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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCEJanuary 14, 2013Jim LarranagaCOACH LARRANAGA: I thought we had a good week. Our win at Carolina was substantial because we had lost to them ten consecutive times. I think our players felt good after that game that we were able to come away with a hard‑fought victory. We needed some big plays by Kenny Kadji at the end, a couple of blocked shots to really seal the win. Then last night in one of the most physical games I've been involved in. Two teams that battled like crazy, Maryland and our guys. Went at each other and wasn't very pretty. But we were pleased with the victory. Q. Congratulations on last night's win. COACH LARRANAGA: Thanks, Jerry. Q. Coach, can you talk about Trey McKinney Jones? Sometimes his play gets lost in the shuffle when a lot of the other star players on the team. But he seemed to be everywhere last night. Can you talk about his importance to the team? COACH LARRANAGA: Yeah, Trey McKinney Jones is one of those players that flies under the radar screen. He is a fantastic three‑point shooter, free‑throw shooter, he's very versatile when he handles the ball. He rebounds. He defends. He is a vital cog in our offense and our defense, and we're very, very happy to have him at Miami. Q. When you're in a game like last night in attack time and both teams are struggle to go score like that, how do approach it? Is it difficult because both teams are going and there's not much of a rhythm to the game? COACH LARRANAGA: Well, as I said, the game is very physical. The guys are trying so hard, and a lot of the game is played near the basket. So when you have someone like Alex Len who is 7'1", Kenny could goy who is 6'11, and Gamble who is 6'9, and Shaquille Cleare who is 6'9", 260 or 280, all of these very big bodies make it very difficult to score easy baskets. And Maryland's size, they've got great size at every position, and they challenge everything you do. That's why their defensive field goal percentage going into the game was like number two or three in the country. We're pretty good defensively too. But it's also a matter of you don't shoot the ball well every night. We had some nice open looks and we missed some of them, so did Maryland. But that happens. It's like a very good golfer who has a bad day putting. Sometimes you don't make the shots you normally make. So the whole key is being the team that comes out on top, and we were fortunate to be that team. Q. There have been other halftime scores and some final game scores that have been surprisingly low. Do you think scoring seems down on the whole or there are just a couple of these kind of head‑scratching results? COACH LARRANAGA: I think, actually, Maryland is one of the leading scoring teams in the country. They average like 77 points a game teams in our league. Carolina is an outstanding running, shooting team that N.C. State is one of the leading scoring teams in the country. Duke is a tremendous offensive team that scores a bunch of points. I think in the ACC there are a lot of talented offensive players. But as I said, they're not going to shoot great every night. Q. I wondered if Shane is even a better player than what you expected? And also, his dad is very supportive and you see him at the games a lot. How involved is he? Is he someone you talk to a lot? COACH LARRANAGA: Barry and Lisa Larkin are the perfect parents. They come to every game and cheer like crazy and don't coach. They are tremendously supportive, they're a great family. I had the highest of expectations for Shayne when I recruited him. I can see him getting better and better. He hasn't exceeded my expectations, because my expectations for him is I think he's going to be a great college basketball player. Q. Is the time to be in the top 25 or at least start getting votes? COACH LARRANAGA: I really don't look at that. I'm much more focused on preparing for our next opponent and how we're playing at the time. My staff does a great job of preparing our players, and that's where we devote our energy to helping the guys. Helping them play well, helping them feel good about themselves. Q. It sounds like the experience that you guys have, I know Mark after the game had a team with a lot of seniors and his group has mostly freshmen and sophomores. With all the playing time these guys get, high school, AAU tournaments, is that still a major factor in or as big a factor as it's always been in college basketball? COACH LARRANAGA: Are you saying or asking me if experience is a major factor? Q. College basketball compared to how it was 15 years ago, ten or 15 years ago. COACH LARRANAGA: Well, college basketball has changed, I think, dramatically. Just more good teams, more good players. The players at the highest level of being courted by the NBA and leave early. That often makes some of the BCS teams younger than normal or the way they would have been 20 or 30 years ago. But college basketball is really great because of the enthusiasm of the fans. You go to a place like NorthCarolina. Georgia Tech was packed when we played there last night. The excitement around college basketball and the parity we see today, every game is a close game. Q. Do you feel your experience was a factor last night? COACH LARRANAGA: I think experience is always one of the factors. First, it's your athletic ability, your skill level, your strength and conditioning? We're an older, stronger team than we were last year and the year before because these guys have worked very hard during the season. And that's where experience comes in. They've played in 50, 80, 100 games leading up to their senior year, and they understand what it takes to be successful. They know that even young teams can be very successful if they play very hard. There are a lot of very good, young players in this league that play with a great deal of intensity and contribute. Q. I wanted to ask you about Kenny Kadji's role. Last year when you started the season and Reggie was out, he had to play basically as an inside guy. It took away from an inside‑outside steals that you talked about. This year with Reggie being out, it looks like Julian Gamble and you're starting against some stuff with Raphael Akpejiori. But it seems that they're allowing Kenny to play the inside outside role that they're so good about. Is that a fair assessment or am I reading it wrong? COACH LARRANAGA: The thing about Kenny Kadji, he's 6'11". He's got long arms, jumps high, and he's comfortable facing the basket and shooting the three‑point shots. Because of his size in and around the basket, he can get some work done. We really need them to be effective both inside and outside. The area of his game that he's improved and worked at really, really hard right now is his defensive rebounding. As long as we continue to do those three things, defend, rebound, and give us the inside‑outside scoring, he's going to be a load for anybody to guard. Q. Has it helped him that you have Gamble this year to take the key role that Reggie would give him? COACH LARRANAGA: Oh, yeah. Yeah, Reggie Johnson is really our go‑to guy on the inside. And Gamble has contributed mightily. He's someone that can offensive rebound very well and block some shots. It allows Kenny to roam the perimeter. And that combination of bringing in Raphael, allowed him to play at the four and not at the five very often. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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