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Men's Basketball
vs Kansas
Quotes: Countdown to Craziness
10/17/2015 11:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski
Opening Statement:
“What a really great night that was. I want to thank all the people who did an extraordinary job with putting the event on. It was a lot of work behind the scenes. We certainly appreciate all the fans being out. It was a festive night. I'm not sure if you noticed, but one of the things we tried to do along the years is to showcase Duke and all the talent that is here. That is why we ask so many of the student groups to perform and it is an honor to share the floor with them tonight. It is really a Duke experience. We love it. I thought our guys played really hard and well. Our defense is ahead of our offense. We are very big and we have been concentrating a lot on defense in the first 12 practices, especially our ball screen and dribble hand-off. I was pleased with the effort. Our guys are really trying to rebound. It is tough to score with our length and if we are playing that hard. I thought Marshall [Plumlee] and Amile [Jefferson] set a really good tone. They were men. You could tell who has played before. Those two guys and Matt [Jones] and Grayson [Allen] do that too. The four upperclassmen set a nice tone. It is a good experience for the freshmen just to get their feet wet. They did well but our upperclassmen really set the tone for tonight.”
On any surprises in the freshman class:
“There is not one guy. I hate to single out one guy, because not one guy has. They have all done a good job. Doing a good job should not be surprising; doing a good job should be what you do. It would be surprising if they did a bad job. They have a lot to learn. We are a couple weeks away from our first exhibition game and are excited to do that. Actually, 13 days away.”
On Derryck Thornton's transition:
“It will take time. The physicality of the defense is difficult for a freshman to adjust to. It takes some time. In his case, anybody who is guarded by Matt Jones is going to have a hard time. Matt Jones is a great defender, not a good one. Derryck is really good and he will be fine.”
On vocal bigs:
“Especially Amile, Chase [Jeter] is still learning. He has a learning curve like most freshmen, so I wouldn't put him in the category of those other two guys [Amile Jefferson and Marshall Plumlee] right now. That is one of their strengths. They know what we want and are good leaders on the court. When big guys have a good voice in a game, especially defensively, it helps you. The perimeter, if they are doing a good job, cannot look behind them. If they have a voice behind them telling them what is going on, they can do their job better. They trust that voice. Whenever we have had teams that have had good vocal big men, we have usually been a much better defensive team.”
On who the offense will run through:
“It ran through Jah[lil Okafor] last year, which it should. I think we have good scoring potential here. Grayson, Luke [Kennard], and Brandon [Ingram] are big time scorers. Matt is not necessarily a big time scorer, but he is an efficient scorer. In rebounding, this team could be a very good rebounding team. Marshall did a really good job. Marshall and Amile were very, very good tonight. I thought they really asserted themselves. They are always looking to get these guys open. We split up the team, so I'm anxious for when we have the first eight guys going against another team. I think we are going to score more in transition. Shooting from the outside should be a strength of ours.”
Duke Senior Amile Jefferson
On being one of Duke's three captains along with Marshall Plumlee and Matt Jones:
“Having a tri-captain group with us three has been great because we all have different inputs, different insights, do different things on the court, and lead in a different way. So it's pretty cool to have those guys with me, and then all the young guys and everybody else because everyone has great input. At times, Grayson [Allen] is a great leader. Having Marshall and Matt has helped me immensely.”
On the emotions that come with seeing the 2015 National Championship banner unveiled:
“It was unbelievable seeing that banner go up. I don't know if you know that song that was playing – it was incredible. That was our song for the National Championship, and it's an amazing song and just stirs up a lot of emotion in you. I just wish our guys that have left us were here to be in that moment with us. It was amazing.”
“I think this team can be really good. We're not even close to reaching our ceiling. We haven't even started to get off the ground yet. We have a lot of talented guys, and I think that was evident [tonight]. We have guys that can shoot, guys that can score, and we can really defend. When our guys are locked in, when we put out groups that are really, really long and really, really big, we can really get after teams. That was evident out there. I think our team is at a good place right now, but we have to get better. These games unravel quickly. It's quick and it happens fast. We'll get back to the drawing board on Monday and start working on the things that we need to, and I think we'll be good.”
Duke Senior Marshall Plumlee
On how this year is different from last year in terms of what the coaches have asked of him:
“In past years it was ok to come in flashes and fill little gaps here and there, but now roles change and you're expected to bring what you bring to the table more consistently and at a different level. I think you see that a lot with our players, like Amile Jefferson, Matt Jones, Grayson Allen, guys who had roles in the past but now they've got new roles this year where they've got to bring more to the table. We're just trying to get better every day.”
