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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE OPERATION BASKETBALLOctober 24, 2018Buzz WilliamsTy OutlawAhmed HillCharlotte, North Carolina COACH BUZZ WILLIAMS: And probably, not stereotyping, those aren't the guys that I want on our team, and so there's not always going to be just this stamp. I hope that one stamp that's assured is we play incredibly hard. We play with little to no ego, and the love that we have for one another is evident if you watch us play. Q. Since Coach has arrived, there's been a new energy on game day. You talk about not wanting to have a drop-off as it pertains to the student athletes coming behind you, there's also sort of an obligation not having a drop-off in the energy in Castle. Is there a responsibility of sorts that you have on game day creating that environment everybody wants? AHMED HILL: Yes, me and Ty was talking about it earlier, down on the floor, I remember freshman year, it was probably 600, 700 people in the stands. Now the younger guys come in and all they know is that the gym is packed and sold out. When you have to bring your own energy at 12 o'clock on noon day against North Carolina, it's really hard. But nowadays, since we have built kind of a good culture of winning, and we wants to continue that, 12 o'clock games be sold out within the first few minutes of the schedule coming out. I think that's the most biggest thing is having the energy in Castle to where you can feed off that energy and play hard because the way we play is so hard and it's so hard to maintain that energy throughout the whole game with just us, with nobody in the stands, no energy from the fans helping us. So I think from the sold out games are, and the energy it brings to help our new defense to play hard, to fly around, to dive on the loose balls and get rewarded for it with cheering and clapping. TY OUTLAW: The energy starts in practice because there's really nobody in the stands in practice. We have that same energy in practice. It's not much difference between the game and practice as far as our energy. As soon as the energy drops off, if we don't get it straight, Coach going to get it straight. It's the same in the game. We just practice that, take it to the game and can't let it be any drop-off because that's a moment we're going to slip. Coming from junior college where I can count on a couple hands how many people were in the stands coming to the 600 TO 700 who were in the stands my first year here, even that was still a hundred times more than what I was used to. To me, sold out game is impossible not to have energy but to some of these guys who might have been part of bigger problems all their life, the goal is to learn how to play with energy or not -- well, coming from the stands, that is, making our own energy. Because at the end of the day, we're not worried about what is in the stands. Yeah, we want support. But even if everybody was against us, even if we are in Cameron indoor stadium, everybody is trying to rip our throat out, we still going to have energy. We are not intimidated by any of the other stuff. Q. Coach mentioned that he doesn't feel like the team is ready for the first game, at least not quite yet. What is it like as a team you feel like you need to work on between now and November 9? TY OUTLAW: I don't feel like we're ready for that first game, either. I know we're going to be ready when that first game comes. But right now I think we need to keep working on our defensive principles and taking up space and boxing out and getting those rebounds. We know what we can do offensively. We know what our Achilles' heel is. It's been the same story pretty much since I've been here based on how we play ball. It's just keep working on those same things. Q. As you look at building a schedule, a non-conference schedule each year and the schedule you want to be on building a program, how is it you schedule your non-conference games? What's the philosophy? COACH BUZZ WILLIAMS: I think it will change with 20 games in the ACC Network, starting next year. I think there's -- you want to make sure just a general statement in answering that question. You want to make sure that your non-conference schedule prepares your team for the conference schedule. And there's multiple levels of preparation, whether that's on the road, whether that's at home, whether that's a specific style of play that you're playing against and you're playing that team and non-conference for the represent that you need of that style in conference play. I even think some of that has extended with certain programs. You know, we have played a Frank Martin team every season that I've been a head coach in a scrimmage and/or a game. So some of that probably is institutionalized regardless of what league and regardless of how many games. And then you know, some of the opportunities that have been afforded to us have been because of what has transpired during the time that these guys have been here. Worked really hard to see if we could get in Maui before these guys left, and we're in Maui next year. We're not going to be any good in Maui next year, but we're in Maui as a program because of what these guys have been able to do for us during their tenure. So it's a delicate balance, and I think similar to recruiting. The pace of scheduling happens way in advance. I signed two contracts for next season yesterday before I left to come here, just because the scheduling is happening so far in advance, and I don't know that I have the right answers on how the 20-game schedule is going to impact non-conference scheduling or MTEs, but I do think it is going to have an impact. Q. I want to follow up on that line of thinking for a second. When you arrived at Virginia Tech, you knew that you were going up against internally the football program. How has progress been made there so that you can secure the dollars you need and the other support so that you can build your program to where you want to take it? COACH BUZZ WILLIAMS: I've never -- that was one of the attractions, to be honest for me as a person. I love college football. I love football probably more so than basketball. I love coaches in general. I never viewed football at Virginia Tech as a negative or as a competitor. I viewed it completely 1,000 percent as a teammate. Coach Beamer was over-the-top gracious to me during his tenure, and really excited about what Coach Fuente is doing in his regime/tenure as he gets Tech going. But I viewed it as a positive all along. Obviously Dr. Sands I think had been the president for less than 90 days when I was hired, and I think that Whit had been the AD for less than 60 days. So I understood the magnitude of the decision that they had to make and I also understood that from listening to them, that they knew that their commitment level to the program was going to have to change. I think from a hierarchy standpoint, I know it comes across maybe in the wrong way. I think the combination of Whit Babcock and Dr. Sands is the best combination of leadership from an athletic department and an institution that I've ever seen. I think they are the best in the country and I think so much of what has transpired in our tenure, it should always be about the guys and it always will be, but too much has been made of me, or a recruit or a player. We finished in last place in year No. 1 for the fourth consecutive year. Distinct last place. Like we need to win in overtime by one and if we can, the shot-is-coming-from-the-deep-corner-off-the-backboard-type stuff. For us to have tied the largest turnaround in the history of this league, which was before any of us was born, in year No. 2, was just unheard of in my opinion. And then I know you understand the previous two years, the last time that happened was 32 years ago, and if we have a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament again this year, I don't know that we do, but we have a chance as of today. It's never happened in the history of the school. I think one thing that I've learned -- sorry for talking a little too much -- one thing that I've learned through all of this is how important Ty Outlaw's visit was in the spring of year No. 1, hen I was exhausted after losing more games than I had ever lost before. One thing I've learned is how important my relationship with Med's mom was when she signed a national letter of intent for him to come to Blacksburg and he had never been here. But the thing that I have learned the most is the people that never get in front of a microphone, the people whose names are never printed on a roster or in a media guide, how critical they are to the opportunity for a metamorphosis of a program. All of the manager, all of the trainers, all of the s IDs, all of the people that are trying to help and they are all pulling in the same direction. I really think that's just as much a part of why we are in this position as anything else is not one person, not one player, not four seniors. It's not a specific category that did it. It was the collective group that did it. You know, like, hey, we fired a coach and we hired a good coach. That's like super-fan ignorance. They don't know. You know, we had the 15th-ranked class in the country. We are going to be better next year. That's super fan ignorance. The people that are voting on those classes, they don't know. They have never coached. They have never played. It's everybody pulling in the direction, and I've learned so many lessons from a leadership standpoint during my tenure, way more leadership lessons than coaching lessons, but it's the value of everybody in the program that are washing their clothes, that are helping supply their energy every morning at 5:15 when they practice. It's all of the people that are sweeping the floor that they get one polo shirt and it's the polo shirt that Dyer is wearing today. Like they are so thankful and have that attitude of gratitude. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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