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Coach Scheyer, Players Meet With Media Ahead of Pittsburgh Game
1/10/2023 1:36:00 PM | Men's Basketball
DURHAM - Duke men's basketball head coach Jon Scheyer, along with players Mark Mitchell and Kyle Filipowski, met with media members ahead of Duke's home ACC game on Wednesday evening. The Blue Devils and Panthers tip-off at 7:00 p.m. at Cameron Indoor Stadium, with the game set to be broadcast on ACC Network. Wednesday's game matches us up head coaches Jon Scheyer and Jeff Capel, who each played at Duke and were later assistant coaches on Mike Krzyzewski's staff. The pair are two of 10 former Coach K Duke players or assistants now Division-I head coaches.
HEAD COACH JON SCHEYER
On what has been the most challenging thing that team has had to contend with halfway through the season:
"I would just sum it up and say, there's no question the hardest part for us is just having a new group, along with the injuries, the continuity we just haven't been able to develop that. Now, the things that have come along faster, I think certain guys have emerged, whether it be Kyle [Filipowski] or Mark [Mitchell], that has helped where the opportunity is there, and they've taken it and run with it. But knowing, 'alright, you're in the end of the BC game', I've gotten asked a couple of questions about that -- that's the first time that group has been in that situation. So, it's something we've continued to navigate. I like our guys attitudes and figuring out how to always get better and to figure out how to play with each other. But we need to take a step forward now that. It's time and it's January like you said, we're about halfway through and I think that's been the biggest challenge, and at the same time, there's been guys that are ahead of schedule. I mentioned [Mitchell] and [Filipowski] and what Dariq [Whitehead] has done late, I'm proud of those guys."
On if he's seen anything on Pittsburgh's film that has surprised him:
"Nothing that surprised me. It's just they're really good. They're really good. And really since that start that they got off to, I think it actually made them better, made them tougher. And [Jamarius Burton and Blake Hinson], they're old, they're tough, they can hurt you in many different ways. So they make it hard on your defense. They can spread you and shoot, they can also attack the basket. And [Jeff Capel] has done an amazing job with his team. He's done a great job getting them ready, getting them to believe and buy into what the team needs. And we know it'll be a heck of a challenge tomorrow night."
On whether he's spoken to Jeff Capel recently:
"Yeah, we've been in touch but not since the last game or whatever. Both of us are doing what's best for our team and getting our teams ready. But we have mutual respect for each other. And we've had a friendship going back since really over a decade. But he's getting his team ready. And I'm getting my team ready."
On using disrespect as fuel for the team:
"I think for me, it's, I knew from the beginning, this would be a process. And the thing that I'm always judging our group on and myself is, 'are we competing? Are we doing the things that are necessary in order to prepare to be ready to go?' And you hope those things translate into winning. But to think with our group, a young group, nobody wins every game, first of all, and when you hit that adversity, when you do get knocked back, how do you respond? And really any time that's happened to us this year, we've done that. I'm really proud of our guys for it. I've been amazed. I'm not on social media, so I don't see articles. I don't see what's tweeted. I don't see anything, so I'm blind to it. But I can imagine what's out there. And for our guys, they get a lot of negativity. There just is. There's a lot of negativity. And there's also people who are incredibly passionate and supportive of our program. And we're thankful for those people. But I just, I want our community and everybody to rally around these guys. They're giving their all, they're working hard. It's not about where you're at today. Trust me, I want to be as good as anybody, I want to win today, I want to win tomorrow. But it's about where we end up and where we finish. And for our group, that's an evolution. And if we stick together, we block out the noise, whether it's positive or negative by the way, it could be that 'Duke is so good' and maybe we're not that good. We have to stay very even keeled and be hungry to work every single day. So that's where my focus goes, and understanding the big picture of where our program needs to get to and where this team needs to get to"
On how Tyrese Proctor and Jaylen Blakes have been responding to more responsibility during Jeremy Roach's absence:
"It's an everyday thing helping them improve. We watch film, we work with them on the court. I thought Tyrese [Proctor] did a really good job of running our team. I thought he was ready to shoot, he didn't finish the best necessarily, but that's not what we're looking for from him. He ran our team and got us in a really good position on defense, he battled. With Jaylen [Blakes], he's been a key guy all year for us and whether he's the main ball handler on the court or they're on the court together, they both are guys, we need them to make others better. And they've embraced that, they've done it. And then Jaylen is as good of a defender as we have. So for tomorrow night, he can really you know, his assignment can be on any of those guys. So that's the key for him and Tyrese, like I mentioned, running our team."
FRESHMAN FORWARD MARK MITCHELL
On his thoughts about Duke's defense in the final 20 seconds of the Boston College game:
"I think, obviously we think we have some things to work on in those situations. But I think just getting to be in that situation, getting that experience, in a tough road environment, having a close game and just fighting really. Fighting and having a will to win I think is what we took from that"
On how Duke can replicate their better start in a road game going forward in the season:
"I think just having poise. I think that was our third road game, so we were a little more used to it. Just going out not letting anything control us but just controlling the controllables. And just doing what we worked on and not getting rattled or getting too into the moment. We just execute what our game plan is."
