Duke University Postgame Quotes January 30, 2021 – Clemson

On the passing of John Chaney: “This was a big win for us but before talking about the game, I put out a statement about John Chaney. Our sport has lost some huge people recently. He was as big as any. A lot of people don’t realize that growing up, he was the best player in Philadelphia and never was afforded the opportunity to play because of segregation at a big-time school. I’m not knocking Bethune-Cookman … don’t take that the wrong way, but a school where you get recognition. He absolutely is one of the best coaches ever and he had to work his way through all of that before going to Temple and served as a great example. He knocked down a lot of barriers. In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, he, John Thompson, George Raveling … those three guys were giants on conference calls during that period of time where they were fighting for the rights of African-American kids. We had some of the most emotional phone calls that lasted sometimes until 1 or 2 in the morning. You know how eloquent John and George were. When John Chaney spoke, it was almost like you could feel there were other people he was talking about. It sent chills through you. God bless him. We had a moment of silence before the game and that’s the most important thing from today. To remember him.

We played really well defensively, and we shared the ball. Five guys in double figures with a lot of assists. At the start of the second half, we played like a veteran team and not allowing a big lead to determine how hard or how well we would play.”

On sharing the ball: “We’re getting familiar with each other. We’re just putting this team together where everyone is healthy in the last couple of weeks. Jalen [Johnson] makes you like passing. Mark’s [Williams] emergence in understanding the physicality of the game … he really has understood that in the last week in practice. Nate James was working with our big guys at 8 a.m. this morning. They’re putting in extra work. Jalen’s familiarity, our familiarity with each other and then passing to Mark is different than passing to anyone else on our team. Our guys are unselfish kids so they’re looking for one another.”

On how Mark Williams changes the game on both ends of the floor: “A big thing for Mark is because we weren’t able to play a lot of games in exhibitions, it took him a while to learn what college basketball is all about physicality wise. In the last week or 10 days, he’s really got a good understanding of that. He can be physical without fouling and someone can be physical with you and not foul. I would like to also credit Patrick Tapé, Henry Coleman III and Keenan Worthington because he’s not learning that alone. Nate has those guys out here all the time. Defensively, he’s had two tough matchups. [Aamir] Simms is a tough matchup and he’s not a traditional center. [Moses] Wright from Georgia Tech plays away from the basket at the elbow a lot. That’s the other thing is moving your feet and he’s done a good job with it.”

On the performance overall: “In the three losses, we were in position to win at certain moments. 55-55 against Virginia Tech and three straight exchanges, we were horrible offensively and it hurt us. Against Pitt, it was a one possession game. Against Louisville, we took a step up and really played well enough to be deserving of winning. It wasn’t like you messed up … you just missed. We’re not this outstanding team. We’re a good team with great kids who are trying to get through this whole thing without the experience of a fall and a non- conference. With a younger team, it’s going to take time. They may never develop because you could lose confidence. Our guys are continuing to work hard and hopefully we can continue that against Miami on Monday.”