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Coach Scheyer, Players Meet With Media Ahead of Virginia Game
2/9/2023 4:08:00 PM | Men's Basketball
DURHAM - Duke men's basketball head coach Jon Scheyer along with graduate Ryan Young and freshman Tyrese Proctor met with media members on Thursday ahead of Duke's matchup against No. 8 Virginia on Saturday afternoon.
HEAD COACH JON SCHEYER
On the mood of the team after the Miami loss:
"We had an off-day Tuesday, came back yesterday. And we watched the film, we talked about, of course nobody was saying that we played a good game individually or collectively, but why that happened, the things that we need to do staying true to who we are. And we just gave [Miami] a lot of layups. When you give a team a lot of layups in transition, it's going to be a long night. It's going to be a long night, especially a team like Miami. So, for us, just understanding those things are correctable, those things are fixable. We've had a really good stretch here and you can't let it spiral where it's more than just one game. And so just like it had to be the next game from going to Carolina to Miami. Now the same thing going from Miami, taking what we've learned, getting better and getting ready for Virginia."
On what might be going wrong when Duke has a higher turnover percentage:
"It's funny because that's something we've been doing a great job of. Going into the Miami game, we've been close to two-to-one and we've really taken great care of the ball. I think the start that we get off to, I thought we panicked a little bit. And when you're down, especially on the road, when things aren't going as well, that's when you need to stick even more with your habits and trusting the game plan and trusting each other. It's not like there's not the trust, but we just haven't been in enough of those situations yet. And sometimes you feel like you're there and then all of a sudden you get knocked back and we're not there, we have to take another jump. And that's what that game was for me, as a coach, and I think for our guys and gave us a great chance to refocus and move forward. But the thing I love about this team, they're all in, they're together. They haven't splintered whatsoever. And we've been through a tremendous amount of adversity the whole year. And that's the thing that I really believe in this group and love about them, is they're all about the next play and figuring out how to win the next game, which is where our focus is going"
On how much Duke missed the added dimension Whitehead brings against Miami:
"Well, you can never have too much shooting. And Dariq is more than just a shooter or scorer. He has really, really good feel and great instincts for how to play the game. He's a really underrated passer, his versatility on defense. And his thing has just been the continuity of practicing and playing. It's not ideal getting injured when he did preseason and then getting [injured] again. I thought he was starting to find his rhythm in that Virginia Tech game, and he gets hurt. So, we try to make sure he can get as much of that in practice as possible. And we'll determine if it's enough for Saturday. He's a really good player with a bright future who's figuring out who he is. And so, can we use him? Absolutely. He can really take our team to another level and I'm anxious to get him back out there."
On if the team has made any adjustments in preparation for Virginia's strong defense:
"Well first of all, we've only had one practice. So, we didn't do contact yet. It's not like we've seen a lot of changes, but we've practiced well. I just think for us, it's time to translate it to the game. And they're incredibly disciplined. They're physical, they have great individual defenders so we know what a challenge it's going to be. But also, we feel very confident if we're right, we can play with anybody, and it's just about putting it all together. It's not easy, we know that. But these next two days are important to prepare and make sure we're all pulling the same direction and we know what the game plan is. And honestly, I don't want to oversimplify it, but to me, it's just going ahead and doing it. And that's what's next for us."
On Dariq Whitehead's availability for Saturday's game:
"He's really progressed well. We didn't have contact yesterday; he was able to do everything. But today's the next step of being able to go through the entire practice, and then we'll evaluate and talk afterwards today. So he's right there. I don't want to say whether it's going to happen or not. Want him to feel comfortable and we need to huddle up with him and our staff and our medical team today and tomorrow to get a better feel."
GRADUATE FORWARD RYAN YOUNG
On why it feels like it takes longer for the team to recover from a slow start on the road:
"Yeah, that's something we addressed as a team and Coach Scheyer talked a lot to us about, because it's something that we're gonna need to improve very quickly. Obviously, we've been a different team in Cameron versus on the road and you need to be able to play in [road] sites if we want to get to where we want to get. I think it's a level of maturity, remaining composed. In the Miami game, they come out and hit two deep threes. That isn't something that we should get too frazzled about and break down. So, I think it's, while you're on the road and teams come out and they hit a few shots like that -- Taking a deep breath and saying, 'Look, we still have to settle in. There's a lot of game left'. We weren't able to do that against Miami. Just remaining composed and staying mature in moments like that is pretty crucial especially just battling runs on the road. Because it's going to happen. Teams are gonna be able to put together some scoring against us and like I said, we just need to be mature about that and play through it."
