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CBS SPORTS CLASSICDecember 23, 2017Roy WilliamsTheo PinsonJoel Berry IILas Vegas, Nevada UNC - 86 OSU - 72 THE MODERATOR: We'll start with an opening statement from coach. ROY WILLIAMS: We feel very fortunate. I think in the first half shooting the ball as well as we did was huge for us. It was like a 20-20 game and then we make a bunch of threes and stretch it out and four or five things that really helped us. Cam Johnson coming off the bench made some baskets, Jalek came off the bench and made some baskets, Theo down the stretch making all the free throws. I thought in the second half we took the ball to the basket a little bit more than in the first half. We had four points in the paint, had 16 in the second half and we usually score a lot more than that inside the lane. But a lot of guys came in and did some good things for us. Our bench did supply a lot of points for us tonight. But I thought during one stretch early in the second half that Joel sort of kept us in there, that three he made right in front of our bench in the dead corner was really a difficult shot. He made it look easy and went right through the heart. And then when they did start fouling us, as I said, Theo made every free throw and that's still -- I've seen him shoot them better than that, but he knows which game I'm talking about. But we feel good about it and Chris Holtmann and his club is a good club and Chris has done a remarkable job. Didn't take that job until June and got all the new players buying in. He should feel very good about himself, what he's done with the club. Q. Theo, what was the difference in your focus tonight as opposed to a few nights ago? THEO PINSON: I think any team should have a great amount of focus after you take a loss. We came into the game, everybody was, I know personally I was eager to get back out here because of my performance in the last game. And we have been here before, I'm a senior and I can't have games like that. I was just ready to come back out and step up for my teammates. Q. Joel, seven players made 3-pointers tonight. When those shots started going down, is that somewhat contagious for the rest of the guys? JOEL BERRY II: I think so. Whenever the ball is going in from the three point line, that's always a plus and good for us. But I think that in the second half, like coach said, we did a better job of driving the ball, and I think it's because we were knocking down shots from the outside and we were able to open up the lanes for us to get inside, guys started moving better on the offensive end and making harder cuts, which that's something that we have been emphasizing in practice and been working on. And I think we did a good job of that in the second half and not settling for threes. But when they're going in, that's always good for us. Q. Joel, their point guard C.J. Jackson, did you learn anything at all and what it was like matching up? You guys had some pretty good back and forth. JOEL BERRY II: I didn't know too much about him. We watched film on him and I knew he was a good three-point shooter. I was a little frustrated in the first half because I gave him a couple of open ones. But he's a pretty good player, he can shoot the ball from the outside. But in the second half I just tried to make it a little bit more difficult for him and just tried to get a hand up on his shot, and I think one time I went out there and he shot an air ball. So just being a little bit more active on the ball and trying to disrupt him. But he's a pretty good player though. Q. For both players, how was practice the last couple days? THEO PINSON: After the game -- after the game on Wednesday? Yeah, Wednesday. We came in the next day and we just watched the whole game from Wofford. And the team, with a young team like this, I think I can speak for coach here, it's important that we watch film and learn from our mistakes. When we see the mistakes on film, like coach said, the eye in the sky don't lie. So when we see the stuff on film, we know we need to improve on it. And we took a day off and then tomorrow -- we actually had, I mean the next day we actually had a pretty good practice. Guys was active, energy level was -- you wouldn't think that we lost, but at the same time we got some veteran guys who know that we can't sulk on it, we need to move on to the next game, and but at the same time keep make sure that we keep that loss in our mind. Q. How good a job do you think he's done fitting in with the group and jelling with y'all out there. JOEL BERRY II: Cam's a great player and he's a great shooter and you leave him open, more than likely he's going to knock down the shot. And, like I said, he comes in and he helps us because it spreads out the floor where we can get the ball inside, which is what we want to do. We don't want to settle for three, but having a three-point threat like Cam out there on the court is something great for us. And I mean I know we all talk about him shooting and him being able to score the ball, but if you look at what he did on the defensive end by getting on the floor and getting us extra possessions and him just being out there being active, that's what we want to do and that's what makes him a good player. Not only because he can shoot the ball, but he's just out there being active on the defensive end and that's what we want to pride ourselves on is being a team that can stop somebody from scoring. And as you can see, he did that tonight by diving on the floor and getting us those extra possessions. THEO PINSON: I want to talk to coach about letting me shoot the technical free throws instead of Joel. (Laughter.) ROY WILLIAMS: Hey, your percentage may be higher now. Q. What did you think of your team being able to respond and what did you think of your team after a tough, tough set back earlier? ROY WILLIAMS: Well, it was not a good loss for us. We were very disappointed, Wofford did a nice job. They deserved to win the game because they