March 23, 2013

An interview with: As a team, they score the ball a lot of different ways. We just have to go out and compete a lot different than we did last year.

Q. James Michael, I wanted to ask you about Withey, what you remember last year or what you've seen on tape this year. Is there a difference in how he plays? JAMES MICHAEL McADOO: I know last year he was still a good shot-blocker. But I feel like going into the game last year, we didn't really look at that as one of the biggest things we were JOE DALFONSO: We are joined by North worried about. But definitely this year knowing that Carolina student-athletes. Questions, please. they have him down there, I think he's, if not leading the nation in blocked shots, he's really Q. James Michael, when the lineup comfortable with that. switch happened, how did your role and I feel like he's great on the offensive end, responsibilities change? too. His teammates look to find him. I think that's JAMES MICHAEL McADOO: I think the a big thing that we just need to limit his touches biggest thing was playing the center position. I was deep in the post. going to have to more shots and really pick up the rebounding. With offense, a lot of screens Q. Considering some of the places have to be set. Being the center, that's really one you've played this year, the reception you of my primary things I have to do on offense, usually get when you go on the road, is playing getting open. Now that we have four other Kansas in Kansas City that big of a deal? shooters on the court, it makes my job a lot easier. P.J. HAIRSTON: Well, I'm pretty sure it has something to do with it because that's most of Q. You're playing Kansas, you played their fan base. I don't know how far Lawrence is them last year in the tournament as well. What from here, but I'm pretty sure it's closer for are your lasting recollections of that game? everyone to get here. JAMES MICHAEL McADOO: I mean, it I feel like their crowd will be a big part of was a hard-fought game. It hurts that we lost. We their game. That will be like the sixth man on the didn't have Kendall, but we still had an opportunity court. to win the game even without him. : Yeah, we've played in They're a great team. They're not the some hostile environments this year. We had to same team they were last year. But it was a go to Indiana and that was a crazy game. At NC competitive game, so that was the big thing I State it was crazy this year, too. Even Cameron, remember. like it always is. We're used to hostile REGGIE BULLOCK: We fought hard last environments, largely against us. year. This year we're matched up against them It hopefully won't have much effect on the again. We just have to go out and get our face game. We just have to worry about what's back. It was a pretty good team last year. Like happening on the court. Mac said, they're not the same team this year. They have Withey down low, blocking a lot of Q. Jeff Withey said last night they're shots.

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visit our archives at asapsports.com mainly a defensive team, they did that last year. three-point arc. We had a lot of open looks we From watching them, what do they do on missed. Hopefully this year it will just be better out defense that tends to slow the game down a there shooting the three. little bit? P.J. HAIRSTON: From what I remember REGGIE BULLOCK: I feel like they play a last year, Kansas did make it an ugly game for us. saggy defense. They don't really get out and deny Like Reggie said, we did miss some shots down the ball. They try to make you get out of your sets, the stretch. That's when Kansas went on their little limiting touches to the bigs down low. run and expanded the lead for them and hit some Last year they just fought hard on the big shots. defensive end. They took us out of things we That's pretty much what I remember. wanted to run. Hopefully this year will be a better outcome. Q. Dexter, I don't know if it will be you JAMES MICHAEL McADOO: Like Reggie on McLemore. What makes him such a said, the first thing coach said when we were dangerous defensive guy? talking about them is they're the No. 1 defensive DEXTER STRICKLAND: I think you have team in the nation. They just do a lot of things to ask Reggie. He'll be guarding him tomorrow. really well. We will just try to limit touches and take REGGIE BULLOCK: I'm just up for the them out of what they're comfortable running, I challenge. I mean, I drew that assignment for the guess that leads to a lot of turnovers. They do a defense. I'm just up for the challenge to be able to great job of rebounding the as well, just contain him. We have a similar game. I just have limiting you to one shot. to limit his touches from getting wide-open jumpers. It’s just going to be my challenge Q. For any of the wing players, Kansas tomorrow on the defensive end. I'm ready for it. has been beaten a few times or susceptible from the outside, three-pointers and the like. Q. James Michael and Marcus, you've Considering you do that pretty well, how do played some really good defensive teams this you feel you match up on the outside? year in the ACC. This won't be necessarily a REGGIE BULLOCK: I feel like we match big shock going against a team like that. What up pretty solid against them for the wings. We can have you learned since going small what this score the ball from the outside. They can score offense can do against quality defense from the outside. Talent-wise on the wings, I feel abundance? we match up comfortably. JAMES MICHAEL McADOO: Probably the DEXTER STRICKLAND: I think they're a biggest thing that coach really emphasizes is great team. We're a great team also. I don't think taking it possession by possession, limiting bad there's a disadvantage or anything. We just have shots, because when you're playing such a good to be ready to play. team, bad shots and turnovers just lead to run-outs for them. Q. Dexter, if it's one of those days So that's probably the two biggest things where the three-pointers aren't going down, is we've learned. Really just taking our time in there a Plan B? everything we do and just execute. DEXTER STRICKLAND: I think we're a MARCUS PAIGE: I would say being a good enough team to have another option. Go little bit more patient instead of taking early shots. down low in the post. With the shooters we have, I Being smart with the ball, driving, trying to set up think it allows the floor to open up, so myself, our teammates. We've been playing unselfish Marcus, being aggressive, going to the basket, lately and that's been helping. getting easy buckets like that, is something we can Against Virginia, we put up 90. We had do. some of our better offensive games against Maryland. It's not surprising to us to play against a Q. Last year against Kansas you really team that has a good defensive struggled from three. I think you were 2-for-17. percentage. We just have to do what we do best, Do you remember why it was you struggled? that's move the ball, share the ball, and take good REGGIE BULLOCK: I felt like last year we shots. were missing open shots that we usually make. Like you said, we went 2-for-17 from the