On if it's frustrating that he's been in the position to talk about similar things earlier in the season:
"Definitely. That's something we talked about as well. It's disappointing, especially on Monday and in February to be in this position. Obviously, it's something we want to conquer as we go into the ACC Tournament and hopefully the NCAA Tournament after that. But I think we're still in a position where we control our own destiny. We're gonna get to play one of the top teams in our conference on Saturday. And we're still in a position where we can make something happen. So, it's like you said, it is disappointing that the Miami loss is something we feel like shouldn't be happening this late in the year for us, but we're still in a part in the year we're still in the standings or rankings. We're in a position where we can control what we can control moving forward."
On what Duke can do to knock Virginia off track and create turnovers:
"Just trusting our defense. I think we have one of the more unique lineups in the league and especially with our length and versatility. Obviously, we respect them a lot and like you said, they don't beat themselves. They really take care of the ball. But I have a lot of confidence in our defense and the length that we have. Having Dereck [Lively II] in there and being able to switch out, and [Kyle Filipowski] and Mark [Mitchell] being as long as they are in our guard play. I think if we just trust the work that we've put in, and our coaching staff will have us ready with an incredible game plan. Just trusting the work that we put in and what we have."
FRESHMAN GUARD TYRESE PROCTOR
On what the team has talked about in regard to turnovers after a season-high 21 against Miami:
"I think just not being careless with the ball. We've always said we're fine with turnovers if they're aggressive turnovers. I feel like turnovers that we had were sloppy and just turnovers that we could control. Just being loose with the ball, just sloppy passes, stuff like that. So, we've watched film and gone over it and just learned from it."
On what special problems Virginia's defense can potentially pose on Saturday:
"Yeah, they're a really good team. I think that's why they're ranked the way they are. Defensively, they're really, really structured and have great active hands and can really turn up the heat on defense. And then offensively, they play at their pace like you said. I feel like we just can't get too antsy on defense and try and go for passing lanes, steals or sort of overhelp and stuff. We just really need to stick to our scout and just lock in on that end."
On how influential it has been to have Jeremy Roach as a mentor throughout the season:
"Jeremy's been awesome. Obviously when the season's a rollercoaster, a lot of ups and downs, and he's been through that multiple times and just going to a guy that you can lean on and he's been a key factor in teams in the past, especially the team that made it to the Final Four last year. And just sort of picking his brain and just taking points that he's picked up throughout previous seasons."
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 the mood of the team after the Miami loss:
"We had an off-day Tuesday, came back yesterday. And we watched the film, we talked about, of course nobody was saying that we played a good game individually or collectively, but why that happened, the things that we need to do staying true to who we are. And we just gave [Miami] a lot of layups. When you give a team a lot of layups in transition, it's going to be a long night. It's going to be a long night, especially a team like Miami. So, for us, just understanding those things are correctable, those things are fixable. We've had a really good stretch here and you can't let it spiral where it's more than just one game. And so just like it had to be the next game from going to Carolina to Miami. Now the same thing going from Miami, taking what we've learned, getting better and getting ready for Virginia."
On what might be going wrong when Duke has a higher turnover percentage:
"It's funny because that's something we've been doing a great job of. Going into the Miami game, we've been close to two-to-one and we've really taken great care of the ball. I think the start that we get off to, I thought we panicked a little bit. And when you're down, especially on the road, when things aren't going as well, that's when you need to stick even more with your habits and trusting the game plan and trusting each other. It's not like there's not the trust, but we just haven't been in enough of those situations yet. And sometimes you feel like you're there and then all of a sudden you get knocked back and we're not there, we have to take another jump. And that's what that game was for me, as a coach, and I think for our guys and gave us a great chance to refocus and move forward. But the thing I love about this team, they're all in, they're together. They haven't splintered whatsoever. And we've been through a tremendous amount of adversity the whole year. And that's the thing that I really believe in this group and love about them, is they're all about the next play and figuring out how to win the next game, which is where our focus is going"
On how much Duke missed the added dimension Whitehead brings against Miami:
"Well, you can never have too much shooting. And Dariq is more than just a shooter or scorer. He has really, really good feel and great instincts for how to play the game. He's a really underrated passer, his versatility on defense. And his thing has just been the continuity of practicing and playing. It's not ideal getting injured when he did preseason and then getting [injured] again. I thought he was starting to find his rhythm in that Virginia Tech game, and he gets hurt. So, we try to make sure he can get as much of that in practice as possible. And we'll determine if it's enough for Saturday. He's a really good player with a bright future who's figuring out who he is. And so, can we use him? Absolutely. He can really take our team to another level and I'm anxious to get him back out there."
