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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCEMarch 5, 2012Seth GreenbergCOACH GREENBERG: Obviously this is the start of a new season and everyone has a clean slate. Obviously we really need a clean slate. I think that we have done some good things. Obviously I was disappointed with how we played last night. I don't know if that was the cumulative effect of playing six or seven games that were decided in the last possession. We just weren't able to muster up the energy that we have played with in the last three weeks. But Clemson is a team we are familiar with having just played them, and that's obviously an advantage for both of us in preparation. The Virginia Tech/Clemson series has been a good one, with no game decided probably by more than four or five points, excluding maybe one or two. You know, Brad's team is very good. They play really hard. They really check you. They are extremely aggressive in terms of ball pressure, and they have got four veteran players that have‑‑ when they are playing well, those four veteran guys have really played at a high level. So playing at 7:00 I think is a good thing. It's always hard to play that first game of the tournament. I think that 7:00 game is a good time slot to get your team ready and get them locked in. So we are looking forward to the challenge and opportunity. Q. You touched on the fact that you just played these guys. How does that affect your preparation, and is there anything that you change up or can change up in that short amount of time, or are you guys kind of doing what you do and they do what they do? COACH GREENBERG: We are who we are. I know who they are and I think they know who we are. It's going to come down, can we get over the rim shots, can we do a good job defending Booker and Jennings; can we make it hard for Andre to get 3s. We held him out of a three (ph) our last game, and obviously that is something that's difficult to do. But we are not going to reinvent ourselves for our game Thursday night. We are just going to try to do what we do hopefully a little bit better. Q. Jarell Eddie had a couple good games against them during the regular season. What is it about him that gave them a hard time? COACH GREENBERG: I don't know, you'll have to ask Brad that. When you put a defensive game plan together, you decide what you're going to give and what you're going to take away. Jarell made shots in those games. He got loose in transition, came off a couple staggers, he collected the ball a couple of times on a quick ball reversal. When Jarell has room and rhythm, he makes shots. Q. I know you didn't want to talk about it yesterday, but benching Green in the second half, can you tell us a little bit why you made that decision, and is he still in good standing with you guys going into the tournament? COACH GREENBERG: We are excited about playing Clemson on Thursday, and you know, I expect that we are going to come ready to play and play hard and play together. Q. Is Erick going to be part of the lineup? COACH GREENBERG: Like I said we are looking forward to playing Clemson on Thursday. I answered that question last night, so I don't think I have to answer it again. Q. Should Erick, in case he makes the second or third team all ACC today, can you talk about what he's meant to your team this year? COACH GREENBERG: He's had a great year, he really has. His role has changed obviously, and obviously it's difficult when your role changes. I think last year, he played off of two very, very good players, and had a great sophomore year. So now, he's the guy that everyone sets their defense for and I think he has a better appreciation for that. But having said that, I think he's had a really outstanding year, and I can't even imagine what our season would have been like without him. Q. And in case Dorian makes the all‑freshman team today, how do you see his freshman season having evolved now that we are at this point in the season? COACH GREENBERG: I'm really proud of Dorian. Obviously he had that one stretch where he really struggled and I think that he's really come around. We have had to make some significant changes in his release point and his shot. But he's continued to rebound the basketball. He's active. I think he's gotten his second wind. Again, he's really going to be a special player and he's a pleasure to coach. He's really just‑‑ I enjoy being in the gym with him. He makes being in the gym better. Q. I wanted to ask you about Cadarian Raines. He's the backup, he's not playing a lot, and then he gets the starting job and he really seems to have blossomed as a starter. Can you talk about his emergence? COACH GREENBERG: Yeah, it's a great story quite honestly. You're talking about a kid who had two major surgeries on his foot, and actually had to have shock therapy to try to stimulate the growth in that bone last year. And to see him have a chance‑‑ you have to understand, here is a guy that has literally never been through individual workouts until this year. He's got this great, big body and he's worked extremely hard. I'm just really proud of what he's doing. You know, he was contributing to our team prior to Victor's injury, but his role has changed, and he's really put his arms around that. You know, obviously with playing time, he has gained confidence. I think it bodes well that we are going to have a legitimate low‑post scoring threat in the future. You know, again, he's only a sophomore, but he's a young sophomore in that last year he only played four games; the year before, I'm not sure how many games he played, but he didn't play a whole lot of minutes. You know, I'm excited about what he's doing, and he's another kid, that it's great to be in the gym with him, because he really is committed to getting better. Now, he's played the last month with a really strained groin himself, and we have had to hold him out of practice and limit his exposure in practice for the last four weeks. Obviously we can't afford to lose another guy to some form of a groin injury, but he's played through it. In fact, he tweaked it a little bit in the first half yesterday, but he played through it. Q. I'm sure the guys from Virginia know this, but is there any chance Victor comes back this season at all? COACH GREENBERG: I don't know that. None of us know. He's having another procedure done today and I'm actually waiting as we speak to hear back from our medical staff. I would love for him to come back, not so much as to maybe be a difference maker, just so that he can have some closure to his college career. I mean, poor kid, he gets this injury, and you know, did not think it was going to be more than a game, and now it's been three weeks. You know, for someone to give us so much for four years, be so selfless, be such a good teammate, have a really good career; and then not have an opportunity for closure just doesn't seem fair. But we are still waiting to hear. I don't have any answers for you guys on that. Q. You mentioned walking out with a clean slate in the postseason, with so many down‑to‑the‑wire games, does that give your players a level of confidence, or because you didn't win a lot of those, does it not help? COACH GREENBERG: I think our kids are excited, I really do. I think they are excited. Obviously we didn't play well last night, and I think that partially was NC State, they are a very good team. And partially I think it was a little bit of our emotional gas tank was on empty. But having said that, I think our guys are in a good place, and I think they do look at it as a new season, and now we just have to find a way to fin. You know, we are not the only team that have played close games. We have just played so many in a row. If you throw the Minnesota game and the BYU game you and go back, it's almost staggering to think about what these guys have been through, especially with so many young players. I think the guys are excited about the ACC Tournament. If they didn't grow up with it, their parents grew up with it or their grandparents grew up with it. If you look at our roster, we certainly fit the geographic footprint of our league. I think they are excited about the opportunity to play themselves into some sort of postseason. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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