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visit our archives at asapsports.com JOE DALFONSO: Gentlemen, thank you were scoring. We weren't getting it out on our very much. Best of luck tomorrow. break as well. We've had great teams in the past Head Coach Roy Williams, going to ask that could run the break after a miss and also run him to make a statement, then we'll go to the break after a make. We're not as good after a questions. make this year. COACH WILLIAMS: We feel very Their defense got stronger themselves. comfortable, very confident, yet we know we've got They got more physical with us. I'm not implying at a tremendous challenge in front of us. We're all it was dirty basketball, they just got more excited about still playing. physical with us. We shied away from the Last night was a very frustrating game at challenge. times, there's no question about that. We felt like We always say you have to face the fire. I we were trying things like you're standing on the think we backed up away from the fire for a long, sideline drawing plays up in the dirt a couple times. long time. Some of our threes were not very good But the kids really did a nice job of changing some shots. I remember jumping on P.J. and Leslie in a things. four-possession swing when both of them shot a We came out early, we made a bunch of shot when they didn't have a grip on them. We shots, a bunch of threes. Everybody thought it was took some bad shots, turned it over, tried to going to be easy. Kept saying that they were penetrate when their defense was strong. You add going to come back at us because they're a all that together, they make a big run, we don't do competitive bunch of kids. Jay Wright's clubs do much of anything. that, we felt that way. They did, they got more aggressive. Made Q. Last year you were 2-for-17 against a great run right before the half, start of the second Kansas. What is it about a Bill Self defense half. Everybody that has seen me coach before that make them so difficult to score against knows that I've taken five guys out at one time sometimes? several times in my life and most of the time when COACH WILLIAMS: Well, I think they're I'm really mad at them. leading the nation this year in defensive field goal I was a little discouraged with them, but it percentage. They're really good defensively. wasn't just that. We took them out because I They're athletic. They're long. They have a wanted to change how we were playing the post. shot-blocker at the goal. Felt like they were hurting us inside, wanted to Last year they just dominated the last four make sure there was no misunderstanding about or five minutes of the game. We didn't make very how we wanted them. many plays. I thought Jeff Withey was really I took those five guys out. Down in front, I strong in that time period when we did go inside. didn't see two plays during the game because I But I think if you have a shot-blocker was talking to those guys. Then we went back out around the basket, you take away the other team's there. Later in the game we went back to our big second-shot opportunities. If they get an offensive lineup and tried to keep Reggie and P.J. in at the , he has a chance to block it. You have same time because we felt like we were going to people on the perimeter like Elijah and Travis who need some outside shots. do a good job defensively and keep the ball in front Fortunately for us, the kids stepped up and of them. They have length. They can the made some plays. Marcus made two big plays. ball, but they don't think that's necessarily their P.J. and Reggie made some threes for us. We got number one objective. Their number one objective better on the defensive end. is to give you a bad shot. Fortunately for us, we're still here playing Bill and his staff do a great job of working and know we have a big-time challenge in front of on it. They emphasize those characteristics when us. they're recruiting and they get the kids to buy into JOE DALFONSO: Questions, please. it.