When asked to describe the mentality and personality of this year's team:
“I think we're a team that loves to work hard and put everything into it physically, but we need to learn to work smarter and work more together, and that's going to come by listening to what Coach [Mike Krzyzewski] is telling us and through practice and taking steps forward every day as a team. We can't have a practice where we lose. We've got to win every practice and get better, keep taking steps forward.”
“I've just been fortunate to play with some tremendous players. And this year, like last year, [this team has] a lot of talent, guys who are capable of doing amazing things on the court, and I get to be out there with them. That's exciting. They bring out the best in me, and I'd like to think I bring out the best in them too.”
On what the Duke freshmen have to do to prepare for the season ahead:
“The college game's a little different, a little more physical, and you've got to think a little quicker. That's something that Coach [Mike Krzyzewski] is great at teaching – we just need to listen. Amile [Jefferson] and I have learned it steadily over the years. We still have a ways to go, and I think the more the younger guys keep listening to what Coach has to say, keep working, they'll start thinking quicker and they'll be more physical too.”
Duke Sophomore Grayson Allen
“The whole team, from the freshmen to the returning guys, everyone's been really intense defensively and that's going to be one of our main focuses for the whole year – just to bring that defensive intensity every night. It was hard for us to score on each other tonight. Hopefully we'll be able to continue that throughout the season.”
On how his role is different this year versus last year:
“I think [I'm] definitely more of a leader, just kind of naturally assume that role because I'm one of the four guys with game experience. With as many freshmen as there are [on this team], you've got to be more of a leader. This year, I'm stepping kind of out of my comfort zone and being more vocal than I was last year just to help these guys adjust.”
On how it felt to see the 2015 National Championship banner unveiled:
“It was really cool. It was just a feeling I can't describe with words. I was close to tears out there watching the fifth banner light up. Just running out there again, there's nothing like it.”
On Duke freshman Brandon Ingram:
“Brandon [Ingram] has been very dynamic. He can get very hot, and when he gets hot shooting the ball, there's nothing you can do because you can't contest his shot because he's so tall. There was one shot he hit out there over me where there was nothing else I could've done. He just shot it over me and made it. Just what he brings with his size and length and scoring ability, it's great.”
Opening Statement:
“What a really great night that was. I want to thank all the people who did an extraordinary job with putting the event on. It was a lot of work behind the scenes. We certainly appreciate all the fans being out. It was a festive night. I'm not sure if you noticed, but one of the things we tried to do along the years is to showcase Duke and all the talent that is here. That is why we ask so many of the student groups to perform and it is an honor to share the floor with them tonight. It is really a Duke experience. We love it. I thought our guys played really hard and well. Our defense is ahead of our offense. We are very big and we have been concentrating a lot on defense in the first 12 practices, especially our ball screen and dribble hand-off. I was pleased with the effort. Our guys are really trying to rebound. It is tough to score with our length and if we are playing that hard. I thought Marshall [Plumlee] and Amile [Jefferson] set a really good tone. They were men. You could tell who has played before. Those two guys and Matt [Jones] and Grayson [Allen] do that too. The four upperclassmen set a nice tone. It is a good experience for the freshmen just to get their feet wet. They did well but our upperclassmen really set the tone for tonight.”
On any surprises in the freshman class:
“There is not one guy. I hate to single out one guy, because not one guy has. They have all done a good job. Doing a good job should not be surprising; doing a good job should be what you do. It would be surprising if they did a bad job. They have a lot to learn. We are a couple weeks away from our first exhibition game and are excited to do that. Actually, 13 days away.”
On Derryck Thornton's transition:
“It will take time. The physicality of the defense is difficult for a freshman to adjust to. It takes some time. In his case, anybody who is guarded by Matt Jones is going to have a hard time. Matt Jones is a great defender, not a good one. Derryck is really good and he will be fine.”
On vocal bigs:
“Especially Amile, Chase [Jeter] is still learning. He has a learning curve like most freshmen, so I wouldn't put him in the category of those other two guys [Amile Jefferson and Marshall Plumlee] right now. That is one of their strengths. They know what we want and are good leaders on the court. When big guys have a good voice in a game, especially defensively, it helps you. The perimeter, if they are doing a good job, cannot look behind them. If they have a voice behind them telling them what is going on, they can do their job better. They trust that voice. Whenever we have had teams that have had good vocal big men, we have usually been a much better defensive team.”
