Bryce: "The Team Has Gained Confidence"
NC State junior guard C.J. Bryce met with the media to discuss the upcoming ACC road game at Louisville.
NOTE: Click the video above to watch the interview.
How does that change when Markell is not there to help you out?
Markell is a big peice of our puzzle. Playing without him can be tough at times because he’s our starting point guard, but whatever I need to do for the team I’ll do it.
If I need to bring the ball then I’ll do that. If it’s play off the ball with Braxton at point guard, I’ll do that. It’s not really changing up too much.
Are you comfortable with that?
Yes I am.
I feel like I showed at Notre Dame I can play that position if I need to.
What kind of a spark does DJ Funderburk give you?
He’s very talented. He can defend multiple positions and he brings that energy we need on the court.
He’s a very skillful player.
Some guys like offensive rebounding better than defensive rebounding and he happens to be one of them.
Yeah he happens to be one of them and he gets a lot of points from that. He’s a great player for us on the court.
How much higher of a level do you need to play at to win at Louisville?
I feel like we’re playing pretty good right now. We made a few mistakes on the defense at Notre Dame that we can clean up, but we’re looking to do that in practice.
How much confidence did you gain from this last game?
Same confidence level... the shots that didn’t fall for me at Wake Forest but if I continue to make plays offensively and defensively and the game will come to me. The confidence level will always stay high.
How much did you work on your three-point shooting last season?
A lot.
It’s an aspect that I needed to add to my game for this team to be successful. I’m willing to take those shots.
What was your routine like that you worked on with your shot?
Just getting more reps up.
100 shots a day? What are we talking about?
I can’t tell you the secret formula.
Is the team confident now that you can continue to play well when Markell comes back and is maybe on the bench?
The team has gained confidence on what we can do. Markell handles the ball a lot when he’s in the game and people can now do different things. It’s a situation we’re learning from and can get better from it.
They’ve turned it on the last two weeks... Louisville.
I didn’t see them previously this season, but they seem like a pretty good team. You can’t sleep on any team in the ACC. We have to be ready to play.
How much do you admire Jordan Nwora’s game and what he’s accomplished this year?
He’s a good player, but we look forward to shutting him down and the team down so we can get the win.
He’s a great player, but we can’t let him do that against us.