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00:00 [BLANK_AUDIO]
00:06 >> Danny, when you guys are clicking, I'm on offense,
00:10 but then I saw the struggles on defense.
00:13 I'm wondering how you split up by the practice time versus
00:17 trying to sharpen up on each end of the court.
00:20 >> Well, you go into practices and
00:22 you devise what you wanna accomplish that particular day.
00:26 A lot of it depends on the schedule that you play, so for us,
00:30 we'll come in and we'll break down.
00:33 Intro, our opponent, watch some film on him going on the court,
00:38 getting to our normal practice sessions.
00:42 Then throughout the course of our practice session,
00:44 we'll have defensive breakdowns, working on what they do.
00:48 Whether it's a four on four setting, a five on five setting,
00:50 a ball screen setting, zone, baseline out of bounds, and
00:55 just kinda incorporate it that way.
00:57 So we know going into this game that Georgia Tech is a team that's very
01:03 dangerous, they got off to a really good start in conference play for big time win.
01:07 And we know that they're very aggressive in terms of offensively
01:11 sharing the basketball, and they're not afraid to shoot it from distance.
01:15 So I think they've got over 300 three-point attempts in 12 games.
01:20 So we know we have to get out and extend our defensive pressure to the three-point
01:24 line, they have to feel us when they shoot the basketball, it's not enough to be in
01:29 front, we have to have a high hand and contest with our hand and our voice.
01:33 >> Now, obviously the offense is operating pretty efficiently,
01:38 at least the last couple of days.
01:39 How do you fix the defense?
01:41 What can you do to get better defensively in these last eight or nine games?
01:46 >> Well, defensively, that's having a better awareness in terms of knowing
01:51 personnel who we're closing out to, and also doing a better job of taking care of
01:55 the ball, offensively, we're scoring at a high clip in terms of the last couple
02:00 games, but if we do a better job of taking care of the basketball and not having
02:04 as many live ball turnovers, we're teams can get out in transition,
02:09 that would help us also.
02:10 But knowing personnel and following our scouting report,
02:15 when we go over what we can live with and what we can't live with.
02:19 We gotta make sure that it falls in the category of what we wanna give up and
02:23 not what they wanna do.
02:24 >> Danny, to kind of play off that, when you look at defense,
02:29 are you looking at it as this is kind of a team breakdown or
02:33 are you having individuals break down more so?
02:36 >> Well, we cover it all.
02:38 So we'll do individual breakdown with us, post-perimeter, one on one.
02:43 Then we'll go over team concepts and team positioning when the ball's in certain
02:49 areas of the court.
02:50 >> Danny, you were talking about Georgia Tech and being aggressive and
02:55 shooting the threes.
02:55 When you look at them, they've got a 13, 12, 11, 10, and
02:59 I think a nine point score all in there.
03:01 What does that say about a team?
03:04 And I guess how much does that put pressure on defense when they can have so
03:08 many guys that can score?
03:09 >> You're right, they're very balanced.
03:11 And we know going into it, you have to know personnel is probably the biggest
03:17 thing we keep back, we talk about that every day because in the course of
03:21 the ball game, certain possessions, we're running a play.
03:25 And whether they're switching, shot goes up, it's a scramble for
03:28 loose balls and you're running back in transition.
03:31 At that point in time, you don't have a man, we have to stop the ball.
03:34 Then you have to sort out, meaning you have to find somebody in your area to guard.
03:39 And a lot of times that's not your assigned matchup.
03:41 So making sure that we have a better understanding of knowing personnel,
03:45 who we're guarding.
03:46 And it could be something as simple as we're playing Syracuse the other night and
03:50 it's a scramble situation.
03:51 And somebody who's, say one of our big guys gets stuck on bell, right?
03:59 And they realize they don't realize it's bell,
04:00 maybe they're guarding somebody who's not as good of a shooter.
04:03 So they're often help a little bit more,
04:05 whereas you have to be a little bit closer to bell because he doesn't need as much
04:08 time to get the shot off.
04:09 So making sure our awareness is a little bit better,
04:13 understanding personnel in those situations will help us out also.
04:17 >> Yeah, going back to the game in Syracuse, did your opinion change at all on
04:22 that last goal tending call after going back and looking at the film of it?
04:25 >> You're trying to get me fined?
04:27 >> [LAUGH]
04:33 >> You know what,
04:34 we thought it was a good block by KG, but even before that.
04:39 Coach Payne spent a good amount of time talking about in those situations,
04:46 getting back after the bucket is made.
04:49 The shot went in and we had some guys in the motion of starting to get back, but
04:54 we didn't get back quick enough.
04:56 And KG makes a great hustle play, Brandon runs down there too and
04:59 makes a block, but even at the end, they had one of their guys catch it and
05:04 put it back in.
05:05 And so in those situations, that's another one of those awareness and
05:10 knowing personnel.
05:11 Copeland had the basketball and we did a good job pursuing them.
05:17 We blocked the shot, we just didn't finish the play at the end.
