| | I definitely feel less pressure coming into this tournament than I did last
year and during this season. I think a lot of guys on the team are
definitely stepping up, and basketball is a team game, you need a team to
win.
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Inside the Locker Room
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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, including Robert O'Kelley of Wake Forest. For more on the ACC, visit the conference's official web site.
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Maybe it's a blessing in disguise that I haven't been playing my best
ball, it may make us all gel together and that will be the best thing for
this team. I think it's been showing in practice and the things we have been
doing games that we are definitely getting better as a team.
Darius Songaila
has really stepped up and really done a great job. So when I step up and
get my game back we are going to be a very good team and hopefully be able
to make a run at this tournament.
To beat North Carolina we are just going to need to play hard. The last time
we played them, their big guys really played well, especially Brendan
Haywood. So this time around we will really need to improve our inside
defense and give those guys some help in there. We just need to stop their
whole offensive game plan, box out, rebound and good things will happen. I
don't really look at numbers and stats and records. This game is going to
start tomorrow and end tomorrow and tomorrow is all that really matters.
I still don't think I have really showcased my game in an ACC tournament, so
that is also providing some motivation for me. Last year was a nightmare and
you never want to have that kind of game again. I definitely felt more
pressure last year, but now I have the guys around me that are ready to step
into the spotlight and can help this team win. That allows me to go out
there and relax and play and let things come to me.
Today's workout was relaxed, we just wanted to go over some last things to
make us ready for tomorrow, which will be here quickly because we have the
first game at Noon.
Tomorrow we just want to come out and play hard. We split during the regular
season, so we will use tomorrow to determine who is the better team this
year. It is a game we are definitely ready to play in and ready to win.
As far as my recent slump, it's something that I have never been through in
my whole life. Obviously this is my time to go through some bad times, but I
am keeping positive, I am still working hard, and, you know, it's going to
come for me.
I have talked to my high school coach a lot, and I am really
close to my parents so I have been talking to them about it, but it is
really been between my team and my family. Positive things are going to
start happening.
I know I am a better player than the way I have been
playing. There is nothing major that I am working on with my shot. I am
working on little things like making my balance right, things like that, but
I am still shooting the ball well in practice.
Moving to shooting guard has been a hard adjustment, at first it bothered me
a little bit. For two years I have been basically working on becoming a
better point guard, but for the betterment of this team I am willing to play
whatever position they want me to play, and I think I have handled this
change well. Coach just thought I was too easy to find playing point, so he
thought moving me to the wing might free me up a little more.
The ACC Tournament would be a great time for good things to start happening.
It's a great environment, everyone is ready to play, and we are opening with
North Carolina so there will be a lot of hype. This would be a great time
for things to get right -- for me and this team.
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ALSO SEE
Championship Week
Atlantic Coast Conference tournament
Inside the Locker Room: Jason Collier
Inside the Locker Room: Mike Krzyzewski
Inside the Locker Room: Terence Morris
Inside the Locker Room: Ron Hale
Inside the Locker Room: Lonny Baxter
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
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