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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCEJanuary 23, 2012Brian GregoryBRIAN GREGORY: I thought we bounced back with a better effort on Saturday. Unfortunately as happened in the last few weeks, a couple key aspects of the game we just didn't do a very good job of, and this particular game we just turned the ball over too much against Clemson. And give them credit, their defensive pressure hurt us, and we just didn't do a good job of handling that. At the same time, it was a much better effort just in terms of playing and fighting through through 40 minutes than we gave the other night. We turn around in a tough stretch here and have Miami, which is a team that is at times really shown how good they can be, and I know they've had injury problems and continuity problems, but it will be a great test for us to see if we can continue to build and bounce back. Q. Can I ask you about, after a real poor performance against Virginia and being in a big hole the next time‑out, you must have been pretty gratified to see the bounceback. What do you think brought you back towards the end of that game that made you competitive? BRIAN GREGORY: Well, you know, I thought we started out the game pretty well. At times, as you know, we're going to struggle to score the basketball, either one of two reasons; one, we just don't take care of the ball well enough; or two, we don't shoot the ball well enough. But our defensive intensity, I think they started out five for 20 from the field, and so I was pleased right off the bat, just with our guys' response in terms of defending much better. Virginia shot 48 percent against us, and we got demolished on the glass in that game. So you know, I thought our guys responded well. We had that little snafu with the lights, and we did not come out of that very good, and they went on a big run there to end the half. There was some turnovers, a little lack of concentration, but I thought our guys, other than that‑‑ actually it was a five‑minute stretch because we scored the first baskets when the lights came on to cut it to 13, to 11, but then the next five minutes we didn't perform very well. And then in the second half, I thought we came out the second half and cut the lead to ten, and give them credit, they responded. Their seniors played extremely well for them and made some big, big plays. But just to kind of keep fighting. So that spirit that our guys competed with, even in the problems that we had in terms of turnovers, in terms of little lack of concentration from some pretty good free throw shooters that did not shoot the ball well, to still, again, get that game into the last two minutes when you have a chance to be in it I thought spoke volumes for our guys' resiliency and understanding that it's a 40‑minute game, and if you compete hard and play hard and do that for 40 minutes, you're going to have a shot in a lot of games. Q. Can you address the inconsistency with going to Rice? He can be as good a player as there is in the league or he can just not be there some nights. What's the factor that either makes him great or not there? BRIAN GREGORY: Well, you know, I think I said in the beginning of the year, one of his challenges was to become more consistent. I don't think it's a phenomenon that's only started now. He's not the only one unfortunately, but because of the positives when he is playing well, I think it comes into light a little more. Again, I do think those are habits that are performed on a daily basis, and I think that covers our entire team. And again, I think sometimes it's highlighted with Glen, but by no means is he the only one that performance inconsistency is there. I think that kind of, as I said, blankets a lot of our guys, and sometimes it's brought into light a little more, either during the game or from a game to game basis. You know, as I said, it's difficult, and I think you see that as a team. How can you go on the road and hold one team to 33 percent from the field and out‑rebound them, and then two days later a team maybe at the same level shoots 50 percent and you get out‑rebounded by 15. It's just one of the‑‑ unfortunately one of the markers along the process that we're at in terms of trying to rebuild the program and do it with consistent efforts every single day. Q. Facing Miami you know you're going to see tremendous guard play from their starters. How do you characterize their team as a whole? They're a little bit hard to get a handle on. BRIAN GREGORY: Yeah, you know, I mean, I think any time a change is made in the program, there's going to be a learning curve when you add‑‑ when you add to it the inability to have a continuous lineup and players because of the stuff that Jim has gone through with injuries and different things like that guy is sick, it makes it even more difficult. And so the flashes of the team that you know Jim can have there, you know, has been just that, just flashes. But at the same time, now that they've‑‑ maybe the last few games are starting to get all the pieces back in place, you're starting to see just how good they can be. You know, you have tremendous guard play, great explosiveness on the perimeter. You're seeing Larkin as a freshman starting to get a little more comfortable at this level and with the different things that‑‑ he's very talented, and so sometimes that adjustment, just understanding what he can get away with, especially at this stage of his career. Kadji is playing extremely well, maybe as well as anybody in the league. He gives them a very versatile big guy that can step out, shooting 40‑some percent from the three but also really starting to score more around the basket, also. And Johnson is starting to get in a little bit better shape and a little bit more comfortable out there after his injury, as well. You know, they have a pretty good package, it's just unfortunate for Jim with a guy with his coaching pedigree and how good of a coach he is not to be able to have all those pieces together all the time to have the type of team. But there's a lot of basketball left to be played, and I think they're one of those teams that, as we hit the end of January here, that's only going to keep getting better. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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