On if the team has made any adjustments in preparation for Virginia's strong defense:
"Well first of all, we've only had one practice. So, we didn't do contact yet. It's not like we've seen a lot of changes, but we've practiced well. I just think for us, it's time to translate it to the game. And they're incredibly disciplined. They're physical, they have great individual defenders so we know what a challenge it's going to be. But also, we feel very confident if we're right, we can play with anybody, and it's just about putting it all together. It's not easy, we know that. But these next two days are important to prepare and make sure we're all pulling the same direction and we know what the game plan is. And honestly, I don't want to oversimplify it, but to me, it's just going ahead and doing it. And that's what's next for us."
On Dariq Whitehead's availability for Saturday's game:
"He's really progressed well. We didn't have contact yesterday; he was able to do everything. But today's the next step of being able to go through the entire practice, and then we'll evaluate and talk afterwards today. So he's right there. I don't want to say whether it's going to happen or not. Want him to feel comfortable and we need to huddle up with him and our staff and our medical team today and tomorrow to get a better feel."
GRADUATE FORWARD RYAN YOUNG
On why it feels like it takes longer for the team to recover from a slow start on the road:
"Yeah, that's something we addressed as a team and Coach Scheyer talked a lot to us about, because it's something that we're gonna need to improve very quickly. Obviously, we've been a different team in Cameron versus on the road and you need to be able to play in [road] sites if we want to get to where we want to get. I think it's a level of maturity, remaining composed. In the Miami game, they come out and hit two deep threes. That isn't something that we should get too frazzled about and break down. So, I think it's, while you're on the road and teams come out and they hit a few shots like that -- Taking a deep breath and saying, 'Look, we still have to settle in. There's a lot of game left'. We weren't able to do that against Miami. Just remaining composed and staying mature in moments like that is pretty crucial especially just battling runs on the road. Because it's going to happen. Teams are gonna be able to put together some scoring against us and like I said, we just need to be mature about that and play through it."
On if it's frustrating that he's been in the position to talk about similar things earlier in the season:
"Definitely. That's something we talked about as well. It's disappointing, especially on Monday and in February to be in this position. Obviously, it's something we want to conquer as we go into the ACC Tournament and hopefully the NCAA Tournament after that. But I think we're still in a position where we control our own destiny. We're gonna get to play one of the top teams in our conference on Saturday. And we're still in a position where we can make something happen. So, it's like you said, it is disappointing that the Miami loss is something we feel like shouldn't be happening this late in the year for us, but we're still in a part in the year we're still in the standings or rankings. We're in a position where we can control what we can control moving forward."
On what Duke can do to knock Virginia off track and create turnovers:
"Just trusting our defense. I think we have one of the more unique lineups in the league and especially with our length and versatility. Obviously, we respect them a lot and like you said, they don't beat themselves. They really take care of the ball. But I have a lot of confidence in our defense and the length that we have. Having Dereck [Lively II] in there and being able to switch out, and [Kyle Filipowski] and Mark [Mitchell] being as long as they are in our guard play. I think if we just trust the work that we've put in, and our coaching staff will have us ready with an incredible game plan. Just trusting the work that we put in and what we have."
FRESHMAN GUARD TYRESE PROCTOR
On what the team has talked about in regard to turnovers after a season-high 21 against Miami:
"I think just not being careless with the ball. We've always said we're fine with turnovers if they're aggressive turnovers. I feel like turnovers that we had were sloppy and just turnovers that we could control. Just being loose with the ball, just sloppy passes, stuff like that. So, we've watched film and gone over it and just learned from it."
On what special problems Virginia's defense can potentially pose on Saturday:
"Yeah, they're a really good team. I think that's why they're ranked the way they are. Defensively, they're really, really structured and have great active hands and can really turn up the heat on defense. And then offensively, they play at their pace like you said. I feel like we just can't get too antsy on defense and try and go for passing lanes, steals or sort of overhelp and stuff. We just really need to stick to our scout and just lock in on that end."
On how influential it has been to have Jeremy Roach as a mentor throughout the season:
"Jeremy's been awesome. Obviously when the season's a rollercoaster, a lot of ups and downs, and he's been through that multiple times and just going to a guy that you can lean on and he's been a key factor in teams in the past, especially the team that made it to the Final Four last year. And just sort of picking his brain and just taking points that he's picked up throughout previous seasons."
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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