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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCEMarch 5, 2012Steve DonahueSTEVE DONAHUE: We're coming off a loss at Miami, where I thought Miami played terrific and really shot the ball well, and we got a home win against Georgia Tech, and we're excited with our young team going into the ACC tournament. Q. Can you talk about last week in the sense that you y'all had been struggling for a couple weeks and you did come back and play a real good game midweek to beat Georgia Tech so you don't really go in with a huge losing streak. How important is that in terms of keeping this team positive and focused? STEVE DONAHUE: I think it's real important. I think there's a lot of baby steps that you look for, and wins are huge when you're at it and you're grinding it out. We played well versus Georgia Tech. We were up 17 with 11 to go, and like a lot of times this year unfortunately I think we get physically tired and our stamina is an issue. But I think it's important that the guys feel good about going into the ACC tournament. We're playing a team that we've played twice, and we're excited about the opportunity to play NC State. Q. A lot of teams are going into this tournament looking to either solidify their NCAA seeding or maybe even get them in the field if they're on the so‑called bubble. For a team like you that's not going to the NCAA except in the unlikely event you win four games and win it, what do you approach the tournament‑‑ what do you tell your guys are the goals you want to get out of the trip to Atlanta? STEVE DONAHUE: I think each program is in different stages. This is a great opportunity for us to really grow and learn what this stage is all about and let the kids experience it and know what a tournament atmosphere is about and how important it is in terms of preparation and playing and just getting used to it. Like we did most games this year, we're using it as a teaching tool, and guys are going to approach it this way. We'll do it one game at a time. We're going to try to play our best game of the season on Thursday and try to advance. Q. Is there any advantage‑‑ well, advantage is not the right word, but you've got such a young team that in a sense they don't know exactly what they're going into, and that can work to your advantage to some extent. STEVE DONAHUE: Yeah, I think there's a little bit of that for sure. I think the guys are just going to go out and play. I don't expect us to be too nervous, and we're not going to put it that way. Really we have nothing to lose. We're going to try to play free and really attack and do all the things that we've been working on all year. Q. When you begin to‑‑ I know you won't do this until whenever your last game is, but just looking back on this season, where do you see the most strides that you've made team‑wise? STEVE DONAHUE: Well, I think in terms of individual things, I look at those guys. We're constantly evaluating guys because we're just in a spot where we're going to figure out who's our foundation, who's going forward, and I think a lot of guys have made great strides individually. I think we learned to compete a whole lot better than we did earlier in the year, whether that's defensively and rebounding and taking care of the basketball, just understanding at this level how hard it is to compete and make sure you compete on every possession. Now, the reality is there's some guys that are probably playing a lot that won't play as much in the future, and we're going to have to evaluate all that. But I've been really pleased from November to now, just the guys' sense of how to compete in a game, and for the most part they've done it over the course of the season pretty well. Q. Having been in the Ivy for so long like you were and then coming to BC last year and your first experience at the ACC tournament and getting a win in Greensboro, I was just curious about your first impression of the events and in a conference tournament. STEVE DONAHUE: Yeah, for 20 years in the Ivies not having that, I always felt bad for the kids on the other seven teams in that league that didn't get a chance to experience a postseason. I was very excited for our guys last year, an incredible tournament. I just think it's the best one that's going. It's pure basketball, and it's a great tradition at all these schools. As I said, I would have loved to have had that in the Ivies and have kids stay through February knowing they still have a shot to make a run at the NCAA tournament, and it's been great. I think these guys are excited about their first opportunity. We've been talking about just getting better. We want to be the best we can be by the time we arrive in this tournament, and I think we are. That's how we're approaching this game. Q. Was there ever talk in the Ivy of staging a tournament? STEVE DONAHUE: There's so much talk every year, every year. I mean, as you can imagine, that's a hot‑button topic, and in my 20 years we almost got to stop talking about it as coaches. I don't think the presidents are ready to do that, and I respect their reasons, but I don't agree with them. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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