Q. The game yesterday, you got hot Q. Coach Harper yesterday said he told from three early, then didn't hit one for 16 his team, Don't drive in there to score, drive in minutes. What changed during that stretch? there to pitch because Withey is down there. Is COACH WILLIAMS: It's a combination. I mean, defensively we weren't very good, so they

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visit our archives at asapsports.com that a message you'll send? Tommy Kearns, I played some golf with, COACH WILLIAMS: Well, the culture out starting guard on the North Carolina side at that there tells them they're a man when they're six time. Joe Quigg's son played with me on the JV years old. They can go and dunk over a 7-footer. team when I coached at North Carolina as an You have to understand that part. assistant. I had ties, but I didn't know anything I've never used that terminology. Coach about it. does use that with his Western Kentucky team, Guys, I'm old. We didn't even have a and they've used it all year long. daggum television. We walked to school uphill five We're going to try to do the same thing, try miles both ways (smiling). to play the way we've been playing for 15 years at Kansas. And the first nine years at North Carolina Q. One of the things about Kansas, I'm I wanted to take aim right between the eyes of the not sure you have seen a team since you went shot-blocker, but we had , Tyler to the lineup that has that kind of length on the Zeller, , Nick Collison, Drew Gooden, perimeter, Reggie and P.J. tend to have an Wayne Simien, we could do those kind of things. advantage. Does that change the way you do We don't have that kind of team now. anything? We have to spread their team a little bit COACH WILLIAMS: Well, there's no which gives us good spacing, which we want question they led the nation in defense field goal against everybody, not be silly. If one of our 6'3" percentage for a reason. It's not just Jeff Withey guards gets an offensive rebound and tries to blocking shots. Releford, Young, all those guys, shoot it over Jeff, the next thing you'll see is we'll McLemore, even though it's his first year playing in have another 6'3" assistant. the games, he's been there two years, they do have tremendous length. Q. From an historical standpoint, that We've had some teams like that ourselves '57 title game, triple overtime, being a native of in the past. Even when we had Ty, he was so fast, North Carolina, played there, coached there, quick, he made problems for everybody. We had coaching now, what do you remember about Wayne, Danny, Marcus on the perimeter. that game growing up and how important it was I think length always helps you. I think the to Carolina and Kansas? size enables you to close out better. The size COACH WILLIAMS: Not one iota. I was enables you to deflect more passes. The size seven years old. I was playing cowboys and enables you to bother more people's shot. I've Indians, never thought of basketball in my life always said that Jimmy Boeheim's zone at when I was seven years old. I didn't know Syracuse was effective because he had the long anything about that game until I was a high school athletic player who could close on people. People coach. When I went to North Carolina, it was talk about defensive backs, how quickly they close Coach Smith going to three straight Final Fours, on you. when you had to win the conference tournament. They recruit a style of player that they We lost to Kareem Abdul Jabar, who was really like that fits in and then they're able to sell Lew Alcindor at that time. Now I know a lot about that youngster on what's best for the team. The the '57 national championship game. I learned way they defend is a huge, huge part of their more about it when I was at Kansas. I got to know success. the players when I was an assistant at North Carolina and become much closer since I've been Q. The change that you made with the back as the head coach. lineup, have you ever had a season like that I'm serious, seven years old, I never where you've had to make that kind of change? played a game of basketball in my life, so I didn't Is it that big a difference of what you were know anything about it. Lennie Rosenbluth was trying to do at the start of the season? here. He was the national Player of the Year in COACH WILLIAMS: I've changed a '57. Dick Harp was a great mentor to me, a great starter several times. Usually I'm one of those coach at Kansas, a mentor to some fantastic guys that likes to pick after three or five weeks of youngsters. I know he was coaching that team. practice, You won it by playing in practice, keep it He and I had several conversations about it when I that way. was at Kansas.

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visit our archives at asapsports.com There's been three, four, five, maybe more were the only two people that understood what times that I've changed a lineup in one spot, but was going on at both places. not necessarily a style of play. I've loved both places. At Kansas for 15 This was the first time that I've done that. years, it was 15 great years. I loved every single It was scary. I was not comfortable with it. I'm still day. At North Carolina, I was 10 years as an not comfortable with it. I'm comfortable with Greg assistant, I got my degree in four, but I stayed and Ostertag, Scott Pollard, Raef LaFrentz, Nick got a masters. Then back 10 years as a head Collison, Drew Gooden, Wayne Simien, with those coach, I've loved it. James Moeser was our kind of post players that you play two at the same chancellor. He said it's not immoral to love two time and maybe even put a third one in there. institutions. I think that's the best way to describe Sean May, Jawad Williams, Marvin Williams, Tyler what I feel. Hansbrough, Tyler Zeller, that's what I'm more When you walk into Allen Fieldhouse, I comfortable with. said this before I left, the day I ever walked in Allen As a basketball coach, you need to try to Fieldhouse and I didn't get cold chills, I'd know it get your five best players on the floor if you're not was time to stop. I feel the same in the Smith successful, and we weren't being as successful as Center. If I walk out on game night, don't have we wanted to be. cold chills, I'll quit. In saying that, I've said this, people just Someone asked me the other day if I think I'm poo-pooing it, but the players had to buy would ever consider coming and playing a home in. They're the ones that should get the credit. and home against Kansas, I said no. My athletic I said in October, November, I thought our director would understand, the Pope will team would get better and better as the season understand, because I will never walk out of that went along, and I think they really have. far tunnel, that will never happen.

