NC State guard Zam Jones met with the media after the 68-63 loss to Rhode Island.
NOTE: Click the video above to watch the interview.
Zam, what was the message in the locker room after the game?
We just got to buy into the scouting report, you know Coach Moore. Our practice guys learn to play, so I just say just buy into the scouting report. Just playing hard.
What is it going to take to get everyone bought in and all just engaged?
We just got to have better practices. I mean, I feel like we did have better practice coming in. Don't know what happened during the game, but I just say just buy in and practice. We got to have energy during practice and come out to the game ready to play. We looked kind of sluggish in the first half, like we didn't want to be there. I just feel like we just need to buy in and have more energy come into the game.
Is there a specific reason you think practice isn't really going the way that you don't want to go?
At this point, I don't know, but we're definitely going to get together. Again, we're a young team, so we have really no leaders. We're trying to have like Zoe, me, Maddie Cox kind of step up and try to be the leader. We're going to get it right for sure.
When you talk about buy in, what does that look like?
Just energy. If we have a scan report that number five doesn't spin and she doesn't need to buy in, I'm like, okay, she's going to spin and shoot. Just the scouting report. If we have three can shoot the ball, we need to close out to her. Just buying in, watching film not only with the team, but by yourself and getting the jump hours where you're not in practice. We just got to buy in for real.
You all have been paying like six points. Historically, that has not been the case for Coach Moore's teams. Was there anything that they were doing that allowed them to kind of get inside or do you think it was just defensive lapses?
I just feel like it was just defensive lapses for real. We got to learn that like five was spinning the whole time, stopping from spinning, helping. I don't think 15 or 30, well 15 hit a three, but 15 hadn't. Just buying in or just helping on the big. Basically just helping out the bigs out.
Does it help? You have a few new players, but does it help that kind of the core is still the same to kind of rally the groups?
Yeah, it definitely feels good. Zoe and Maddie Cox, two of them from last year. We just trying to lead. We have Khamil and Qadence. We're just trying to get them to get rolling. Q didn't have a great game, but like I told her next game, I didn't have good games plenty of times this year, but you can't be stuck on one game. You got to just keep playing. The mess in the locker room, we just got to be dogs out there right now. I agree with Coach Moore, we some chihuahuas. We just got to get through it.
You look at this trip you got to go on. Obviously, it's a two-fold. You want to enjoy yourself. You have earned the right to enjoy yourself. But at the same time, there's work to do. How are you going to balance this trip and get to where you need to be?
I'm going to be locked in on our trip. I don't take losses lightly. I don't feel like our whole team. Of course, we're in Cancun, so we're going to have fun. But we're definitely going to be locked in for the two games that we have down there.
I know total parents are here and they're going down there, and I would assume that some of the other families are going to go. Does that help when you're on these random tournaments, you don't have some familiars that you have in town, when you don't have Reynolds behind you?
Right, for sure. I love when my family comes. I'm so happy that Tilda Trygger fans be able to come to the games. I feel like it definitely helps us because we're not in Reynolds, but our fans travel, so I'm just glad they did.
