Duke
Kennedy Brown: "We obviously pride ourselves on defense"
Duke's Kennedy Brown talks how the team prepared for NC State's offense after the Blue Devils' 69-58 win against NC State.
Yeah, for sure. Um That's something we talked about wanting to do, you know, in preparation this week is, uh, you know, taking the first punch, we weren't gonna come out relaxed and let them, you know, go on a run to start. And so that was really important was that we started fast, um, and physical and just the way that we know how to play the game plan was obviously lift the ball every chance he had. You ever get some points in transition, get downhill, get back on the hills and all that sort of stuff you talk about that. Um, we're really good in transition, you know, we have players who, who can make great plays and when we're just flowing into, you know, our offense and making reads and so that's really it. Um, we like to push in transition because we, we know we can push the pace and we can, um, you know, get people tired in that sense because we just keep coming and we have, you know, the depth on our bench and let me ask you, it seems like you were going one on one against Baldwin without a lot of help. She's obviously a very good player, but the fact that you were able to defend her by yourself meant the other four Duke defenders weren't allowing open shooters. You talk about just your ability to go one on one with a very good experienced place player like that. Yeah. Um River is a great player, um obviously, and you know, our coaches spend a lot of time scouting and so that's, you know, something we look at as tendencies of players. Um And so knowing that and knowing what kind of actions they're looking for, what kind of moves they like to make. And so really just keying in on that, um, and being aware, um, staying down, moving my feet, um, and just keeping her in front of me, Kennedy, whether it was driving or working out of the low post, it felt like the passing in the paint was just very crisp today. Was that intentional? Was that something you all were focusing on? How, how would you describe what you saw from that perspective today? Yeah. Um, they help really well, River, you know, and their post players rotate really well. So we knew that would be open, um, those drop offs and so the guards were, um, making great passes, you know, I let them know every chance I, every chance I got. Um, and so hopefully we can continue doing that. Um, obviously we got some great looks when they were attacking. Hi. Kennedy. Congratulations tonight. 15 points. One of the questions we wanted to ask you was, what are some of the essentials to good team chemistry that you think have revealed themselves this season and that allow you to play confidently like tonight? Yeah. Um, honestly, I think that starts off the court. Um, this team gets along so well off the court and we spend a lot of time together and so we know each other really well. Um And that translates onto the court. Um And so whether that's, you know, just hanging out or going out and doing something, I think we've built that over the course of the season. Um And this past summer and so that's definitely helped us in our chemistry. Um And then, you know, we're working on things every day and so we're constantly communicating, um and just getting better with one another. And so I think that really just is what allows us to play so freely and just flow. Um You know, when you look at the AC C as a whole, maybe even, you know, the country, I feel like people talk a lot about both of these defenses and how good they are. So when you have that opportunity to kind of pit defense against defense and you all have as much success as you did, what's the sense of pride there that you feel after performance like today? Yeah, for sure. Um You know, that's another thing we talked about is, you know, one and two in the AC C defense wise. Um, and so we obviously pride ourselves on defense. That's something coach care preaches, you know, every day in practice. It's the first thing we work on. Um, and so I think just coming out, um, like I said, our coaches spend a lot of time scouting teams and so we made sure we were tuned in to every single play. They had every single read, you know, they were possibly thinking about making and so kind of anticipating um their moves before they made them. And so I think that's what really makes this team special is that ability to really key in, um, and focus on what the other team wants to do and just taking it away, um, with, you know, one home game left this season, the youth of this team and you being one of the most experienced people on the team, when you look at where this unit has come since the beginning of the season, especially with so much turnover, how like kind of going back to that other earlier question? But what kind of sense of pride do you have in the role you've played and how this team is transformed? Yeah, for sure. I mean, so much growth just across the board. Honestly, I could go down the list and tell you how each one of these players has grown, um as the season has gone on and I'm, you know, super proud of all of them, especially our freshman because a lot was thrown at them very quickly and they had to kind of step in and take, take a big role on right away. And that can be hard and scary as a freshman. You know, I was there myself, um, once before so I understand that, but, you know, I think just using my experience and the knowledge that I have to kind of settle them down and be just sort of a calming presence, um, when I could and just keeping them grounded. Um, but yeah, I'm super proud of them. I think they have a lot more, a lot more to show for this season and in the rest of their careers. So I'm excited, excited for them and excited to watch them.