TV Interview - ACC Sports Live

Caught Paul Hewitt and BJ Elder in-studio for an interview on the ACC Sports Live TV show on Fox Sports South. Before the interview they did a whole hoops re-cap

- last time GT in the top 10 was Jan 11,1993
- best start in a decade
- taking the nation by storm
- deserving of all the praise
- biggest "ex"-secret in the NCAA
- loaded with experience
- 4 players in double-figures in scoring

Then they went to Hewiit and Elder. Most of the Q&A was very similar to some of the interviews we have heard from Hewitt lately, so I won't repeat myself. See posts below for some of those things.

Here are some comments:

PH: Our success might have been a surprise to some, but not to those who saw us practice. We realized early on that we might have something very good here.

J.Jack (taped interview): "If we play our style of defense, then we don't think anyone can beat us".

BJ: "We have a lot more maturity on this team. We take things one game at a time, when in the past, we would have been looking ahead to ACC play. Now we don't look ahead."

Question: You lost Bosh, lost Nelson, then Tarver went down. How have you made up the difference down low?
PH: We, before we lost Theodis, when I looked at the ACC and big men, we really had one of the most experienced front-courts. Now, losing Theodis has made our job more difficult, but Luke is playing very well so far, improving his performance. He had a good freshman year, and a rough year last year, but he has improved and it is showing. He worked in the off-season with Malcolm Mackey.

Qestion to BJ: Your team looks like you really ENJOY playing defense.
PH: "I can't wait to hear BJ's answer".
BJ: "That's what we pride ourselves on - shutting down opponents. We know that if we do our job there, it will lead to easy opportunities on the offensive end."

Question: Tell us about your roommate Isma'il. It seems he is on ESPN after every other game.
BJ: "It is becoming common to see what he does, but he still manages to surprise me sometimes."

Question: Chemistry on this team seems to be high.
PH: "You could see the chemistry right from the start of the season."

Overall, another good promotion for the Jackets and good regional exposure. As always, GO JACKETS!!!!