	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

February 21, 2011

Sidney Lowe

COACH LOWE: Just came off of a tough ballgame. And I thought our kids are really fought well and fought back in the first half. Didn't defend as well as we would have liked to in the second half and couldn't get the win.

Q. Can you talk about the impact that Tracy Smith has had in his four years under you?
COACH LOWE: Oh, yeah, Tracy has grown basically every year. His freshman year he didn't play a lot. But when he finally got his opportunity, we saw how much of a factor he can be for this ballclub and for this university. He's continued to get better every year.
He's our go-to guy. He had somewhat of a setback this year with his knee but he's had a very good career here and has really worked his way up to being where he is today.

Q. Would you sort of talk about what you've seen from Harrow as he's gotten into conference play. Certainly he was playing some in your non-conference schedule, and once you're in the ACC part of it, he's been in there pretty heavily. What are you seeing from him now as far as his development goes?
COACH LOWE: I see him growing. I see him growing in terms of he's getting better at learning how to run the team. Get guys shots. He's been accustomed to just coming down and taking shots any time and basically every time when he was in high school because he had to carry his team.
And I think he's making that adjustment now to realize he's got some teammates that are certainly capable of helping him, and he doesn't have to put as of much pressure on himself. So I think that's an adjustment for him, which is tough for guys that are used to having the ball in their hands.
But he's certainly getting better at that. He still looks to score, but he's understanding the other aspect of it. I see him getting better. Just recognizing the situations. When we talk about things and how to run certain things, he remembers how to and where to get the ball in the right position and things of that nature.
So this is a tough job for a point guard he's in there a lot of minutes, and he's doing well. There's going to be some ups and downs because he's a freshman. But I'm very pleased with his progress.

Q. In high school, like you were saying, he was a big scorer, scored a lot. His shooting percentage is not all that high. What are you seeing there as far as why he's maybe not more consistent, is he just adjusting to defense or what's happening there?
COACH LOWE: I think it's a couple of things. I think he's adjusting to the defense. The players on this level are better than the kids that he played against in high school, which is normal, and he's playing in the ACC.
I think sometimes with a player that's been accustomed to being able to shoot it any time he wanted to now to get on this level, and I would say in high school, you see it all around the country. Their best player, if he's taking most of the shots, then he might take four bad shots out of his 16 in a high school game. So now if you do that here, if you don't take good shots, you're not going to shoot a good percentage.
So I think it's a combination of knowing which shots to take, and then just making the adjustment to this level. It's a tough, tough adjustment, and guys are bigger when you go inside now. Where Ryan, he could really go and get to the basket against anyone in high school. You get there and float it over the big guys, now the guys here are just bigger. So he's making that adjustment.

Q. You've had one game against North Carolina already. What particular problems does a player such as John Henson pose for you?
COACH LOWE: I think just his ability to impact the game from both ends. He can impact it from the defensive end as well as anyone in the country, I think, with his shot blocking ability, his intimidation down there. Then he can affect it by running the floor offensively because he gets down the floor.
With both of those, it can cause you some problems especially from an offensive standpoint. If you're trying to establish something and he's there altering shots and things of that nature, he makes you play the right way.
If you want to beat them, you have to be smart and you have to play the right way. That means that you've got to be able to attack him, and you can't shoot over him. He's going to get it, or you've got to use that against him some way. But he can just impact the game on both ends of the floor.

Q. When you mention that shot blocking too, is there any advice you will offer your players this week in going against any kind of touches on if you shoot it right on him, he's going to knock it down?
COACH LOWE: Yeah, you know, you can't -- it's hard. If he's taller than you and you shoot it at him, you can't avoid him. Shot blockers you can't avoid and try to get it over them because they're going to get it. You have more success if you try to go right at them and force them to make a great play and maybe you get the foul. But at the same time, we have to be smart too. If it's not there, don't force it.

Q. Do you have an update on Rich for me?
COACH LOWE: Yeah, he's actually going to meet with the doc. He's got a break coming up in his class. He's going to meet with doc. But I talked to doc last night, and he wasn't good last night. It was a little more serious than we thought it was.
He tried to stand up one time and got dizzy and had to sit back down. I talked to him a little bit and asked him a few questions to see where he was. So we're going to wait. He's got a break in his class, and he's going to see a doc.

Q. Has he been diagnosed with a concussion?
COACH LOWE: No, it's not a concussion, no.

Q. So you think he'll play Wednesday?
COACH LOWE: I'm hoping so. I'm expecting. You know, he talked about going back in game last night. But they wouldn't let him go in. Now I don't know if he could have, but he talked about it.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297