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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

February 7, 2011

Frank Haith

COACH HAITH: We're coming off our best week in ACC play where we put two games together back-to-back. Really encouraged by that and encouraged by the fact that we were able to win two tight ballgames.
Seems like every game we've played in league play has come down to the last minute. It was good to see our team come through and win two tight ballgames, and the game going into overtime and winning that ballgame. We're looking forward to moving on this week after having our best week in ACC play.

Q. What do you feel like the ability, the fact that you guys have won two close games here in a row, what do you feel that does for the confidence of your team after some of the struggles before?
COACH HAITH: Well, I think obviously you can only utilize the experiences you've had before. We had four tight losses, and it came down to the last possession. And to have two wins, I think you can look back and say that you've grown from those four losses. We've gotten better.
We did execute really well, particularly in the Virginia game and late in that ballgame. Although in the Georgia Tech game we had some turnover problems there late, but we were able to find a way to win in the end and not totally collapse.
But I think our team is starting to feel better about themselves. It's just when you've had some success, and you have a little bit more confidence. And now we've got to achieve our next goal, and that is winning one on the road.
It's good to have these two wins going into the next phase of our season in terms of trying to win a game on the road.

Q. I'm writing something about Reggie Johnson. I was curious if you could take me back to what you remember about him when you are recruiting him? What stood out about him? What you really liked about him?
COACH HAITH: Well, I like all the things we see in Reggie now. He wasn't that highly recruited. And he wasn't a kid -- I mean, I think it came down to us and TCU recruiting him. But I saw a young man that I thought if he got his weight down, because he has good hands and good mobility for a kid, and he was running about 350 at that time. For a kid that weighed that much in terms of getting down the court, and he had a nice touch.
So obviously he's gotten a lot better. I think the big part of his success is getting his weight down. We'd still like to see him lose a little bit more too. He'll be even more agile if he lost some more weight. He's coming as a player. I think his best basketball's still ahead of him.

Q. What do you feel he needs to do to take his game up to that next level?
COACH HAITH: Just what I talked about there in terms of continuing to get his weight down. Continuing in terms of his work ethic and pushing himself and being willing to get out of his comfort zone a little bit, because his skillset is good.
He can pass out of double teams. We saw against Virginia they doubled him, and he also can read double teams when he's on his game. The more experience he gets on the court, the better he's going to be. I think you'll see that. And just his willingness to push himself and get out of the comfort zone.

Q. Wanted to ask you about Ryan Brown, and just how it was you ended up signing this kid out of Georgia. He was a highly touted recruit. But the recruiting process of getting him and what you've seen from him in the first few months coaching him?
COACH HAITH: Ryan's a highly sought out player. He's very athletic. He can score the ball. He played in a little small town in high school, but he played for a popular AAU team. So he got a lot of recruitment. We were very fortunate to get him.
Coach Moore did a nice job in the recruiting process. But he's a very good player. He's starting to come into his own. It's just like most freshmen. It takes time. And halfway through ACC play, he's getting more minutes, but he's also playing with a lot more confidence.
I think it takes that time. I don't care what level player you are coming in. You've got to get court time. It just takes a while. You're starting to see him play to the level I think he's capable of. I think he has a chance to be a special player.
One of the things I love about Ryan is he's fearless. I mean, he's got that style, that toughness about himself that he's not afraid to make plays, and I like that about him.

Q. You said the other night after the game against Virginia that you actually drew up the play for him. Is this a guy that's getting much more involved in your offense that you're drawing up more plays and giving him more opportunities?
COACH HAITH: There is no question about that. I do feel like he doesn't have a problem with it. Even though he's a freshman, obviously you need that court time to get better and get your confidence. But he can get his shot off, and that is number one.
Particularly late game, I felt like the play we drew up, he would have a chance to get his shot off, which is what you want because the defense was really tight in late games.
The other thing too he's got that confidence to make that shot. We will incorporate Brian a lot more in our offense because I think he's a guy that can be a double figure scoring, maybe not this year, but he can have a double figure scoring game.
We need that out of him after people are zeroing in on Reggie, and Malcolm and Durand, and you look at Garrius is starting to play well. But there is are no doubt that we'd love to have another guy that can put some points on the board.

Q. Are the guys over the flu bug yet? I know it's been an ongoing thing for your guys?
COACH HAITH: I think for the most part. I haven't seen them today. But I saw Durand yesterday, and he was feeling a lot better. He had two tough games and I know he was really hampered with it the worst, probably.
Then Garrius was on Saturday, and he had struggled with it, and Malcolm., so neither one of those guys practiced the day before.
The bigger concern is Reggie Johnson, to be honest with you. He's got some reaction in his foot. So we'll see how that goes. He didn't practice the day before the game against Virginia. I think he's going to be tabled at practice and right now we'll see what the doctors say today.

Q. In view of a couple of player defections this week in the ACC, can you discuss the delicate balance you sometimes have to fight with players that might get tugged at by family or friends or other advisors from outside the program trying to convince them that things are in their best interest that aren't in the team's best interest. That may be counter to what you're trying to teach or tell them? Is that ever a problem or something you have to deal with?
COACH HAITH: Well, I tell you, it's interesting you say that. I've been in it 25 years. That has always been an issue, but I think it's more relevant right now. It seems to be.
As coaches, you're always, in the recruiting process, you're dealing with different people other than parents. Then when you get them, there is no question you're having to deal with those types of things. The expectations, I think everybody wants players -- they live in a microwave society. They want it to happen quickly, and they want it to happen right now.
As coaches, we've got to do what's best for the team in order to give us a chance to win. Dealing with those personalities becomes juggling those personalities and juggling the outside influences is something that's hard to do. All you can do is focus on your players.

Q. Do you do anything preemptively when recruiting kids and talking to parents saying this is how I'm going to handle things. I don't want you calling me up in the middle of the season saying my kids aren't playing enough or should be starting?
COACH HAITH: I think the one thing obviously in the recruiting process, we -- not try -- we're very honest with our expectations in terms of how we view their son being involved in our program. The other thing is we do express that. We can talk about academics. We can talk about anything off the court. But when it comes to playing time, we're not going to discuss that during the year.
We can have that discussion at the end of the year, but it's something that we try not to stay away from. Now have I had that conversations with a parent? Absolutely, because sometimes you're going to be forced to deal with it.

End of FastScripts

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