Locker Room Report: Wolfpack Players
Wyatt Walker, DJ Funderburk, and Devon Daniels met with the media after the Wolfpack's 111-62 exhibition win over Chowan.
NOTE: Click on the video above to see each player's interview.
Sophomore Guard Devon Daniels
On finally getting on the floor after sitting out a year…
For me personally, I’ve been working hard, spending a lot of time in the gym. But as a team too, we’ve been going against each other for a long time. It felt good to play somebody else with fans in the stadium.
On the teams scoring ability…
We can definitely score. We won’t have to worry about that. If we run the offense, share the ball a lot and we can all get our points.
On what they wanted to accomplish tonight…
We were focused on defense, out-rebounding them and deflections. Just getting our chemistry up and I think we need that.
On what they need to work on…
There’s a lot of things. Talking on our switches is one of them. We got backdoored too much tonight but we can work on that.
On running in practice vs in a game…
It’s easier in a game. He’s tough in practice and there’s no suicides in a game so I definitely think it’s easier.
Sophomore Forward DJ Funderburk
On the game…
Keatts told us if we gave up 70 we were going to run. We wanted to keep grinding and keep going hard and never let up on them.
On lineups tonight…
We don’t have position names, everybody’s versatile. J-Cole plays the 3,4,5. I play the 3,4,5. Wyatt and Ian can play the 4 or 5. We’re all versatile so it’s not a two bigs thing. We switch 1 through 5 the whole game. That’s surprising to see from big men but it’s working.
On his offensive performance…
I have to keep improving. I have to keep working on my shooting and conditioning and my ball-handling. My teammates helped me out tonight, getting me the ball in the right spots so I appreciate that.
On who he models his game after…
Mentality wise, Kevin Garnett. Game wise, Lamar Odom, Kevin Durant and Magic. Just the versatility. They’re all tall and they’re all dogs. I just love their game.
Junior Forward Wyatt Walker
On Jericole Hellems…
He really shoots the ball. He works on it every day. He’s in there before and after practice . He gets after it in the weight room too. He’s one of those guys who’s laid back and quiet but when the game is going he goes all out.
On the constant substitutions…
I like it. If I had to put a name for his tactic, I would call it guerilla warfare. At every angle, going out like a militia. It’s fun, you get used to it. Sometimes he’ll have a guy playing the ‘4’ who’s 6’4 and then a guy who’s 6’10. You got different things you can do defensively and offensively, it opens a lot of things up.
On finally playing another team…
These past six months we’ve beaten up on each other. There’s been a few bloody lips, a few teeth gone, I remember one specifically. It’s good to get out there against different bodies and playing against somebody else.
On the scrimmage vs ECU…
That was our first time playing together, guys were learning together. There’s only so much you can do in practice, but once you get out there in a game, things happen faster and you have to slow it down and approach it differently. It was good, it got people’s feet wet in terms of how we move together, how we share the ball, how we switch on screens, things like that.
On the pace tonight…
I would say we pushed it pretty good but I would say he wants it faster. He wants us up there at halfcourt, getting deflections. We got 53 deflections tonight which is what we’re aiming for. He wants to get out in transition. We can improve but I think we did a good job.
On his passing…
I watch a lot of film on some old school post guys. A lot of Divac, people like that who throw dimes. Sabonis, old Sabonis. That’s something I take pride in. I told these guys, throw it to me and cut, I’ll get you.