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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCEJanuary 23, 2012Leonard HamiltonLEONARD HAMILTON: We are continuing to show signs of improvement. We seem to be like a team who understands a little bit better about who we are and now we need to play with the talents that we have, a little bit of a moving target there for a minute with us. The guys seem to be at a point where we're understanding how to play to each other, playing away from some of our weaknesses and just kind of playing within ourselves, with the idea that we've got to keep defending while we are trying to get in sync offensively. Obviously we're very pleased with being able to go on the road and be successful the last couple games, and now we've got to settle down and turn our attention to Wake Forest, make sure that in order for the recent successes that we've had to be meaningful, we know we need to not allow ourselves not to be mentally ready on Wednesday. Q. Can you tell me what you said to the team or how you dealt with and got them back on track losing three in a row and losing like five out of eight I guess it was? What does it take from a coaching standpoint to deal with those emotional highs and lows in a season and getting a team back on track? LEONARD HAMILTON: Well, we've all as a coaching staff always understood the strengths and weaknesses of our team, and most of the progress we had to make were more mental and emotional than anything else. We've had guys who had been put in different roles. We have two starters, Xavier has been playing center 12, 13 minutes a game for his entire career, now he's a senior starting from center and moving into power forward; we have Luke Loucks, who had played 12 minutes a game last year as a junior, now he's a starter being put in a role that‑‑ a leadership role; Deividas and Michael were guys who had probably played the most minutes; and Bernard is our most inexperienced player, not having him available earlier; then Terrance getting hurt and moving Okaro from the four to the three and back from the three to the four. We've been kind of evolving. And now that we have a full complement of who we think we're going to have for the remainder of the year, our guys are settling in and just understanding a little bit better how we have to play. And we've tried to be positive. I've tried to stay focused. I've been consistent in our approach. And finally, once we went and lost badly to Clemson, it kind of‑‑ we all kind of‑‑ it kind of brought us into a real serious focus, and hopefully that will be something we can maintain the remainder of the season. Q. I read some of the comments about how they were celebrating and obviously deservedly so, and then when you walked in the locker room it was time to get serious and move on. How do you make sure that happens and that they don't‑‑ it was such a huge win. LEONARD HAMILTON: I'm not real sure as a coach you're ever really sure, but we've been in this position many, many times over our coaching career because we've been in programs that we've had to always build and try to develop. So I think our staff has enough experience in these areas that we have to realize that we have to stay grounded. We realize that mistakes can be made from youngsters who are trying to get to a place they've never been, so really you've got to do something you've never done, and you've got to do it on a consistent basis. But the staff, we've been here and we've done that, so we are consistently trying to make sure we keep pointing those things out to them. I don't have any fear right now that we're going to have a letdown, but one reason is because we are giving it our undivided attention. Q. Can you talk about the game Xavier Gibson played Saturday? He looked strong, aggressive and really did a great job at the free‑throw line. LEONARD HAMILTON: Xavier has really been coming on strong since the Clemson game. He's gotten in foul trouble the last‑‑ the other games. We got him playing with the intensity and the effort and the focus that we wanted him to, but he was so aggressive, overly aggressive in the other games, that he had difficulty at times staying out of foul trouble. I thought the match‑up at Duke was such, and he has matured enough to the point where he is not‑‑ he wasn't overly aggressive in terms of making unnecessary fouls, and his effort was good, and he was able to play and be a factor in the game. Q. And the other point, Coach K was just talking to us and somebody asked him what turned you guys around, and he said one of the factors was getting everybody there, and he mentioned Ian Miller has a big impact on the way you play. Do you agree with that? LEONARD HAMILTON: No question about it. Ian has an air of confidence about him that when he comes on the floor, he feels that he's more than capable of making a major contribution. He's one of those guys that can create shots for himself, but he also can create for his teammates. And so he's coming in in a role we're giving him now, to come in and give us energy off the bench and give us some offensive firepower, and he enjoys that. And our players look forward to him doing that. Now, his defense is getting better. He's cut down on his turnovers and he's kind of becoming more and more a student of the game. So we feel like we can rely on him in just about any situation now that he's defending and now that he's getting more comfortable in our rotation. He's like a starter for us. He didn't play as many minutes the other day against Duke, but he had played a tremendous amount of minutes in other games. Q. In the wake of what's happened in recent weeks, do you say this is the team I thought I was going to have before the season, I kind of saw this coming along, it was a tough few months to get here but now this is the team I thought I was going to have this season? LEONARD HAMILTON: Well, we never thought that‑‑ at any point in time that we wouldn't be where we are. Like I said to the other reporter, we have a clear understanding of who we are and the progress‑‑ just the way you go through building programs. A lot of it is changing the mindsets and cultures and being consistent with your focus. We had not matured to the point where we were focused. We just seemed to always be just a little out of sorts, guys maybe trying to do things out of their ability zone, not having a clear understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. Hearts in the right place, with an unselfish spirit, we just had not matured. Now we're improving and we're maturing, and hopefully this is the team that we'll be the remainder of the year. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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