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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE OPERATION BASKETBALL

October 26, 2016

Charlotte, North Carolina

THE MODERATOR: We have Jerome Robinson, and then A.J. Turner. Questions for Jerome Robinson.

Q. Jerome, obviously we've been following you for a while since your days at Broughton High School, and I'm wondering what are some of your most fond memories of that time? Do you still use any of those skills that you learned way back then?
JEROME ROBINSON: Some of my fond memories I would say is just a good Friday night game playing against our rival like Millbrook or something. It's super packed. Also, the holiday tournament is awesome. It's three days of really good basketball and really good players. It's packed every game. I mean, it's sold out. I think Broughton holds like 3,000 people, which is big for a high school. So that's definitely a big memory.

Q. Jerome, obviously looking at adversity recently with this Boston College team, just what you can say about this year's team, bouncing back from that adversity, and what that adversity taught you?
JEROME ROBINSON: That adversity is something we'll never put by us. It will be a little chip on everybody's shoulder, I think. And it will definitely help us in the future to come.

Q. Talk about the first few weeks into the off-season, after the difficult year. I know you and A.J. went on spring break together right after. Talk about what you talked about to put the plan in place to get this thing moving forward.
JEROME ROBINSON: Me and A.J. talked about the new leaders, him and I, and what we want to do in the future and what we pushed for a lot in that off-season is just keep believing in ourselves and believing in each other, because without that we wouldn't really be able to do anything.

Q. What are the characteristics of your leadership style? Are you vocal? Is it more with action? How is it that people know that you are a leader?
JEROME ROBINSON: I would say it's both. I like to not really yell, but correct. Show them what would happen if they did this. Show them what would happen if they do that. It's a mix of both, I think.

Q. How would you consider BC's style of basketball this year?
JEROME ROBINSON: This year is a lot of fast pace. We're going to be pushing up on a lot of people. We're going to be pushing it at people on offense, and it's going to be fun to watch. It's going to be really high-paced.

Q. You obviously don't look back at the schedule. When the schedule came out for '16-'17, did you look at the schedule with any great intensity?
JEROME ROBINSON: Not really. I know every game's going to be a battle. I was just looking forward to winning some games.

Q. You obviously had a different winter in Boston College. A little colder in Chestnut Hill than in Raleigh. Personal adjustment for you? Was it tough?
JEROME ROBINSON: Definitely was. I didn't have the shoes for it, I actually still need to order those. So that's definitely one of the biggest adjustments, feet of snow instead of inches.

Q. I was wondering from your perspective, who you think the teams to beat are in the ACC this year? I know you want to beat everybody, but who do you think the top teams are?
JEROME ROBINSON: All the top teams I think we need to beat, or not to beat, but the top teams are Virginia, Duke, North Carolina. All those teams are teams that make a statement every year. For us to really push on in the ACC and actually get momentum, I think those are the teams we need to beat.

Q. A.J., last year your freshman experience was starkly different than other seasons in your career. What did you learn about yourself during that January-February stretch?
A.J. TURNER: I just learned how important it was to take care of my body. Coming from prep school, the season was definitely, we played, I guess, a similar amount of games. But I guess just how much more went into the games and how much more I used my body. Just getting in the cold tub after the games, taking care of my body, that really goes a long way in this conference.

Q. A.J., to go into last season, just what it meant to you to have a team rely on you so much coming in and being in that first season. Then secondly, coming off of that, what you learn from that experience and what you can take from that this year.
A.J. TURNER: I mean, having a team rely on me, not only on me, but other guys as well, it wasn't just me, obviously, but it means a lot knowing that all the hard work you put in is paying off. I guess just going for it and having the confidence that you've been here before, just trying to teach the young guys and mentor them, so they can be as prepared as possible for this tough schedule and tough conference.

Q. A.J., your best friend is Tyler Lydon, forward for Syracuse. You guys play each other twice a year, and you guys are really close. What goes into that? Do you have a cut-off period of communication during that week of the game? Do you talk before games, afterwards? What is that process like playing your best friend?
A.J. TURNER: So last year, actually, we talked the day before, but obviously not the day of. He's been my best friend ever since I got to prep school. We roomed together. We talked about our goals and our dreams together. But obviously playing against him was different, but it was a lot of fun.

Different because we were playing together for so long then playing against each other, there was obviously some smack talk. Jerome got in on the smack talk. It was a lot of fun. He had a couple dunks on us, and he'd look at me afterwards, so I wasn't too happy about that.

But, yeah, we'll always be friends. We'll be good friends and I'm excited to play them again this year.

Q. You know Tyler's game, what makes him successful?
A.J. TURNER: He's very versatile. He rebounds the ball and blocks shots as well as anybody. He set one of the records in the NCAA Tournament. He's a gym rat. He gets in the gym all the time. He's 6'9", whatever, long, can shoot, dribble, pass, definitely rebound and block shots. That's what I think excites his game. I think he didn't -- a lot of people didn't expect this from him coming into it, and I'm happy to see him succeeding at the level he is.

Q. Friendships are such a story line in sports. People like yourselves have grown up with competitors. What's it like for you on the floor, during the game, going up against your best friend? Are you tempted to talk to him? Are you tempted to give him a bit of a quiet high five if he does something well? Obviously you guys know how to jaw against each other off the court, but what's it like staying focused on the court?
A.J. TURNER: Definitely you have to stay focused. But I'm going to be honest, there was one time, I think it was at Syracuse, he dunked the ball and I went to clap, and I was like, wait a minute. He's not on my team anymore.

But when we're playing against him in the game, I want my team to win and that's what the deal is. But after the game I'm happy for him and I'm just glad to see him doing so well.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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