Q. I think for some of us in North Q. Yesterday it appeared you had Carolina, being out here, maybe 50 miles away, another one of those things where you had to we get a greater appreciation for the pride and go down to a knee. Can you describe what roots of basketball. What was it like to live happened? Has anybody told you whether it's that? Do you get a sense when you're in the dangerous or whatever? middle of that, the pride involved? COACH WILLIAMS: I really don't worry COACH WILLIAMS: You know, I'm a about it. It started happening when I was 13 years whacko, so understand this. I used to sprint, then I old. It's just a blood rush. Yesterday I was jogged, now I just walk. Every game day at screaming because we need -- I said, Just give me Kansas, I went up to the graves, cemetery, pat the one rebound. They kept getting every rebound tombstone for Dr. Naismith and Dr. Allen. Now I and scoring. would always ask them for some Divine It's usually when I go a little whacko, start Intervention. Now I don't know if they gave me screaming, get up and down. It's never worried any, but it always made me feel better. me. The doctors at Kansas checked me out every I love the passion of the Kansas fans. It's way you can. The doctors at North Carolina. The just off the charts. People would see you and say, only unsettling thing is I'm not sure they care that Coach, got a 700-mile drive back to Dodge City, much about me, they just don't want me to die on but what a great game. It was something that they their watch. really took a great deal of pride in. It's not vertigo. Vertigo I have some Coach Dean Smith and myself are significant problems with sometimes. Again, I was probably the only two people in the world that 13 years old, I started doing that when I was know what actually goes on. The people at North catching in Babe Ruth baseball league. Carolina think, Kansas can't be that good, they can't have the same feelings for basketball as we Q. You've gotten a pretty good do. reception here. Do you think after 10 years The people at Kansas say, Those North folks have finally gotten past the whole Roy, Carolina people are okay, but they can't have the Kansas, North Carolina thing and are moving same passion and feelings for basketball that we on? With the impending snowstorm coming do. Coach Smith and I used to talk about it. We

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visit our archives at asapsports.com up, is that any kind of a distraction? us. Doesn't look like it right now, but he was a COACH WILLIAMS: No, it's no distraction, speedster. I could get him to run from one end of unless the roof comes off. We'll still be able to the court to the other a heck of a lot faster than he play. But that part so far hasn't been a distraction. could by himself. Time heals all wounds. People told me that. It's taken me a long time to realize that. But Q. Talk a little bit about their freshman I've had some wonderful friends at Kansas that will McLemore and your guard Paige. always be extremely important to me. COACH WILLIAMS: McLemore is really a Those people have been fantastic. But I fantastic scorer. Hubie Brown said one time the had some people that who were very disappointed shooter is one who makes up for a multitude of when I left. I knew about that. I had some people sins. He can really shoot. You have to understand at North Carolina who were very disappointed that part of it. when I didn't go back in 2000, and they let me He's a little more mature than Marcus know about that. because he was at the program last year, gone But I do believe that time heals all wounds. through some things. He's just an unbelievable I'll tell the story, I've told it a hundred times. scorer who does other things well. But you have to Had a guy in an airport came up to me. understand, he is a scorer. Coach, nice to see you, but I'm a Kansas fans. Marcus right now is a distributor who is I said, So am I. going to be a better scorer. He's a tough little nut He looked at me weird, walked away. that I think is going to be one of the best point Went down a couple gates, came back. He said, guards in . I think McLemore is You surprised me with that answer. You shouldn't one of the best wing players that there is in all of have, 15 years heart, body and soul. college basketball. I said, When I was coaching at Kansas, JOE DALFONSO: Thank you very much. Kansas was my favorite school, and North Carolina COACH WILLIAMS: Didn't insult anybody was my second. Coaching at North Carolina, today (smiling). that's my favorite school and Kansas is second. The people have been really nice. They've FastScripts by ASAP Sports been people driving by on the streets when we're out walking in the morning that have been yelling, saying nice things. I only had one yell something that wasn't quite as nice. But that's part of it. This is a special place. Basketball out here is extremely important, and I love those places.

Q. You mentioned the team having to buy-in to what you're wanting them to do. You talked about a lack of a sense of urgency. Does that apply, as well, that they had to buy into that aspect of it? COACH WILLIAMS: You grow up nowadays and you're the greatest thing since sliced bread as a seven-year-old, 12-year-old. We had Kendall Marshall, he was the number one basketball player in America as a sixth grader. Jesus, what the dickens does that mean? They buy in, but there's another level. You have to be all in. I believe the kids believe in everything we say, but you have to be all in. It can't be 90%, it has to be 100%. We went through a stretch with Villanova where we were not all in. It's still a work in progress, but it's natural. Greg Gurley was a speedster when he played for

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