05:21 >> It is Georgia Tech a tough team to figure out.
05:23 They've only won three games, but
05:24 I think two of the wins is going to get Snorkel Jerlina and Duke, so.
05:28 >> In other words, close.
05:29 >> [LAUGH]
05:31 >> So they're a very dangerous team.
05:34 You go back and you look at the history of the ACC,
05:37 you always have teams that are like that every year.
05:40 And this is a team, Damon's done a really good job of implementing this system and
05:46 he's trying to, you know, he's going through first year coach blues,
05:50 if you will, in terms of implementing system, learning league,
05:54 learning personnel and things of that nature.
05:56 But the offensive sets and schemes that they run are really good.
06:00 The defensive schemes remind me a lot of the NBA type of mindset,
06:06 where there will be certain guys that they're gonna leave open and
06:10 dare you to make a shot or make a play.
06:12 And we have to put our guys in the right situation,
06:16 like KB's been doing a great job of offensively for us, and
06:19 then we have to make good decisions.
06:20 Once we get the ball at that free throw line area,
06:24 we have to be able to make a good decision whether that's a shot or
06:27 that's a pass.
06:28 We have to be decisive and really sharp in those moments.
06:32 >> Dean, what is it the last couple of games in transition that you guys haven't
06:37 been doing that other teams have taken advantage of, the other night especially?
06:42 >> Well, one of the things is floor spacing.
06:44 We have really good floor spacing, our defensive balance is really good in
06:50 getting back.
06:51 And also knowing that if we want three guys per se to go to the glass,
06:58 our small forward, our power forward, and our center,
07:01 we want our point guard and shooting guard to get back.
07:04 Sometimes your long rebounds, and then you gotta scramble back on that backside.
07:10 So we just have to do a better job of sorting in transition,
07:14 stopping the ball first, and then sorting and finding the man.
07:19 >> Danny, coming off an emotional loss like that,
07:21 what was the state of the locker room just following the game?
07:24 And how has that changed, if it has,
07:26 since the game as you go into this one on the weekend?
07:28 >> A lot of different emotions.
07:30 Some of us that are disappointed, some of us are pissed, some of us,
07:36 just a lot of different emotions.
07:38 Every individual carries it a little bit differently.
07:41 But at the end of the day for us, we had opportunities that we didn't quite
07:44 capitalize on well enough to win the ball game.
07:47 And we can't have lapses where we have possessions offensively or
07:52 defensively, especially down the stretch that have such an impact on the ball game.
07:57 So a lot of areas for us, we're looking in the mirror, and
08:00 we're trying to find different ways we can continue to improve defensively.
08:03 >> Danny, since conference play has started, Brandon Huntley,
08:07 that feels kind of gone to the next level.
08:08 I mean, he's amongst the conference leaders in scoring, rebounding,
08:11 field goal percentage.
08:12 How has his continued emergence possibly been contagious to the other guys on
08:17 the team to possibly up their game as well?
08:20 >> Well, Brandon is playing at a very high cup right now.
08:23 We feel like there's still a ways for him to go, but he's certainly improved.
08:27 And yeah, there are times when we can feed off of his energy.
08:34 A lot of it comes down to this too,
08:36 like Brandon's an upper class for the college basketball.
08:39 He's got a year under his belt in the ACC.
08:43 He's seen a lot of different things that a lot of different guys on our team
08:48 hadn't seen, and he's doing that sometimes playing up against a double team.
08:52 And so his improvement has been something that we're all proud of and happy for,
08:57 but we're gonna continue to push him like KP does every day to continue to take
09:01 steps to get better, but he is certainly someone we feel comfortable throwing
09:05 the ball to and feel like we can get something out of it.
09:09 Whether it's single coverage in the post,
09:10 we feel like he can get to the shot or the spot that he wants to.
09:15 And if they double team him, our spacing has to be good.
09:18 He's been doing a good job of getting the ball out of double teams, and
09:21 then we're playing on the weak side, two against one or
09:24 three against two, depending on where they're trapped.
09:26 >> Anything else for Coach Mann?
09:29 >> Yeah, just to follow up on Brandon, he made three threes in the game against
09:32 Syracuse, and he's been taking more lately.
09:35 I'm just wondering if that's something that's just a byproduct of how the game
09:40 is flowing, or is it you all trying to get him out in the space more,
09:43 him out in the perimeter, and trying to get those looks?
09:46 >> It's a byproduct of the game.
09:48 We'd much rather him catch the ball closer to the basket because of the intention
09:51 that he draws and his effectiveness there.
09:54 But he's also shown he's capable of stepping out on the perimeter and
09:56 making shots.
09:57 So that just puts the defense in a situation of what are you willing to live
10:02 with?
10:03 And Syracuse closed out short to him and said, you gotta make a couple.
10:07 And he did that.
10:09 So now teams have to look at different ways they have to guard him when he steps
10:12 out on the perimeter because he is a capable shooter.
10:15 >> All right, good.
10:17 All right, thank you.