Miles met with the media before the ACC/Big 10 Challenge…
There has been talk in the media about the team’s athleticism. What are your thoughts?
If playing the game hard and playing smart makes us non-athletic, then I guess we are. We have guys that can jump and run. Nolan’s athletic, Kyle and Jon have athleticism that people don’t talk about. They have great body control. There’s a reason why every day they are going out on the court and killing people who are considered more athletic by those standards. Our team is definitely very athletic.
How about you in particular. You had the highest vertical jump on the team?
My standing vertical was 36 inches and my running jump we couldn’t measure any higher than 45 inches. We put the thing up as high as it could go (and I exceeded it). I am a few inches from the top of the backboard. That’s my goal!
What has been the key to your improved shot blocking this year?
One thing is realizing I have the tools to shot block. Being aggressive and aware of when I can do it is really paying off. I can still definitely get a lot better. I have the potential to block a lot of shots if I keep working at it.
You guys have been playing great D blocking shots and making it hard for the other team to score. What are your thoughts on the team’s D?
The biggest thing I’ve noticed is we stay connected and we really talk. It’s not like you are playing your man individually. When I am out there I feel like all five of us are together. That starts with the guys in the back – Zoubs, LT – We are all talking to the guards. It’s a machine on defense.
The team doesn’t seem to have one single guy it relies on for the key bucket down the stretch but has several guys who can score. Does that make the team more dangerous?
We definitely have guys that can step up and do that – Jon, Kyle, Nolan. We have a lot of guys who can be go-to guys. But if we all hold up our own end of the bargain, we shouldn’t have to have a go-to guy. We should be a go-to team.
How valuable is Jon’s leadership to the team in tough games and tough environments like the UConn game or at Wisconsin?
We look to Jon a lot for leadership. I think it comes from a lot of different guys at different times, but you can always look to Jon. He always has his cool and it helps the team stay calm under pressure. That’s huge for us.
Duke is 10-0 in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge. Have you noticed an extra focus on these games from Coach K?
Something a lot of people may not know is that Coach K is really good and getting us all focused. We don’t treat games differently. We do put this game up on a pedestal, but we put all our games on a pedestal.
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