We talked to Damon Stoudamire and Kyle Sturdivant (apparently the team spokesman now)
STOUDAMIRE
Stoudamire said they are still working to find their identity as a team especially with Lance Terry still out and finding the lineups that work and he is still figuring some things out as well as a first-year coach here and he is trying different things with the rotation and they've had some success with certain groups of players and less with others so he is trying to figure out all of that before ACC play. He likes the trajectory the team is on right now though and they are one possession away from being 4-1 right now but you can't get that UMass-Lowell game back now. He said the goal is to get better each game.
Damon said he isn't frustrated to play a conference game this early, but it can be a struggle if you are not playing well so it doesn't matter who they play, he is focused on teaching them how to compete even when it is not going well.
I asked about matchups with Duke's frontcourt and he said he is a NBA guy and not being on lineup changes to match up against another team. He likes to focus on the long term play and developing his team. Duke will be a big challenge since they are coming off a loss as well so they will be locked in going against GT and his team better have a sense of urgency about them.
Stoudamire said he loves rebounding and offensive rebounds and there are three things he thinks are the most important elements of basketball, limiting live turnovers, winning the rebounding battle, and (limiting fastbreak/transition baskets) and if you do that you have a good chance to win. and he said that going against a team like Duke their margin of error is very small to begin with and gets tighter in this type of game so they have to approach you are not going to turn the rock over, you are not going to let their guards get out and run and you are going to rebound the ball.
Stoudamire said he doesn't look at this game as a league game or UGA as a rivalry game, but rather an opportunity for his team to get better and that is all he cares about. The win is their trajectory and they have a bunch of sayings that sound like cliches but it is all about the trajectory of the team and playing the game the right way right now more than results.
I asked if it helps playing Duke instead of a buy game after a big win over State where there could be a letdown and he said it does help because he can see how the guys respond to a challenge. They responded well coming off a loss against an undefeated State team and he was impressed by the guys that they led wire to wire which is very hard to do in basketball and he told them to flush that at midnight on Tuesday and get ready for the next game and lock in for Duke.
KYLE STURDIVANT
Kyle said the win over MIss State helped reaffirm to the team that they are on the right track and doing the right things.
I asked him about Nait George and he said he was really excited for him starting and he has shown great composure since he got to GT and he played that way against Miss State and should keep playing well for them.
Kyle said they get a very detailed scouting report on Duke ahead of the game so they know how to play them and their tendencies.
Kyle said it is a little weird playing a conference game right now and then jumping back out of conference to play UGA next but if they can beat Duke that would be a great feeling on Saturday. He is up for any chance to beat Duke.
Kyle said that some of the players have asked him about Duke and what they are like and he shared some stories of playing them the last few years.
Kyle said they are very focused on themselves right now and trying to hit their stride at the right time and then hopefully they can showcase what they can do in Feb and March.
I asked about playing these hard games all in a row with State, Duke and then the rivalry with UGA and he said that it is like a mid-term exam in him mind before the final exams when ACC play starts. You get to learn what you don't know and what you need to work on the rest of the semester.
On Duke, Kyle said that they have good and quick guards, the big man is a lottery pick guy and they are excited to see them especially after last year's game.
Kyle said this month is important because it can help set the tone for conference play.
I asked him about being like a sixth-man in his role and he said it is fun and he gets to see how the other team is playing and defending and it is like a cheat for him when he comes in and he can bring some energy and passing while understanding how the other team is attacking them on offense and defense.
STOUDAMIRE
Stoudamire said they are still working to find their identity as a team especially with Lance Terry still out and finding the lineups that work and he is still figuring some things out as well as a first-year coach here and he is trying different things with the rotation and they've had some success with certain groups of players and less with others so he is trying to figure out all of that before ACC play. He likes the trajectory the team is on right now though and they are one possession away from being 4-1 right now but you can't get that UMass-Lowell game back now. He said the goal is to get better each game.
Damon said he isn't frustrated to play a conference game this early, but it can be a struggle if you are not playing well so it doesn't matter who they play, he is focused on teaching them how to compete even when it is not going well.
I asked about matchups with Duke's frontcourt and he said he is a NBA guy and not being on lineup changes to match up against another team. He likes to focus on the long term play and developing his team. Duke will be a big challenge since they are coming off a loss as well so they will be locked in going against GT and his team better have a sense of urgency about them.
Stoudamire said he loves rebounding and offensive rebounds and there are three things he thinks are the most important elements of basketball, limiting live turnovers, winning the rebounding battle, and (limiting fastbreak/transition baskets) and if you do that you have a good chance to win. and he said that going against a team like Duke their margin of error is very small to begin with and gets tighter in this type of game so they have to approach you are not going to turn the rock over, you are not going to let their guards get out and run and you are going to rebound the ball.
Stoudamire said he doesn't look at this game as a league game or UGA as a rivalry game, but rather an opportunity for his team to get better and that is all he cares about. The win is their trajectory and they have a bunch of sayings that sound like cliches but it is all about the trajectory of the team and playing the game the right way right now more than results.
I asked if it helps playing Duke instead of a buy game after a big win over State where there could be a letdown and he said it does help because he can see how the guys respond to a challenge. They responded well coming off a loss against an undefeated State team and he was impressed by the guys that they led wire to wire which is very hard to do in basketball and he told them to flush that at midnight on Tuesday and get ready for the next game and lock in for Duke.
KYLE STURDIVANT
Kyle said the win over MIss State helped reaffirm to the team that they are on the right track and doing the right things.
I asked him about Nait George and he said he was really excited for him starting and he has shown great composure since he got to GT and he played that way against Miss State and should keep playing well for them.
Kyle said they get a very detailed scouting report on Duke ahead of the game so they know how to play them and their tendencies.
Kyle said it is a little weird playing a conference game right now and then jumping back out of conference to play UGA next but if they can beat Duke that would be a great feeling on Saturday. He is up for any chance to beat Duke.
Kyle said that some of the players have asked him about Duke and what they are like and he shared some stories of playing them the last few years.
Kyle said they are very focused on themselves right now and trying to hit their stride at the right time and then hopefully they can showcase what they can do in Feb and March.
I asked about playing these hard games all in a row with State, Duke and then the rivalry with UGA and he said that it is like a mid-term exam in him mind before the final exams when ACC play starts. You get to learn what you don't know and what you need to work on the rest of the semester.
On Duke, Kyle said that they have good and quick guards, the big man is a lottery pick guy and they are excited to see them especially after last year's game.
Kyle said this month is important because it can help set the tone for conference play.
I asked him about being like a sixth-man in his role and he said it is fun and he gets to see how the other team is playing and defending and it is like a cheat for him when he comes in and he can bring some energy and passing while understanding how the other team is attacking them on offense and defense.
