Postgame Quotes February 20, 2021 – vs. Virginia

DUKE HEAD COACH

Opening Statement: “It’s sad that fans were not at this game. This was an epic game. This was a great game tonight. Every possession was fought … seemed like every dribble at times. They are an outstanding team and program. They’re veterans and they played like it. They’re so poised and they play great defense. Our kids played great defense tonight too and came up with some really great plays. A , a stop, a three, foul-line jumper … it seemed like everyone contributed to making big plays at the end. A huge win for us and well earned because I thought they are an outstanding basketball team. Wendell [Moore Jr.] had yeoman’s work tonight with seven assists and one turnover. [Jaemyn] Brakefield was spectacular tonight. Henry Coleman III coming off the bench and giving us five minutes. Obviously Matt Hurt was outstanding. We had everyone contributing. I’m really happy for our guys and it was so well earned.”

On playing Jaemyn Brakefield over Mark Williams: “Jaemyn made it work because he played so well. [Jay] Huff is a great player. He and [Sam] Hauser are two of the top players in America. Jay is such a good basketball player … his footwork, his touch and his ball handling. Mark [Williams] hasn’t guarded anyone like that. Jay is so unique and Jaemyn was able to move his feet better. We didn’t want to switch every time but when we did, he was able to stay pretty much in front of [Kihei] Clark. Our guards were able to fight off Huff and sometimes bump another big guy there and switch. For our young team, they had to communicate a lot tonight. They made really outstanding decisions on the defensive end of the court.”

On improving communication: “Of all the things we’ve worked on, we have worked hard on defense but for a little bit, we didn’t because our offense was turning the ball over so much. There’s only so much time you can work. Over the last three games, we’ve emphasized defense and we’ve changed our ball screen defense which has helped us. The last three games, we’ve really played well on the defensive end of the court and it’s made a difference in us winning and losing. We have to keep going.”

On the maturity of Jeremy Roach and DJ Steward: “They’ve been really good freshmen … good players, but for freshmen they’ve been really good. They’re not playing with a veteran team. When Tyus [Jones] played, he played with and and . You had stability around him. Jordan [Goldwire] has really helped them in the last few weeks. They are out there and learning from their experiences. Jeremy had one of his best games tonight and DJ he hit a huge shot. They’re good players and they will keep getting better as they mature physically and emotionally. They’re great kids and have great attitudes.”