|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENTMarch 14, 2014Leonard HamiltonAaron ThomasOkaro WhiteGREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA Virginia – 64 COACH HAMILTON: It was obvious to us that ‑‑ the energy to defend them because they're extremely patient in how they execute their offense. And they had five guys on the floor that are all capable of hurting you, four guys that shoot close to 40percent from three and a couple of very athletic post guys that were very capable of scoring. I was pleased with the first 15 or so minutes of the game. I thought we defended them very well. And we kept pace offensively. The second half, it was obvious that the quality of their depth took its toll on us. We didn't quite have nearly the energy to fight those screens for the long periods of time. And I thought that really made the difference. We didn't have the ‑‑ the four offensive rebounds we gave up the first half, I think three of them they scored on. They did a very good job attacking the basket. We rotated over our guards, very concerned about their three‑point shooters. We were kind of in an indecisive mindset, do I rotate, find somebody inside the blockout, do I ‑‑ our game plan was not to give up very many threes and I thought our guys were so indecisive when we thought for a second and they crashed the boards and got those easy baskets in the first half. It kind of gave them that breathing room. Down the stretch we ran out of gas. They kept executing and executing. That's why I think they're probably one of the top teams that I've seen in a long, long time. Playing within themselves, playing to their strengths, staying away from their weaknesses, making you pay every time you make a defensive mistake. That's to their credit. They're an outstanding basketball team. Q. Okaro, how critical was that the first three or four minutes of the seconds half, you guys were only down five but it seemed like you couldn't get stops to get yourself back in the game? OKARO WHITE: That was very critical. That's when they went on their run. They kept it to a nine, ten, 11‑point game during that time. It's very hard to come back on a team like Virginia when they're coming down and using 30seconds of a shot clock. You can't get down on them. That's where they went on that run. So that was a very critical part of the game. Q. Coach, you guys have struggled with turnovers a little bit. What was Virginia's defense doing that kind of let you guys ‑‑ did it force you guys into them or did you guys kind of do that as their defense setback? COACH HAMILTON: If you remember correctly, we must have had at least 12 to 15 point‑blank shots at the rim. I mean, we got great looks. We didn't finish some of the opportunities we had available. So I'm not ‑‑ I can't fault execution. I just think that we didn't have the legs to finish those plays inside. This is one of the first times in a long time that we haven't had enough depth to keep the rotation where we can keep our energy up. It's been a challenge for us all year long. They're playing nine guys and we're playing four perimeter guys and one rotation there. And it was a little bit more of a challenge. I thought in order to guard this type of system, you have to ‑‑ you can't take any possessions off defensively. I thought there were too many times as the game went on they started getting separation on their cuts and, like I said earlier, I just think that we look for some spots to catch a breather. And each time we did that, I thought that it cost us. Q. Okaro, what defensively was Virginia doing the second half that seemed to make it harder for you to get open looks there? OKARO WHITE: I just thought they played tighter in the second half, when I tried to drive the ball to help them a lot quicker. That's pretty much it. Q. Leonard, a couple of reports have come out that the ACC tournament is close to finalizing a move to the Barclays Center in 2017. As a guy who grew up in North Carolina but also spent a lot of time coaching in the Big East, what do you think of that move and what would it mean for the conference? COACH HAMILTON: First you have to understand that the reputation of the ACC has been built because of the outstanding ACC tournament for many, many years. And it's been‑‑ I think it set the standard by which all other conference tournaments have been judged throughout the years, the pageantry, the interest, the support. And it's been honed right here in Greensboro. I'm not real sure you can ever replace the culture that has been built for so many years as a result of the tournament being held here in Greensboro. But over the years, it's obvious that the footprint of the league has changed and I think if that's ‑‑ I don't really want to comment on rumors. Because I don't ‑‑ I like to talk about facts. But the tournament has moved around. It's been in Tampa. It's been in Washington, D.C., it's been in Atlanta. So if it moves somewhere else, I think it would just be part of the plan of the ACC to expand their territory, which is not anything different than what we've been doing all along. If that's the case, then that would be ‑‑ I mean, I can understand that being under consideration. But until it becomes a reality and something that's absolute, I'm not real sure it makes any sense for me to be speculating on it. Q. Leonard, you're one of those, quote, bubble teams. I know you're not on the committee. Do you think your team deserves to get in? Will you be watching on Sunday, hoping they get in? COACH HAMILTON: Well, obviously.  I think anybody that starts this season off in October and November practicing, there's not a team in America who does not have a plan of wanting to win a national title. Every kid grows up wanting to have an opportunity to participate for a national title. And I think our team and our players and our staff and our school and administration, we all feel the same way. But the reality is we really don't have a vote. And what we have to do is wait and see what happens. I do believe that we're more than capable of doing well in the NCAA Tournament. But at this particular point, it doesn't do you any good to play the what‑if game. Because there's a lot of criteria that the committee will use as they try to make their decision. We hope that we have fulfilled most of them. A win today probably would have helped us a lot better than a loss. So at this particular point there's not anything else we can do other than go back and try to regroup from this game and learn from it and move on and try to get a little rest, prepare ourselves for whatever tournament we are going to play in. Q. Okaro and Aaron, same question to you guys, do you guys think you've done enough? Do you think you deserve to get in? AARON THOMAS: Let's see. You know, I think we did. I think we got a couple of good quality wins. Like Coach said, I think today would have helped us a lot. And Syracuse would have helped us a lot. Like Coach said, let's see what happens. OKARO WHITE: You know, as far as our record, our record speaks for us to be on a bubble. But I mean, I think we're a great team. I think we've showed in the beginning of the season and had a tough time throughout the course of the season, but I think we showed everybody that we're a team that should be out there. I think we're a team that is up to the level of a lot of the teams that's going to be in the NCAA Tournament. But it's all up to voting and I know there's a lot of different categories they go by. So whatever they choose, we'll go off of. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|