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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

January 10, 2011

Paul Hewitt

THE MODERATOR: We have with us now Georgia Tech head basketball coach Paul Hewitt. Coach, if you could, a few comments about your team, then we'll open it up for questions.
COACH HEWITT: Well, we're disappointed with the result of the first ACC game against Boston College. We've been looking for some inside scoring the last couple weeks. Kammeon Holsey stepped up and had 17 points against BC on Saturday. I think if that trend continues, along with Daniel Miller, his improved play, that will mean good things as we move forward into our game against Clemson.
THE MODERATOR: We'll open it up for questions for Coach Hewitt.

Q. Paul, two of your last three games, Holsey has 13 points and 18 points. When he's going well like that, what are the things that make him effective?
COACH HEWITT: He's coming off an ACL from last year. When he has those games like you saw, it's because his legs are sore. He couldn't actually practice yesterday. Kind of take it easy because he was pretty sore. Probably logged the most minutes he's logged all year.
Gave him the day off yesterday. I'm not sure what we're going to be able to do today with the weather. At this point doesn't look like we're going to be able to get out of our respective houses to get to the gym.
I think when his legs are fresh and strong, he's a pretty good consistent double-figure scorer.

Q. Is that typical for a guy coming off that injury, that first year back, it will bother them the whole season?
COACH HEWITT: This is the first time I've had a player who had an ACL. That's what you've heard. Typically it takes them about a year to completely make it back.

Q. You went to the big lineup a few days ago with Miller and Holsey.
COACH HEWITT: I think it's worked out very well. Especially, like I say, when Kam is feeling active, he's moving well, he can really score. Both of them are very, very good passers. We've been trying to encourage Daniel to get a little bit more aggressive when he gets the ball in the low paint area. He's unselfish to a fault, which is not all bad. I think he has a side of his game, Daniel, which he should really take advantage of, which is the ability to score.

Q. How about Nate Hicks, the other center? He hasn't had the minutes quite as much lately.
COACH HEWITT: Again, I think it's more because the other guys are playing pretty well. Boston College is a tough matchup because of how they run their offense. But I would expect that he'll play against Clemson. More of a halfcourt. They've got some pretty good size. He had an excellent practice yesterday. That's one thing I appreciate about that young man: regardless of how many minutes he plays, he comes out and plays hard. There's no question his future is very, very bright.

Q. Could you talk a little bit about the play of Mfon Udofia. He averaged about four points a game last year. Saturday he comes off the bench, hits four or five from the floor, has 14 points in 20 minutes.
COACH HEWITT: Yeah, he's a guy that we certainly count onto help set a tone or maintain the tone defensively. Offensively he's a little bit more aggressive in terms of getting to the basket.
We like the idea of bringing him off the bench because we think he gives us a lot of energy and toughness off the bench. We settled down a little early in the game against Boston College. He and Nick Foreman kind of lead a spark. Second half, he was on the bench. We got the game to three points; just couldn't get over the hump.
Again, I think what he brings us is a lot of toughness and energy off the bench.

Q. Iman Shumpert has been your lockdown jumper on the perimeter. With you needing more offense out of him this year, with the cramps that he has had, is that a little more difficult for you?
COACH HEWITT: No. He's a very good athlete. He's a well-conditioned athlete. The cramping thing, I think we're getting down to the bottom of it. I don't think it bothered him that much on Saturday.
He's capable of doing it. When you look at some of the close losses we've had, I can't really pin it on his fatigue and things like that. You've seen the games. It's a shot here or a shot there that could have made the difference. Charlotte, Georgia, those games were definitely there for us to take them.

Q. Coach, I was looking at your stats. Shumpert leads you in points, rebounds, assists and steals. Have you ever had a player who topped you in four categories in one season like that?
COACH HEWITT: No. We did have a kid at Villanova, Kerry Kittles, that did that one year. Shumpert, he's having a tremendous season. He's missed some significant parts of second halves of games where he's on his way to having a big game.
Down against Richmond, down in Atlantis, The Bahamas, he was on his way to having a 30-, 35-point game. He had to miss a significant amount of time because of cramps. The same against UGA, 17, 18 at the half. I think we're starting to get to the point where we're going to manage that a lot better and go through the rest of the year and not have that issue come up.
He's starting to shoot the ball better. If he shoots the ball more consistently, he'll have an all-league type season. In all other areas - rebounding, defensively, passing - he's playing at a very high level.
THE MODERATOR: Coach, thanks for taking time being with us today.

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