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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE OPERATION BASKETBALLOctober 29, 2014Marcus Georges-HuntCorey HeywardCHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA MARCUS GEORGES‑HUNT: I've been there for three years now, going on three years. I know what Coach Brian Gregory wants to do, and I know his system very well. So me being able to teach the younger guys and the transfers will be great for our program. Q. How do you feel the team has been, like you said, some of the transfers and the new guys, as far as being receptive to what you're trying to teach? How do you feel they've responded to you so far? MARCUS GEORGES‑HUNT: They've responded great. They come to me, ask questions. They're hungry to learn. They're buying into Coach Gregory's system. So far practices have been going well, and it's been real productive. Q. What do you want out of this season? MARCUS GEORGES‑HUNT: I want to win. I would love an ACC championship, and make it to the Big Dance. Q. We asked a question earlier that sometimes the student‑athletes take on the personality of their coaches. You've got a pretty fiery coach. Are you a fiery team? MARCUS GEORGES‑HUNT: I wouldn't say fiery team, but I would say blue‑collar workers. Our coach is pretty fiery. He's real big on defense, so we're going to be a great defensive team because we focus a lot on defense. Offensively we have a new system, so that's going pretty good. We've been practicing on it, and we're enjoying it. We're enjoying it so far, and we think it's going to be real productive. Q. Marcus, among the guys coming back, who do you see as maybe the most improved player, somebody who's really going to take a big step forward this year? MARCUS GEORGES‑HUNT: For us? Q. Uh‑huh. MARCUS GEORGES‑HUNT: You said a big step, meaning on the team? Q. Yeah, somebody who maybe was a contributor last year but he's going to be a really key player this year. MARCUS GEORGES‑HUNT: Well, being that we lost a lot of people, I feel like Corey Heyward will make a big step, being that he has one year under his belt playing the point guard position. So he's going to run the team and instruct us and lead us the way‑‑ playing the point guard position. I think he's going to make a big jump and contribute. Q. Corey, Marcus talked about being a leader or being more of a leader. Describe his personality on the floor and in the locker room. COREY HEYWARD: Marcus on the floor is definitely‑‑ you can always count on him if he needs to hit that big shot or get that big rebound. Off the court, he's definitely from example in the classroom. He takes extra steps, especially on the court, and to get in the gym. He's got his body right, into the best shape as possible for this year, the upcoming season. He's been a very key leader so far. Q. Corey, how do you define Georgia Tech going into this season? Obviously there's been some adversity over the years, but what you can see in this team and how you view yourselves from the inside out. COREY HEYWARD: I see ourselves as a team that's fighting to make an imprint, especially in the ACC and college basketball, and we are a team of guys that want to fight and sacrifice and kind of your guys that will‑‑ blue collar, definitely, and we're also kind of‑‑ we have something to prove, especially with the new guys coming in, as well, have something to prove and kind of be a big impact on the team and the conference, as well. Q. Six freshmen are on this roster. Obviously in time they're going to be a major impact to the program. Can you give an assessment right now of what they seem like and what they're performing like. COREY HEYWARD: So far each freshman has surprised us. Everybody brings something different to the table. Tadric can shoot the ball. He's definitely going to be a key piece on the offensive end as well as defense, because he's very athletic. And then our two big men with Abdoulaye and Ben, who are probably the best passers on the team. They can score, they're long, athletic. And Travis coming back from his ACL has been a true surprise, and he's been doing a really good job, and they're ready to kind of lead them and show them the way. Q. Corey, what do you see as the steps that you've taken in the areas, the biggest strides that you've made in improving your game this year? COREY HEYWARD:  Improving my game, especially last year, I was a little more on the heavier side coming back from an ACL injury. And when you haven't really played a year long of basketball and when you're lifting weights and eating, you usually put on those pounds. This past off‑season Coach Gregory just told me I needed to cut some weight, get the body fat, it would be easier on the knee, and I've lost nearly 20 pounds so far. It's been a great transition. Athletic ability has came back, and it's been great so far. Q. What was the toughest thing you had to give up? COREY HEYWARD: Toughest thing I had to give up, certain foods. I probably couldn't tell you the last time I went to McDonald's. That's been a great key. Listening to my strength and conditioning coach, who's been an excellent resource, and just listen. You have to listen to your body, and sometimes you have to do the extra things, if. It's after practice get on the treadmill, get on the stair master, you have to do that. Q. This is just like a general basketball question, but Georgia Tech has obviously been affected by it: What's it like with so many kids transferring, and you lose some and you get some new. What's that been like, the transfers for Georgia Tech? COREY HEYWARD: So far for Georgia Tech, with each transfer that's coming in we've treated them as a brother and they've bought into the system. Especially this year I felt like they've been with us for the past three years. Especially Chuck who was from Atlanta, we already knew who Chuck was. But Demarco has molded into I wouldn't say a father figure, but someone you can look up to and get a lot of answers from him, because he's played a lot of basketball. And Josh, I feel like he's just been one of us from the start, and just the entire team was recruited by Coach Gregory, and it's the first year of that, so that's been key. Q. How is Rob doing? COREY HEYWARD: Rob is doing a great job. He runs the floor extremely well, blocks shots, has a wing span of I don't know how long. You can find out when you try to take a three‑point shot and he blocks it when he's jumping from the block. He dunks it any time he gets it. He can shoot the ball really well. He'll be a stretch forward. He'll be a good key for us. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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