On who the offense will run through:
“It ran through Jah[lil Okafor] last year, which it should. I think we have good scoring potential here. Grayson, Luke [Kennard], and Brandon [Ingram] are big time scorers. Matt is not necessarily a big time scorer, but he is an efficient scorer. In rebounding, this team could be a very good rebounding team. Marshall did a really good job. Marshall and Amile were very, very good tonight. I thought they really asserted themselves. They are always looking to get these guys open. We split up the team, so I'm anxious for when we have the first eight guys going against another team. I think we are going to score more in transition. Shooting from the outside should be a strength of ours.”
Duke Senior Amile Jefferson
On being one of Duke's three captains along with Marshall Plumlee and Matt Jones:
“Having a tri-captain group with us three has been great because we all have different inputs, different insights, do different things on the court, and lead in a different way. So it's pretty cool to have those guys with me, and then all the young guys and everybody else because everyone has great input. At times, Grayson [Allen] is a great leader. Having Marshall and Matt has helped me immensely.”
On the emotions that come with seeing the 2015 National Championship banner unveiled:
“It was unbelievable seeing that banner go up. I don't know if you know that song that was playing – it was incredible. That was our song for the National Championship, and it's an amazing song and just stirs up a lot of emotion in you. I just wish our guys that have left us were here to be in that moment with us. It was amazing.”
“I think this team can be really good. We're not even close to reaching our ceiling. We haven't even started to get off the ground yet. We have a lot of talented guys, and I think that was evident [tonight]. We have guys that can shoot, guys that can score, and we can really defend. When our guys are locked in, when we put out groups that are really, really long and really, really big, we can really get after teams. That was evident out there. I think our team is at a good place right now, but we have to get better. These games unravel quickly. It's quick and it happens fast. We'll get back to the drawing board on Monday and start working on the things that we need to, and I think we'll be good.”
Duke Senior Marshall Plumlee
On how this year is different from last year in terms of what the coaches have asked of him:
“In past years it was ok to come in flashes and fill little gaps here and there, but now roles change and you're expected to bring what you bring to the table more consistently and at a different level. I think you see that a lot with our players, like Amile Jefferson, Matt Jones, Grayson Allen, guys who had roles in the past but now they've got new roles this year where they've got to bring more to the table. We're just trying to get better every day.”
When asked to describe the mentality and personality of this year's team:
“I think we're a team that loves to work hard and put everything into it physically, but we need to learn to work smarter and work more together, and that's going to come by listening to what Coach [Mike Krzyzewski] is telling us and through practice and taking steps forward every day as a team. We can't have a practice where we lose. We've got to win every practice and get better, keep taking steps forward.”
“I've just been fortunate to play with some tremendous players. And this year, like last year, [this team has] a lot of talent, guys who are capable of doing amazing things on the court, and I get to be out there with them. That's exciting. They bring out the best in me, and I'd like to think I bring out the best in them too.”
On what the Duke freshmen have to do to prepare for the season ahead:
“The college game's a little different, a little more physical, and you've got to think a little quicker. That's something that Coach [Mike Krzyzewski] is great at teaching – we just need to listen. Amile [Jefferson] and I have learned it steadily over the years. We still have a ways to go, and I think the more the younger guys keep listening to what Coach has to say, keep working, they'll start thinking quicker and they'll be more physical too.”
Duke Sophomore Grayson Allen
“The whole team, from the freshmen to the returning guys, everyone's been really intense defensively and that's going to be one of our main focuses for the whole year – just to bring that defensive intensity every night. It was hard for us to score on each other tonight. Hopefully we'll be able to continue that throughout the season.”
On how his role is different this year versus last year:
“I think [I'm] definitely more of a leader, just kind of naturally assume that role because I'm one of the four guys with game experience. With as many freshmen as there are [on this team], you've got to be more of a leader. This year, I'm stepping kind of out of my comfort zone and being more vocal than I was last year just to help these guys adjust.”
On how it felt to see the 2015 National Championship banner unveiled:
“It was really cool. It was just a feeling I can't describe with words. I was close to tears out there watching the fifth banner light up. Just running out there again, there's nothing like it.”
On Duke freshman Brandon Ingram:
“Brandon [Ingram] has been very dynamic. He can get very hot, and when he gets hot shooting the ball, there's nothing you can do because you can't contest his shot because he's so tall. There was one shot he hit out there over me where there was nothing else I could've done. He just shot it over me and made it. Just what he brings with his size and length and scoring ability, it's great.”
Players Mentioned
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