On what went well in the Boston College game to increase the team's assist numbers:
"Just playing through our size advantage. That was one of our things we're looking forward to. Hitting Ryan in the post, I know he had a good amount assists in that game. We know he's a willing passer in the post and I know that a lot of teams had to send two to stop him. So, we knew that we if we could get the ball to him. Run actions off him. He'll find us whenever we're open."
FRESHMAN FORWARD KYLE FILIPOWSKI
On his mindset in the final 20 seconds of the Boston College game:
"I'd probably just say something that the coaches have been asking of all the whole team lately is just to compete. Every possession, never take a play off, things like that. And especially with the way the last minute went, which is how hectic it was, that's just kind of what we needed. We just needed to stick together and fight through to the end of the clock. I was just in the right position at the right time, you know, fighting for the loose ball and I just had to block the crowd out, the noise out, just focus on getting the win for my team because I know that's the most important thing. All those talks about freshmen not being able to hit free throws in clutch times or anything, that didn't really bother me at all, because we all have our own opportunities to create our own stories and things like that. So, I just kind of just focused on what my team needed and what we came to Boston College to do."
On whether he's noticed moving up the scouting report for other teams and if it impacts his play:
"I've definitely noticed just the next level of physicality that's been brought to these last four or five games to me. And I mean, that's kind of showed by my play as well. I wasn't really prepared for that in a way. So, I've just got to stay focused, be prepared for that. I'm definitely capable of handling that type of pressure and that type of physicality, and I just got to bring it to them first before they bring it to me. Let them know that I'm here to keep playing the way I should be. And if one thing's not going for me, they take it away, I can adapt and do something else to help my team get the win."
On what the message in the late-game huddle was at Boston College:
I think it was a little bit more with the coaches challenging us. I mean, they even emphasized that they were fighting for us and with us throughout the whole game. And we just got to reciprocate that. Especially with that loss to NC State prior to the BC game, that's just what they wanted to see out of us. They just want to see that fight and our competitive nature. Because like I said, the X's and O's don't really matter if we don't have that. So that was definitely the key to winning the game at the end of the game. And just listening to our coaches too, because they had a lot of great points at the end of the game that helped us get a defensive stop or anything like that."
On what his message to Dariq Whitehead has been as Whitehead continues to progress this season:
"I mean, just the past few games after the games I've even said to him, 'keep doing what you're doing. You're getting better every day'. And he's looking more like himself every day. I'm sure the potential on that kid is [sky-high] and he's got so much more to achieve, and he's got so much more to bring out in himself. He's doing great for what we need him to be doing now. And, just him getting better every day, like I said, it's really good for the team. We couldn't really ask of anything more from him because he's still competing, he's given us, like you said, offensive firepower. So, it's looking good with him moving forward. We got all the confidence in him to keep doing what he's doing."
To stay up to date with Blue Devils men's basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeMBB".
#GoDuke
HEAD COACH JON SCHEYER
On what has been the most challenging thing that team has had to contend with halfway through the season:
"I would just sum it up and say, there's no question the hardest part for us is just having a new group, along with the injuries, the continuity we just haven't been able to develop that. Now, the things that have come along faster, I think certain guys have emerged, whether it be Kyle [Filipowski] or Mark [Mitchell], that has helped where the opportunity is there, and they've taken it and run with it. But knowing, 'alright, you're in the end of the BC game', I've gotten asked a couple of questions about that -- that's the first time that group has been in that situation. So, it's something we've continued to navigate. I like our guys attitudes and figuring out how to always get better and to figure out how to play with each other. But we need to take a step forward now that. It's time and it's January like you said, we're about halfway through and I think that's been the biggest challenge, and at the same time, there's been guys that are ahead of schedule. I mentioned [Mitchell] and [Filipowski] and what Dariq [Whitehead] has done late, I'm proud of those guys."
On if he's seen anything on Pittsburgh's film that has surprised him:
"Nothing that surprised me. It's just they're really good. They're really good. And really since that start that they got off to, I think it actually made them better, made them tougher. And [Jamarius Burton and Blake Hinson], they're old, they're tough, they can hurt you in many different ways. So they make it hard on your defense. They can spread you and shoot, they can also attack the basket. And [Jeff Capel] has done an amazing job with his team. He's done a great job getting them ready, getting them to believe and buy into what the team needs. And we know it'll be a heck of a challenge tomorrow night."
On whether he's spoken to Jeff Capel recently:
"Yeah, we've been in touch but not since the last game or whatever. Both of us are doing what's best for our team and getting our teams ready. But we have mutual respect for each other. And we've had a friendship going back since really over a decade. But he's getting his team ready. And I'm getting my team ready."
