Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Tuesday March 10, 2020 Jeff Capel of getting to play in this event, especially on Tobacco Road? Trey McGowens JUSTIN CHAMPAGNIE: I never really watched it. That's the truth. But I used to like watch St. John's Justin Champagnie because my dad went there, but it means a lot to come Pittsburgh out here and get the opportunity to play on a stage like this. Pittsburgh - 81, Wake Forest - 72 Q. For both you guys, how beneficial was just JEFF CAPEL: First of all I'm really proud of my team. I having a little bit, a little bit of time off, I think it was didn't think we defended well in the first half. One of our five or six full days, and where were you guys goals coming into the game was to force turnovers. I physically before that stretch? thought we did a good job there, we forced 18. We TREY MCGOWENS: Physically I feel like we were kind wanted to get the ball out of Childress's hands and so of drained, legs were dead, but mostly mentally the we tried to double him, really from the four-minute mark time off just gave us time to get our mind right, kind of of the first half on, every time he was in the ball screen, get away from basketball a little bit. and so our guys did a really good job of executing that. JUSTIN CHAMPAGNIE: I think that helped us lot. I feel I thought these two guys up here were tremendous. To like getting away from basketball sometimes is good for play with poise, Trey made some big-time plays, a big- us as kids, so we could like regain focus on like what's time pull-up jump shot, a big-time pass to Justin cutting the task at hand. So I feel like it played a big part in on the baseline, and had some really good moments. how we came out here and played today. For Xavier to have eight assists and only three turnovers, again, I thought he really stirred the engine Q. Justin, when you had 30 last time, we asked you for us and made some big-time plays. if you were aware of that during the game. Did you know you hit that mark again and had the chance And I thought two of our freshmen, Justin obviously to break your career high there at the end with the and Karim, for those guys in this stage, their first game free throws? in the ACC tournament, to come and have the JUSTIN CHAMPAGNIE: Yeah, that's why I held the performances that they had is remarkable. And so ball. Murphy was telling me to him to give it to me so I proud of them, proud of all of our guys. said no, I'm going to hold it. I feel for Wake. Brandon Childress has had an Q. For both you guys, seemed like as the game outstanding career. He's a kid I've known since he was went on you got better and better on defense. What young, over at Wesleyan, and have known his family did you feel like was working? They were making forever and he's had a an amazing career. And Danny everything in the first few minutes, but by the end is a great guy, does a really good job with his team. you were really shutting them down. What You look at the improvement of guys individually and happened and how did you improve as the game how much better they have gotten, particularly Sarr this went on? year. So feel for them, but excited for us and excited to TREY MCGOWENS: I just feel like we just had to be in have an opportunity to play again. the right spots. We were kind of late in our rotations early in the game. The energy was there but it was just THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. tough not being in the right spots. Q. Justin, being a New York guy, did you follow the JUSTIN CHAMPAGNIE: We were so focused on the ACC tournament much growing up? Were you a fan offensive end that we kind of lacked on defense, so we of some of the teams in this area or were you more just had to come out with more energy on the just kind of a Big East guy or did you kind of dream defensive end and just be in the right spots. Rev #1 by #166 at 2020-03-10 22:56:00 GMT page 1 of 3 Q. Justin, you've got other guys on here that all had double-digit scoring. How much does that help But I just thought physically I thought we were drained you, knowing that you've got so many other guys, but mentally I thought we were even more drained. We that the team has so many other options, how got back together on Saturday, and we really just had much does that help your game? individual workouts because we didn't know who we JUSTIN CHAMPAGNIE: Yeah, because sometimes I were playing. So we got together and worked out for can't always score the ball, so it's good to know that my about 45 minutes to an hour, got a great lift in, but took teammates around me like always have support around the rest of the day off. Then we traveled here, and so me and that they're always playing and fighting really our focus is one game, all of our focus was on together. Wake Forest, that's it. Q. Justin, was making the all-ACC freshman team It's no need to worry about tomorrow or what's something you were thinking about, and was not upcoming, because we have to earn the right to get making it any kind of motivation? there. And what we were able to do today we have JUSTIN CHAMPAGNIE: Yeah, I wanted to make that earned the right to play tomorrow. We're going to play team. I felt like I should make it. I kind of felt against a really good NC State team that's fighting for disrespected when I found out I didn't make it, but at their post-season NCAA tournament life. We had a the same time I used it as motivation and I just came great game with them a couple of weeks ago. out here and showed why I should have been on the Hopefully we can be a little bit better tomorrow. team. Q. You mentioned Justin earlier. Could you just go Q. Between the seven-game losing streak and this a little bit more in depth just about how aggressive being a win-or-go-home situation, for y'all as a he was both inside and outside on the offensive team, I mean, how much urgency, aggression and end and just how consistent he was from the start intensity was there going into this game? to the end of this ballgame. JUSTIN CHAMPAGNIE: A lot. We always were talking JEFF CAPEL: Well, you know, you I think he's a really about before the game started like just leave it out on good player and I think he's been one of the five best the line, like whatever you got and be the better team. freshmen in this league all year. I think his numbers Don't want to go home, nobody wants to go home, so show that. He's been our leading scorer and rebounder we're just going to keep fighting and keep pushing. all year. That's a heck of a thing for a freshman. He's been -- I think he was in the top 10 in rebounding all THE MODERATOR: All right we'll take questions for year, and so he's had a heck of a season. coach. I thought he was the one that really hit the wall the Q. How do you prepare your players for five games hardest. This is different for a freshman, when you get in five days? to this level and the pressure and these games coming JEFF CAPEL: Well, we just prepared for one. That's it. at you. So I thought all of our guys benefited, but I It was really, really important for us to finally get a thought our freshmen really benefited the most. break. We were the only team in the league that didn't get a bye. Our bye for whatever reason was at the end He's able to shoot the ball from the perimeter. He's of the season. So to go this year, being the first year of continuing to get better at putting the basketball on the 20 ACC games, league games, that's a lot, and we are floor. That's the next part of his game. He can finish -- this is not an excuse, this is just a fact, we are a very, around the basket. That's what he did in high school. In very young team. And from January 4th until last high school that's really what he did; he was mid-range Wednesday we were playing two games a week -- to the basket, he didn't really shoot threes. The three- sometimes three games, three times a week. pointer is something that he's added since he's been here. He's really worked at it.