| | Thursday, March 9
This team has had a great year -- a lot better than I ever imagined. What the
players need to remember is that this a separate week, not even the
postseason. From here on out it is just a week at a time and we have a lot
of young guys, so for them to figure that out will be interesting to see.
|
Inside the Locker Room
|
|
Throughout Championship Week, ESPN.com and FANSonly.com are presenting an inside look into the ACC tournament from some of the league's top players and coaches, including Mike Krzyzewski of Duke. For more on the ACC, visit the conference's official web site.
|
Our kids just have to start thinking like we are 0-0. That's hard
to do, particularly when you have had a successful season. The other thing
is that if you lose in this situation you go home. Those are the two most
important lessons I think I want to teach this week.
To lose four starters to the NBA and still be this successful can be
attributed to our upperclass leadership. The jobs that (Chris) Carrawell, (Shane) Battier
and (Nate) James have done is clear from their stats, but the environment they have
created for the kids has really been the key. I credit them, in large part,
for the success we have had.
Our freshmen have also done a great job. I mean Jason Williams has probably had the hardest job of any freshman in the country. I think he's been fabulous -- to run our team, to pressure the ball,
and handle the game situations in the schedule we play -- I think he has been
as good as any freshman in the country.
Mike Dunleavy will play against Clemson, he just got the go ahead on Tuesday
at about 5 p.m. I don't know what to expect from Mike in terms of
minutes, but what I do expect is that when he does go in, he will be a good
player.
I don't think anyone can predict the emotion of a game, whether a
team or a player will be anxious. That's something you just have to feel and
see it. I think we are fortunate he is able to come back in time for this
tournament, so there is a better chance he will be 100 percent, or not a 100 percent, but
a lot better for the NCAA. We won't put him in any earlier, he will play a
normal rotation. I don't count minutes and I have never been one to ask my
assistants who should go in. Mike just needs to be honest with us and let us
know how he is feeling.
Who knows if we have done enough to have secured the No. 1 seed in the
NCAAs. We have had a great year and I am not going to politick for anything.
I think our record speaks for itself -- we won our league by four games. I
could never, ever imagine that happening, and our kids did it, and they
deserve to be rewarded. Now the committee needs to decide.
The easiest way to solve the overall problems the NCAA is having with
college basketball is to set up a governing body that handles the day-to-day
operations of the individual sports. The NCAA structure does not have
sport-specific governing bodies and I think it's past time. I think a
basketball committee could have a better foresight to deal with these type
of player situations.
Change is difficult, so I think the uproar needs to
come from the players themselves or the media. Shane has really
stepped forward to be chairman of this student-athlete counsel that is
forming, and I don't think there could be a better person for it. I would
expect he will do a lot to get this going in the right direction over the
summer.
Getting back to this tournament, Clemson can beat us. We respect Clemson,
and we have to be ready to go and play a really good basketball game to beat
them -- especially now that they are healthy. They played us competitively
just last week, Larry has done a great job at keeping the morale of his team
up. They are playing their best basketball of the season right now. As for
the No. l seed vs. No. 9 seed first-round format, I don't like it. I didn't vote
for it. I don't know who nationally would think it makes sense. My opinions
may come off as self-serving, but they are not. People are just amazed that
we were able to put that format together.
Everyone that has come up against us this season, unlike last season, has
felt they could beat us and four of them have. Thank goodness only four
have, but anyone in this tournament can beat us, and we know that. That's
been the beautiful thing about our team, they are playing against more
confident teams and playing better because of it. | |
ALSO SEE
Championship Week
Atlantic Coast Conference tournament
Inside the Locker Room: Jason Collier
Inside the Locker Room: Terence Morris
Inside the Locker Room: Robert O'Kelley
Inside the Locker Room: Lonny Baxter
Inside the Locker Room: Ron Hale
Inside the Locker Room: Kenny Inge
Inside the Locker Room: Darius Songaila
Inside the Locker Room: Johnny Hemsley
Inside the Locker Room: Morris Peterson
Inside the Locker Room: Mark Dickel
Inside the Locker Room: Rahim Lockhart
Inside the Locker Room: Jamaal Magloire
 |