played harder, smarter, and better than we did. But you get disappointed with your performance and I think as Theo said, the next day we didn't even put the shoes on. We went in and watched the tape, the entire game, they listened to coaches grade it while they were sitting there for almost two and a half hours. Hopefully they learned something and came back on Friday and had a good-spirited workout. And I think today, early in the game I thought we were really focused, perhaps the ball going in the basket as I've always said makes everything look better, even our defense. So I have to watch it on the film to make sure, on the tape to make sure, but I've never believed you have to lose to learn something. I like to win close and still learn something, learn the same thing, I guess. But you have to congratulate Wofford. They made the plays and we didn't. Q. Is there any concern with the inside outside balance? ROY WILLIAMS: Well, there was today, the first half for sure. We have had really good balance. I think you can probably go back, and Steve might even know this, I think you can go back and look at all our games. We have really had great balance of scoring points inside the lane. And it's not just throwing it to our big guys, I mean Garrison was 2-4, Sterling was 0-2, but we had drives to the basket, Theo drove to the basket, Joel drove to the basket, Luke got it inside, so it's not just those big guys. But I've always wanted balance. I would take 13 threes every game, but also want more shots and more baskets in the paint, too. Q. Jalek coming off a couple rough games, he goes out and has a turnover that leads to a basket (inaudible) was that sort of a seamless approach for you? ROY WILLIAMS: Well, I hope so. He's -- defensively he's just got to get better. He guards like I do and I'm 67. When I was his age I guarded a heck of a lot better than he does. But he's got to do that. But today the turnover that he made, as you said, you look back he had three turnovers and all three of them were careless, just careless turnovers. A hundred years ago Coach Smith said every turnover's either selfishness by trying to make a great play or carelessness. And I think that two of his were careless and one of them he was trying to force it through there and the guy wasn't open. But three turnovers, five assists, but yet a 4-5 from three-point line, that's pretty doggone good. And as I said in the opening comments, I think that was huge for us. But he's got to keep maturing and he's hurting a little bit today. He dove on the floor yesterday in practice for a loose ball for the first time in his life, he's 18 years old, first time he's ever dove on the floor and he's hurting. But he sucked it up and played today. Q. Things aren't going to get easier as you run into ACC play. From this past week and this game, what did you learn about your team and what kind of improvements would you like to see going forward? ROY WILLIAMS: Well, I still think we got to get better defending. Still think we got to get better cutting down on the turnovers. 17 turnovers is way too many. I don't mind 11, 12, something like that, because you are going to make some turnovers when you run it up and down the court trying to go at a fast pace. But so we got to do both of those, got to get better defensively, got to stop turning it over, and I want us to get as we talked about with Greg, more balance inside and outside. But really before today we have had pretty good balance. Q. What do you make of Ohio State as you watched them on film? What was your conversation like with Chris also? ROY WILLIAMS: First of all, I really like Chris and have a lot of respect for the job he does. I watched his club and I am -- no one realizes how difficult that is -- he came in in June and I might have missed this and so if I do just change it, I think he's got seven new players, so if it's six or five, just change it, but he's got a lot of new players. And every one of them is new to him. They're defending, they're sharing the ball, they're trying to play hard, their best players are getting most of the shots; that's what coaching's all about. I watched him against Wisconsin, Michigan and Appalachian State and they were impressive in many different ways in all three of those games. Q. You guys have done great the last couple years and so I'm just wondering what your thoughts are on the one and done rule. You have had guys who have come back and you've had success, as great a success as any, but what are your thoughts on that? ROY WILLIAMS: Do you play golf? Q. Yes. ROY WILLIAMS: Okay. Do you hit a fade or a draw? Q. A fade. ROY WILLIAMS: A fade? So somebody else hits a draw. Both of you are trying to hit it to the middle of the fairway, right? So there's more than one way to do it and for us what has happened has been enjoyable to me. But I don't mind Antonio Bradley leaving, he was a first round draft pick. I don't mind Marvin Williams leaving after one season, he was the second pick in the draft. Brandon Wright was either 7th or 8th, something like that. I tried to recruit all those guys too, I just don't want all of them. I just want one or two of them every year, because I still think talent wins. But for us will are different way, like in golf, there are different ways to do things and I think for us the success we have had is the kids that have come and you know what they like North Carolina, they like going to school there. So I think that, if I'm sure, if I'm guaranteed they're going to be a No. 1 pick, I tell them to leave. I told Tyler Hansbrough to leave for three years, but he loved being in school, loved college basketball, wanted to win a National Championship. But I'm not going to look down at those guys that recruit all those guys because I recruit them too. But if I were to get one or two of them I would probably stop and live and love coaching guys like Luke Maye too. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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