	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 28, 2011

Steve Donahue

COACH DONAHUE: We had an interesting week a very rough game at home versus Miami. I thought they came out and got into us and took it to us early. Fought back, but obviously didn't play extremely well throughout the game.
Proud of our effort Saturday responding to a team like Virginia who has been playing well. We did a great job on the road especially defensively. Obviously, playing a team like Virginia Tech who is playing extremely well again on the road here on Tuesday.

Q. What did you think you guys did very well in that first meeting you want to duplicate tomorrow?
COACH DONAHUE: You know, watching obviously we all watch our previous game when you have it. I think we're different as we continue to grow this program, so I don't know how much I can get out of that.
But I think a couple things are critical to our success in whatever game we play. We have to be very good with the basketball. It's just something that if we don't do well, we don't have the athletic ability and the defensive athletic ability to overcome that.
So if we're great with the ball and we limit turnovers and we're sharing it and making shots, I think, for us, it's critical. It gives us a chance to set our defense and obviously gets the flow of the game in our favor.
I thought we did that at our place for the most part. We controlled the tempo, and got good looks and hence we played pretty solid half court defense.

Q. Can you talk about this trend for three games now of having trouble hitting that first field goal? Has it become a psychological thing, and what can you do to work on that in practice?
COACH DONAHUE: Joe Jones my assistant and I were just talking about that. Earlier in the year we were coming out and real he'll getting off to great starts and we'd hit a lull and teams would get back into the games. People were always questioning me like what's happening? You're up 15, up 17, up 18 and letting teams back in the game.
You know what, I think there are a couple of things you can do about the mindset and coming out strong and ready to play. We'll try to do some things, maybe some set calls, get guys looks.
But really we need to talk about it as a group and emphasize how important it is to get off to good starts on on the road. The funny part about two road games at Carolina and the Virginia game that you're referring to is that we played pretty good defense early on. People don't realize that sometimes that we're guarding and getting some stops.
Even though we're not scoring the basketball, I'm not that dissatisfied because I sense that we're playing pretty good defense. If we continue to do what we want on the offensive end, we'll get it.
But people look at the scoreboard and say you're down 7-2, and there are 12 minutes left to go in the half. Obviously I want to score, but defense is also a huge part of this.

Q. Also I noticed you only use three guys off the bench in Saturday's game. Was that by design or just in the flow of how the game went?
COACH DONAHUE: I think it is by design. We're changing as my first year with this program, trying to figure out exactly what we can do each week to get better, and that's where we're at right now. I feel comfortable with those guys. They've proven that they can play. Obviously went with a smaller lineup, and I felt more comfortable with that as well. Defensively, offensively, all those things.
As of right now, that's where we feel we're at. It is by design, for sure.

Q. Who do you have in the Etiwanda-Long Beach Poly game tonight?
COACH DONAHUE: It's at Poly, is it not?

Q. I think it's in Anaheim, neutral site.
COACH DONAHUE: I've seen both teams play quite a bit. Poly is extremely talented, but that Etiwanda team is a fun team to watch. They have a bunch of kids that are not recruited from high school. Just kids from the area, and it's a fun group of kids that are playing really well. Obviously I've got to stay neutral on that one.

Q. I'm doing a story on the ACC Tournament. What are your impressions of that? You'll be a first year coach, one of three in the league. What are you looking forward to with that tournament coming up some?
COACH DONAHUE: If I take a step back and think about the ACC Tournament, it was from my initial start of loving basketball, that was the tournament, the ACC Tournament. My father really loved college basketball, and he talked about it and we used to watch it.
Obviously I think the first memories are the early '70s, that David Thompson team at N.C. State and all those great Carolina teams at the time. But I think it's the purest basketball setting that you have.
This is nothing against the other leagues, but we're going to Greensboro, North Carolina, we're all there for basketball. There is no other reason why you're there. It's such a hot bed for college basketball, and such passion in the stands. Really good basketball teams, great coaches, kids playing the right way. I'm just excited about that kind of atmosphere.
As a fan, I've never attended as a fan, I would have loved to have done that just because of those reasons.

Q. Maybe a little more intense than the regular season, I imagine?
COACH DONAHUE: You've got to imagine with so much on the line for so many teams, you're playing for your lives, for sure in terms of the NCAA Tournament. So I would expect the level of intensity and attention to detail for so many teams. There are probably two that are guaranteed to go, and everybody else is going to be really trying to play there are way in.

Q. As media guys we do a lot of speculation on bubble teams and everything. Joe Lunardi had you guys as one of the last four or first four teams out, which obviously could change too. But do you look at that or pay any attention to that speculation?
COACH DONAHUE: I really don't. I've always thought it was not good for me mentally to think in those terms. Some guys can handle it. There are other guys in this business that have a great way of handling the media attention and putting it into their guys' minds.
I'm just trying to look at my team, figure out ways that we can get better. Do little things in terms of practice sessions and try to do those things. For me to have other thoughts of what people are saying about my program, it's hard for me to have that kind of concentration that I want.
Obviously, I think it's great for college basketball. Obviously, I have friends and everybody texts me different things and I try to ignore it. But I think it's great for college basketball that this many people care about the NCAA Tournament a month before it starts. Then obviously you get the whole three weeks of magic that come with it. I think it's good. I just don't think it's something that I like to participate in.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297