On using disrespect as fuel for the team:
"I think for me, it's, I knew from the beginning, this would be a process. And the thing that I'm always judging our group on and myself is, 'are we competing? Are we doing the things that are necessary in order to prepare to be ready to go?' And you hope those things translate into winning. But to think with our group, a young group, nobody wins every game, first of all, and when you hit that adversity, when you do get knocked back, how do you respond? And really any time that's happened to us this year, we've done that. I'm really proud of our guys for it. I've been amazed. I'm not on social media, so I don't see articles. I don't see what's tweeted. I don't see anything, so I'm blind to it. But I can imagine what's out there. And for our guys, they get a lot of negativity. There just is. There's a lot of negativity. And there's also people who are incredibly passionate and supportive of our program. And we're thankful for those people. But I just, I want our community and everybody to rally around these guys. They're giving their all, they're working hard. It's not about where you're at today. Trust me, I want to be as good as anybody, I want to win today, I want to win tomorrow. But it's about where we end up and where we finish. And for our group, that's an evolution. And if we stick together, we block out the noise, whether it's positive or negative by the way, it could be that 'Duke is so good' and maybe we're not that good. We have to stay very even keeled and be hungry to work every single day. So that's where my focus goes, and understanding the big picture of where our program needs to get to and where this team needs to get to"
On how Tyrese Proctor and Jaylen Blakes have been responding to more responsibility during Jeremy Roach's absence:
"It's an everyday thing helping them improve. We watch film, we work with them on the court. I thought Tyrese [Proctor] did a really good job of running our team. I thought he was ready to shoot, he didn't finish the best necessarily, but that's not what we're looking for from him. He ran our team and got us in a really good position on defense, he battled. With Jaylen [Blakes], he's been a key guy all year for us and whether he's the main ball handler on the court or they're on the court together, they both are guys, we need them to make others better. And they've embraced that, they've done it. And then Jaylen is as good of a defender as we have. So for tomorrow night, he can really you know, his assignment can be on any of those guys. So that's the key for him and Tyrese, like I mentioned, running our team."
FRESHMAN FORWARD MARK MITCHELL
On his thoughts about Duke's defense in the final 20 seconds of the Boston College game:
"I think, obviously we think we have some things to work on in those situations. But I think just getting to be in that situation, getting that experience, in a tough road environment, having a close game and just fighting really. Fighting and having a will to win I think is what we took from that"
On how Duke can replicate their better start in a road game going forward in the season:
"I think just having poise. I think that was our third road game, so we were a little more used to it. Just going out not letting anything control us but just controlling the controllables. And just doing what we worked on and not getting rattled or getting too into the moment. We just execute what our game plan is."
On what went well in the Boston College game to increase the team's assist numbers:
"Just playing through our size advantage. That was one of our things we're looking forward to. Hitting Ryan in the post, I know he had a good amount assists in that game. We know he's a willing passer in the post and I know that a lot of teams had to send two to stop him. So, we knew that we if we could get the ball to him. Run actions off him. He'll find us whenever we're open."
FRESHMAN FORWARD KYLE FILIPOWSKI
On his mindset in the final 20 seconds of the Boston College game:
"I'd probably just say something that the coaches have been asking of all the whole team lately is just to compete. Every possession, never take a play off, things like that. And especially with the way the last minute went, which is how hectic it was, that's just kind of what we needed. We just needed to stick together and fight through to the end of the clock. I was just in the right position at the right time, you know, fighting for the loose ball and I just had to block the crowd out, the noise out, just focus on getting the win for my team because I know that's the most important thing. All those talks about freshmen not being able to hit free throws in clutch times or anything, that didn't really bother me at all, because we all have our own opportunities to create our own stories and things like that. So, I just kind of just focused on what my team needed and what we came to Boston College to do."
On whether he's noticed moving up the scouting report for other teams and if it impacts his play:
"I've definitely noticed just the next level of physicality that's been brought to these last four or five games to me. And I mean, that's kind of showed by my play as well. I wasn't really prepared for that in a way. So, I've just got to stay focused, be prepared for that. I'm definitely capable of handling that type of pressure and that type of physicality, and I just got to bring it to them first before they bring it to me. Let them know that I'm here to keep playing the way I should be. And if one thing's not going for me, they take it away, I can adapt and do something else to help my team get the win."
On what the message in the late-game huddle was at Boston College:
I think it was a little bit more with the coaches challenging us. I mean, they even emphasized that they were fighting for us and with us throughout the whole game. And we just got to reciprocate that. Especially with that loss to NC State prior to the BC game, that's just what they wanted to see out of us. They just want to see that fight and our competitive nature. Because like I said, the X's and O's don't really matter if we don't have that. So that was definitely the key to winning the game at the end of the game. And just listening to our coaches too, because they had a lot of great points at the end of the game that helped us get a defensive stop or anything like that."
On what his message to Dariq Whitehead has been as Whitehead continues to progress this season:
"I mean, just the past few games after the games I've even said to him, 'keep doing what you're doing. You're getting better every day'. And he's looking more like himself every day. I'm sure the potential on that kid is [sky-high] and he's got so much more to achieve, and he's got so much more to bring out in himself. He's doing great for what we need him to be doing now. And, just him getting better every day, like I said, it's really good for the team. We couldn't really ask of anything more from him because he's still competing, he's given us, like you said, offensive firepower. So, it's looking good with him moving forward. We got all the confidence in him to keep doing what he's doing."
To stay up to date with Blue Devils men's basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeMBB".
#GoDuke
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