Terquavion Smith: "We've Moved Past Those Last Two Games"

NC State guard Terquavion Smith met with the media to discuss his team with the Wolfpack set to face the Notre Dame-Virginia Tech winner in the 2023 ACC Tournament.

NOTE: Click the video above to watch the interview.

T, do you kind of look at this as a new season, just a new start for everything for this year?
Yes. I feel like I do. I feel like it's, everything's zero-zero, everything is clear, so it doesn't really matter what happened earlier in the season or these past couple weeks. We're looking forward to this tournament and the next game.

Are you getting excited for the tournament play?
Yeah. Just because I only played one game last year in the tournament.

Are there bragging rights with you and Bryon about this upcoming game on Saturday?
Yeah. Big bragging rights. Well, not really, because I feel like we need more. Yeah, we've been talking about that game a lot.

Obviously DJ and Jarkel’s first experience in Greensboro. Have you all talked about what that might look like? Have you given them any advice on what that mutual side and what that tournament field was like?
Yeah. I told them everything that how I felt last year. A great feeling, great vibes, great energy. It's better now because we're closer, I feel like last year we were in Brooklyn, so I gave them everything that I felt last year.

Is there more an excitement for you going into this tournament, given what the team has done in the regular season then maybe a year go?
Yeah, it makes me more excited knowing that we have a better team, better people around. Everything feels good and on the right track.

How did you use the last few days? You're not probably used to having all this time off at the end of the year.
Well, me personally, I was in here, I was in the gym working on my craft, getting better day by day. I also took rest too, so I kind of balanced the both for real.

Do you guys have any pre-game rituals that you're going to implement or that you guys have been doing the last couple weeks to get ready for the state or for this tournament?
I feel like we got a lot of personalities. So everybody doing their own thing, but it should be very loud from us. We got a lot of guys who like to sing, yell loud and stuff like that, so we do that a lot.

Who are some of the guys who like to sing?
DJ.

What does he sing?
Anything, whatever in his head or on TV, going to sing.

Is he any good?
All of the lyrics as well.

Is he any good?
Yeah. Yeah. He's cool. He's cool.

Have defenders changed the way they've defended you the last eight or 10 games that they've become more physical on you? And has that affected your shooting, you think?
Nah, I don't think it affected my shooting. I feel like all those games, I take shots that I normally take. Everything didn't go in, so that's just what it is. You got to have a short memory with that type of stuff, so I feel like I'll be fine.

How do you guys... Guess that's so much swagger going and then you lose the last two games before this break, despite playing wild against Duke, but how did that kind of sit with you guys ending on a low note there?
I feel like we let that go. It's behind us. We're onto the tournament. I feel like this part of the season, the most important because win or go home, so you don't want to have to go home. It's never a good feeling. So I feel like we've moved past those last two games of the season.

T, you were part of the struggle last year and now you're playing on a team that wins 22 games. Just how gratifying has that been for you to see such a dramatic turnaround from one year to that?
It's brought nothing but joy to me. I'm glad to be a part of it. I'm glad to have the people that we have and the staff and players all the way down to managers. I couldn't ask for anybody else to help me and teach me different things every day and just wanted to be around me. So that transition from last year to this year has been great. I've been nothing but happy.

Quick man. Have you guys as players discussed any scenarios, like we've got to win two games to keep our season alive in Greensboro or that? Or you guys just kind of played how you're going to play it?
I just think we take it one game at a time, whoever up next, that's where we focus on. I feel like looking ahead could kind of mess you up in a lot of different ways. So coach always preaches take it one game at a time.

How much does it inspired you guys to see Jardel do what he did at Duke? He limps off the floor, coach said he wasn't sure he was going to even be able to come back in the game and then he comes back in the game and scores 26 points. To what degree does that energize you guys?
That energize us a lot. I feel like that shows a lot of character, shows a lot of leadership, so I feel like that's positive things and that helps the team know that we can do it. He's fighting through it, so fight with him. So I feel like that for him to show us that, that means everything to us.

What do you remember about Virginia Tech and Notre Dame, you played them both. What do you remember about those games?
We won.

Have you been putting... You talked about a short memory with your shot and have you been doing anything extra or going to stick with the usual front?
Just getting reps in. I feel like it's a repetition thing when it comes to that. So just make sure I get my shots up at game speed. I feel like that's what it is. That's the most important thing to making shots in the game, is doing game like things or game things that you do in the game.

Before last year, had you been to an ACC tournament game at all or have you seen a tournament?
I watched, but that was my first one last year, first one.