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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

January 24, 2011

Sidney Lowe

COACH LOWE: Coming off of a third win against Miami at home. We definitely need it, and the guys played hard. I think we played two consecutive games now where we came out with great energy. It's going to take the same type of effort down in Clemson.

Q. When you get into the grind of the ACC season and have an emotional win like you did against Miami. How long do you enjoy that win before you immediately start thinking about Clemson?
COACH LOWE: Well, start thinking about Clemson last night. It was an afternoon game, a noon game so we had enough time, obviously, to kind of relax a few hours and watch film and get ready, so it wasn't long at all. We were able to watch film yesterday.

Q. How important is it to get a performance like you've gotten with that energy? How much more difficult is it to get that kind of energy on the road than it is at home?
COACH LOWE: It's very much so. You have to have that energy if you want to win on the road. Having said that, it's difficult for some, for some teams and certain types of players. You have to understand the mental toughness to win on the road as a player.
And sometimes lack of experience can prevent that unless you have some people that really just have a great game for you. Because you don't have your fans behind you, and when you make a run, you know they're going to make a run. And you have to be able to handle that and you have to be poised and in control of yourself and of the game. And sometimes on the road, as Tony was just talking, it's a difficult thing.

Q. You've talked a lot about C.J. Leslie a kid blessed with NBA explosion and athleticism. But you've talked a lot about how much he's had to learn about the nuances of the game. And just wondered what you think you found surprising about his levels of involvement in the game?
COACH LOWE: I think he's found that there are players out here that are definitely capable of being better at times. I think he found out that there are players that he can't just walk out on the court and decide I'm better than that like he did in high school. He realized guys are bigger, guys are stronger than he played against in high school.
And he's got to continue to get better and learn and get stronger himself. I think there's been a number of things. I know just him going to the basket and getting the shot blocked and realizing that he's got to go in a little bit stronger than he did the first time, which he will do, so he's learning a lot.

Q. How responsive has he been to that reality that it ain't the same game at the college level as it is in high school?
COACH LOWE: You know, I think he's -- he hears what we're saying and he can see it. It's something some young players today, especially the talented ones, and sometimes that's what makes them good. They feel no one can stop them. Even if you stop them, you say you can't stop me the next time.
But he understands he's got to go hard. So he's responsive to the listening, and you know he's watched film with coaches individually to see what's going on out there. See where he can gain an advantage.

Q. (Indiscernible) minutes took a dip in December and then again through January. But he's played over24 in the last two games. Just why did you lower his minutes there for those two stretches?
COACH LOWE: I didn't necessarily lower his minutes. It was probably a combination of a couple of things. You know, C.J. was playing well, so he was able to get a few more minutes there.
When you're playing the same position as a guy that can play, you're really only talking about, if you share the minutes, you're talking about 20 minutes a game.
One of the guys that's playing a little bit better that day and your team is playing better that day, then that 20 could go to 24, so that's going to knock the other guys out. Then 24, the extra four minutes, it's a lot. But it's not really a major difference. It's certainly enough time for guys to be effective.
So I didn't drop his minutes, I think it's just more or less C.J.'s playing well. Now Rich is playing well. That is the reason we actually tried the big lineup too. Not only because of the foul situation with Scott Wood, but Rich has been productive. That's why we went with the big lineup.

Q. This kind of reminds me of Tracy's sophomore year. You prefer to have somebody to bring off the bench, a big man to bring off the bench. You were hesitant to use all three of them at the same time. Just like in Tracy's sophomore year, do you see a similarity in there with using Rich and using that lineup this time of the year?
COACH LOWE: Well, this time of the year I'm not really concerned. When we started, we started with a, not the rotation, but the lineup, and we were going to play off of that. Now we're in ACC play, and you have to have your best players on the floor.
Now the substitution patterns will change a little bit, but you have to have your most productive players on the floor. So I'm not heading with an attempt to play Richard, C.J., and Tracy together even though it's three of our Top 5 big men on the court at the same time.
You just have to watch the rotations and the substitutions because you don't want them all in there and they all get tired at the same time. And now that you have one or two of them in there, and you have to bring them off the bench, and the other two in the game are tired. So they can't give you anything when they come back anyway, so I think we have to be careful with the rotations.

Q. You faced Nolan Smith and Reggie Jackson. They played against each other in Durham-Raleigh this week. Can you compare their games? They're 1-2 in the ACC in both points and assists.
COACH LOWE: I'll tell you, they're similar. They're similar in the sense that they both can attack you. Either with the pass, with the dribble or they can shoot the basketball but they both have great, great quickness, and they're long and they're athletic.
If they get you on the side at all, if they gain the slightest advantage, you're not going to stop them. It's hard to cut them off because they're so strong, they're very similar. Also they ball control. They control the team. They make big plays for their team.
So, yes, there's no mystery why they're where they are. They both are very good basketball players and I think they're both great competitors too. They're great competitors.

End of FastScripts

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