NC State head coach Will Wade met with the media to discuss the upcoming matchup with No. 11 North Carolina, the rest of the schedule, and much more!
NOTE: Click the video player above to watch the full Zoom call!
Hey, Will. Over the last week, you were talking about the attention to detail may not have been where you wanted it from the players. Have you seen a change over the last day and a half after these last two losses?
We just did some shooting yesterday. We didn't do anything too heavy, so we'll go through more of the detailed stuff today in our walkthrough tonight after practice. So hopefully we'll have their attention.
And then what would you do as a coach if there wasn't a change? Kind of how do you grab their attention and try to get that fixed at this point in the season?
Well, you've got to look at some personnel at the end of the game. You've got to look at who we got throwing it in, who we got shooting it. And so, we've got to make some, potentially make some adjustments there.
Will, obviously big game tomorrow. What are you seeing from Carolina? What are some challenges that they have or that they present?
I mean, North Carolina is a great team. Coach Davis has done a tremendous job with the team this year. They're huge.
I mean, that's the biggest challenge. We're not the biggest bunch. And they're massive on the front line, which has been a major issue for us this season.
So they've got great personnel. They've got really good players. Trimble's a veteran guard and has been around a long time.
Very, very savvy. They shoot the ball well, so it's a massive, massive challenge for us to match up with them.
And to follow up, you all have not lost three games in a row this season. Is that something that you've kind of had to talk about at all? Like, we don't want to lose a third game, or is it something that they kind of just know?
We don't want to lose one game in a row. So, we need a win, but North Carolina wants a win, too, so it's not quite that simple. Hopefully, we come out and play with a little bit more of an edge than we have been.
It seems like Ven Allen-Lubin has shown up for you every game, been fairly consistent. Just discuss his play and what you've seen from him the last couple of weeks.
Yeah, Ven's about the most consistent guy we have. Shows up, he's reliable, he's dependable. He's the same way in practice that he is in the game.
So, very proud of him, and we'd be in a really, really difficult spot if he hadn't been playing at such a high level.
And just to follow up, it seemed like the atmosphere was great for the Miami game. Your expectations for the rivalry matchup against North Carolina and Lenovo?
I thought the crowd satirity was great towards the end of the game. That was as loud as I think I've heard Lenovo all year. So, I'm sure we'll have a good crowd on Tuesday.
So, I'm just disappointed we've lost three home games. We've had great crowds. We sold out the Virginia Tech game at noon on a Saturday.
And just our fans deserve better than what we've been giving them.
With three home games left, is there any kind of planning that parts of the staff do in terms of maximizing recruiting possibilities?
We've had guys in. We try to put a focus on getting some younger guys in, as we move forward. So, we'll continue to get guys in when we can.
Your first year at NC State, but you're not new to this rivalry with your history at Clemson. What do you think about this rivalry between North Carolina and NC State?
I don't think it was really a rivalry at Clemson. When I was there, we still hadn't won at the Dean Dome. So, I think they finally broke that streak.
Coach Brownell finally broke that streak. So, I mean, look, it's two teams that are in close proximity. They both have, they both have passionate basketball fan bases.
So, you know, we've got to do our part to try to, make it a rivalry by winning and trying to be, trying to be as competitive as we can be.
Just a quick follow-up. I think in this game today, players aren't necessarily coached as hard, and I feel like you are a guy who does not shy away from coaching your guys hard. And even being vocal in post-game press conferences, how do you feel like your players respond to that?
Yeah, I mean, look, you'd have to ask them. They know what they signed up for. We're very up.
I mean, you can see the videos. So, everybody knows what they're getting into. We're not hiding anything when we're in recruiting.
So, we're going to coach you hard. We're going to spend a lot of time with you, and we're going to love you up, too. So, that's kind of the basis of what we do, and you can't coach them very hard if they don't know you care for them.
And so, we try to make sure, first and foremost, we care for them. We want what's best for them. And I think that allows you to, to coach them as you see fit.
Yeah, Will, I'm sure you've watched some of Carolina this year. Saturday, they didn't have their two front-court guys. Did they play any different than what you may be seeing earlier in the year, and how is it in terms of preparing, not really knowing if they'll have those guys or not?
I thought, I mean, look, they played really well. Stevenson had a career-high, high, had a career-high. So, those guys stepped in and did the job and performed, performed at a really, really high level.
So, look, when guys go down, it gives an opportunity to other guys. If you're at a program like North Carolina, you're going to have 10, 11 guys deep that are very, very talented and very, very good, and that's what they have.
