UNC-Miami Quotes

03/01/2025

NORTH CAROLINA 92, MIAMI 73

DEAN E. SMITH CENTER

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.

Miami Coach Bill Courtney

Opening Statement…

"Carolina played well. Good team. They are playing well right now. They are sharing the basketball and playing like a team. I thought we did a good job on RJ Davis in the first half in particular, and the other guys stepped up. Seth Trimble buried a couple of three's, then Wither's buried a couple of three's. And you know when they shoot like that they are hard to guard because they are so good off the bounce. They present a lot of challenges. Not just for us, but other teams as well. They are a NCAA tournament team and I wish Hubert and those guys nothing but the best down the stretch."

Seth Trimble

On why they needed a wakeup call during the first timeout in the first half…

"We were asleep a little bit. You know, noon game, playing teams at the bottom of the conference… You may overlook it, and that's when things can go wrong. So, I think that's why we kind of had that four point lead [and a] slow start. We just kind of came out [of] the gate expecting for them just to hand it to us. But Miami doesn't want to lose these games, so we kind of had to just understand that and go take it."

On what they got out of this game…

"Can't take [anybody] for granted. Especially come March and the ACC Tournament, and after that, March Madness. Wherever we are, we may play a team that maybe isn't getting the record or isn't as good of a talent [like] we have on our roster. But you can't overlook anybody, because we know what can happen. You know what happens when March comes– there's always a Cinderella story somewhere."

On whether they're playing 'postseason-style' basketball with no room for error…

"We've kind of had that chip on our shoulder, yeah– that extra edge– because we don't have too much room for error. If we would have lost this game, we would have absolutely been done– or if we lost the game before at Florida State. We know it's kind of a do-or-die. We know the situation that we're in, but everybody's embracing it and kind of taking it on the chin and accepting it."

On having so many players scoring and contributing lately…

"Everybody's vocal. Everybody's chipping in. Everybody's trying to be a leader in their own part. And even when guys aren't scoring or guys aren't rebounding, that's still what we need from them. That's what we're going to need from here on out with Virginia Tech and Duke in the regular season, and that we need in the ACC Tournament to try to put ourselves in a good position. It really helps our team."

Ven-Allen Lubin

On what worked well today…

"I liked the offensive execution and the way we shared the ball and took care of the ball. We've been getting really good shots and finding the right people at the right time."

On his offense…

"I try to give max effort on the offensive end to really try to get offensive boards and get more opportunities around the rim. And obviously, I want to give credit to my teammates for being able to find me."

On finding his role…

"I have been trying to find myself and find my role. In the start it was pretty challenging. But then eventually, I got comfortable. I had numerous talks with Coach Davis just to figure out what he wants from me and what he expects me to do."

On his conversations with Coach Davis…

"He has a belief in me. He has faith in things I'm capable of doing. I'm just helping out this team and myself and have faith because the coaches instilled confidence."

On the offensive balance…

"Everybody is talented enough to make shots. Whenever the ball finds anybody at the right moment, we expect them to make shots and to move the ball to find the right guy. It's really a credit to all of us and just trusting each other and continuing to move the ball and find an offensive flow.

Drake Powell

On the recent practices…

"I feel like our practices have been great leading up to our games with our preparation and our attention to detail. We still have little lapses in the game, but we just want to keep building."

On the winning streak…

"I think guys are just stepping up at the right time. At this point in the season, we want to be playing our best basketball and I think we're doing that."

On his mentality…

"I'd say that I'm buying in more to our preparation and discipline. I'm trying to do better at that and just continue to grow.

Jae'Lyn Withers

On his mindset changing now that it's March…

"I would say that performance right there kind of makes us understand that we really have to lock in, especially with the competition coming up as well as, you know, playing in the tournament coming up."

On things that he has changed for his personal game in the last few games…

"I was really just staying confident. Anytime I see a shot that I usually work on, that I have worked on in the months leading up to this, I just, you know, take it if I think it's a good shot. Especially if I'm repping it out day in and day out."

On feeling a spark within the team…

"The biggest thing has been, you know, just bringing that energy to effort. I think that's been a big thing. I'm making sure that everybody's vocal on the court."

RJ Davis

On what is clicking for them…

"I just think our overall intent in the game, doing a good job of just sticking to the game plan, but at the same time playing together. I think we had another game with a lot of guys in double figures, so I think that just shows the contribution from everyone."

On Ven-Allen Lubin's play…

"He's making his presence felt. I think he's doing a good job and we're doing a good job kind of just feeding the post, but then also he's being the force down low in the paint when the ball goes up in the air, offensively and defensively. He's able to kind of just get easy points like that, but at the same time, we're making them available and I'm just proud of him."

On the ball movement being better today…

"Yeah, it was one possession. I think the ball went from one side of the court to the other side of the court and then Ven [Allen Lubin] finished it off with a layup. So, I just think that shows the connectivity that kind of just like the past five games that we've been playing with."1

Hubert Davis

On why his passionate timeout

"I just didn't think the discipline and details, things that we talk about that have to be there consistently, wasn't happening in that stretch in regards to taking care of the basketball, boxing out, rebounding, getting through screens, talking on defense, contesting shots, defending without fouling, and I wanted to take a timeout to communicate that to them."

On Ven-Allen Lubin's strong play and impact inside

"He (Ven) has been a consistent rim presence for us over the last five or six games. We can throw the ball into the post and we can score. Teams defensively have been playing 15, which means switching everything on the ball, and so when teams do that, you have to punish them with the advantage."

On keeping the team focused on the next game instead of looking ahead to Duke

"The only thing that is of importance to us is what is right in front of us. The opportunity to be able to compete against a Virginia Tech team on their home floor is something that we're focused and zeroed in on."

On Noise…

"Noise comes from two different directions. It comes from the direction of criticism, and then it comes from the direction of praise, and the hardest noise to deal with is the one of praise."

On Team Communication…

"You have to communicate. You've got to get to know each other. You've got to know how to communicate with each other. And I think we're really starting to find that now."

On Coach-Team Relationship…

"I require the guys to stop by the office at least three times a week, and if they don't, I run them. You can't play for me unless you know me."

Players Mentioned

RJ Davis

Ven-Allen Lubin

Drake Powell

Seth Trimble

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