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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE OPERATION BASKETBALL

October 26, 2016

Charlotte, North Carolina

THE MODERATOR: We have University of Virginia, London Perrantes. Questions for London.

Q. You're a senior already. What's that like for you?
LONDON PERRANTES: It feels like yesterday I played in my first game. I felt like I just got on campus. It goes by fast. I'm having fun. We've been successful getting my education. It's definitely gone by extremely fast. But it's been a great time.

Q. Coach Bennett has described you as someone who knows what the team requires and is able to do that at that time. Just to expand on that a little bit being the guy that knows what's required when it's required.
LONDON PERRANTES: Yeah, just coming into college I felt like that's what I wanted to do. I didn't know how much I was going to play my freshman year, but I wanted to come in and help the team win with any aspect. Just knock down one shot, get a steal, make an assist, something like that. I just wanted to do that. My mindset hasn't changed, but my role has increased every year. I've been having to score more or get other people involved more or play better defense, things like that.

So that's been my mindset all three years, and it's definitely my mindset now. But definitely my role has increased. I need to look to score more this year, but also get other people involved as well.

Q. I think this is the first year I penciled you guys in high up in the standings because I figure you're there every year now. Has that kind of level of confidence changed within the team, too, or where you just know no matter how many parts changed, you're going to be in that mix?
LONDON PERRANTES: I feel like if we play the way we've been taught, the way we've been playing the last three years, I feel like we give ourselves a good shot to be up high in the standings. We're not necessarily worried about the preseason stuff, but we want to go out there and take every game one game at a time. I mean, we have a gauntlet in our pre-ACC season, and obviously ACC is one of the best conferences in the country.

So being able to come out every night and play the way that we know we should play, we should put ourselves in a good position.

Q. How do you think this year's team will look different without Malcolm and Gill and Tobey?
LONDON PERRANTES: Yeah, I mean, it felt like Malcolm's been here for ten years. So not having him is probably going to be a huge change. We have a lot of young guys. We have the transfer, obviously, in Austin Nichols. We're a pretty deep team this year. It will definitely be tough for Coach Bennett to find minutes for everybody, but we're going to have to find that rotation and stick with it. We're getting better every day. We have a lot of pieces. I feel like we definitely have a different team, but we have a skilled team as well.

Q. London, how does it feel to be part of a program that really has been built up and continues to stay where it is in the Top 10 perennially?
LONDON PERRANTES: I think it's a program that Coach Bennett has built. He's been recruiting the same type of guys, high-character guys, people that want to do everything they can to win. I feel like that puts us in a perfect position to win during the season. As long as we instill that program into the young guys, I feel like we put ourselves in a great situation as well.

Q. In the last couple years it appears Virginia's tried to run more. Do you anticipate this year's team will try to fast break at every opportunity?
LONDON PERRANTES: Oh, yeah. I mean, we're an opportunistic team. Whenever we see something like a mismatch or something that will help us, we're going to do it. We're going to do everything we can to win. Some teams will crash maybe all five guys, and if we get that rebound, we're ready to go.

But what we do on defense is we rebound with five guys. We don't leak out, so we don't have that many times. But it just depends on the other team and what we see. We're all pretty smart and heady guys. We know what Coach Bennett wants and we know what we can get. So we do whatever we can. If running more is that thing we need to do to win, then that's what we do.

THE MODERATOR: Isaiah Wilkins will join us. Questions from the floor for Isaiah.

Q. Isaiah, do us a favor and describe your teammate London Perrantes.
ISAIAH WILKINS: If I had to describe London in one word, it would definitely be "cool". He's got that West Coast flavor, composed guy, definitely a great leader for us. And he has six inches of hair.

Q. What are your expectations for this team, ranked 7th in the Coaches Poll, which is just out?
ISAIAH WILKINS: Honestly, I expect us to go out and play hard every game. We learn these things, we practice them hard. If we go out and execute, I feel like things will go the way they need to go.

So as far as pre-season rankings go, I don't think we're really worried about that. We just want to go out and play hard and do the things that we've been taught.

Q. You guys and Austin Nichols have one of the better shot blockers in the nation. Will you guys do anything differently this year having that kind of threat protecting the rim?
ISAIAH WILKINS: I don't think we'll do anything differently. We'll still play the same defense that we've been playing. But if something does break down, we know that we have him, and Jay Huff, and Mamadi Diakite to kind of send some shots away and clean up some messes like we have my freshman year.

Q. How do you think your role has grown the last couple years? Are you ready to take the next step and have more on you?
ISAIAH WILKINS: Yeah, my role my first few years has pretty much been a lot of energy, coming in, flying around, doing whatever it takes for us to win. But with some guys leaving, I'll still play high energy. I take pride in that. But I do have to step up as far as being a leader and being more aggressive on offense, and taking my shots and kind of anchoring our defense right now.

Q. How difficult is it to play against that 2-3 zone?
ISAIAH WILKINS: Honestly, man, it's tough. There's really no gaps in it. They recruit long guys with long arms. They do a good job. They do what they're taught. So it takes a couple times to really get used to it. I think my first time I threw the ball right to the defense. But it's a really good zone.

Q. During your time in Charlottesville, have you felt a confidence grow within yourself and your teammates, not just London and the departed seniors, but the guys on the team to know that they can be Top 10 every week throughout the season?
ISAIAH WILKINS: Well, yeah. I definitely believe in our guys. I love our guys. We had a chance to go to Spain and play a couple games over there. We're getting used to each other right now, and I know if we come out and play with full effort and execute, I feel like we can be special.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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