how the team goes about defensive rebounding…
"Coach Davis explains it as, 'Who wants it more?' That's the kind of mindset our team has. Who's gonna go get the ball? Who wants it more? Who's gonna do what they need to get it?.. Not that much tactical stuff…it's about having the heart to go get it."

On how to handle energy with smaller crowds…
"Every game in the Smith Center is a big one. At North Carolina, if you can't get up for a game in front of the crowd that we have every night, no matter if it is a winter game, it is a problem. So we treat every game the same, and we always get up for them"

On adjusting to a changed lineup…
"I think I can adjust to anything, whatever Coach Davis is going to do, I believe in it, and I trust him. Whatever Coach does, I'll be there."

UNC Guard/Forward Jonathan Powell
On what shifted in the second half…
"I think the main thing was just our energy and effort on defense, and if we're willing to get the stops. I think in the first couple of minutes of the second half, we were able to get stops, create energy, and that led to our offense and allowed us to get a big lead….In games like these, knowing that the fans might not be into it – like they might be in other games – we've got to create our own energy. So, like you guys saw in the first half, we weren't doing it, and at the end of the second of the first half, we picked it up, and then carried it on to the second half. And that's the reason we won the game."

On the opportunity to play early minutes off the bench…
"It feels good to be able to come in and create energy for my team – if the energy is down, just being that spark plug that we might need to get us going, and really just doing what I need to do to help my team."

On an emphasis on improving defense…
"Coach Davis made it very clear that that's something we've got to do. I mean, we're a great, great rebounding team, but it's just making an effort to go box out your man and go get a rebound. So really, just staying consistent with that and helping us limit teams against second chance opportunities."

UNC Center Henri Veesaar
On what went right tonight…
"I feel like we just had overall great team ball movement in being able to move the ball side to side. We were finding easy pocket passes, and with me being strong with the ball around the rim, finishing towards the basket, and not leaning away. I think that made a huge impact that let me be efficient."

On creating consistent energy…
"We're always going to try to have the best effort we can for 40 minutes. But sometimes we're going to hit adversity, and things are sometimes not going to go the way we want. We just stayed together as a group and worked together – didn't get separated, didn't get in our heads, and just played team basketball. And that's it. On defense, just being disciplined – staying down, being aggressive, and just communicating and talking. And if we do that, we're going to be good."

On the message at halftime…
"I feel like we let them hang in for the first 16 minutes, and then we kind of pushed the start button, turned it up a little notch, and then we just kept going. At halftime, we spoke about how it's our game. We dictate how we play; they're not dictating us. So, kind of just asserting our will and the way we want to play was a huge part, because they played slow, and they were kind of trying to muddy up the game and limit the possession. So every shot, every rebound, is more valuable, because you might be if you give up offensive rebounds, they're going to be on offense for a whole minute, not 30 seconds."

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University of North Carolina Athletics

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Players Mentioned

James Brown

Kyan Evans

Jonathan Powell

Jarin Stevenson

Henri Veesaar

Caleb Wilson

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