How much pressure was the team putting on itself after losing at home to Virginia Tech?
I don’t think we put pressure on ourselves. We just wanted to go out and play and put ourselves in a position to win by playing hard and doing the little things.
With so much time off between games, something the team has not had in a while, what will you do to keep everyone focused throughout the week?
We took Sunday off, practiced Monday and Tuesday, and took Wednesday off. The time is actually good, because we have some guys with injuries that need time to heal. We’ll continue to work hard to prepare for Clemson Saturday.
The two freshmen, Raymond Hicks and Antoine Mayhand, saw some action in the Maryland game. Are you gaining more confidence in their ability to handle ACC basketball? How much more work to they need to do before playing regularly?
Both guys have made improvements throughout the year, and I think they are getting more confidence in themselves. I think you will see both of those guys get more playing time as the season goes on.
After Will Frisby’s clutch two free throws, could you discuss a little about his role on the team as a senior leader?
Will has made tremendous improvements throughout the year. Will’s commitment to doing the little things that it takes for us to win has had an impact on our success. The biggest thing for us is to keep Will out of foul trouble so he can play more minutes.
What was the most embarrassing moment of your college-coaching career? Is there one funny incident that stands out?
When I was an assistant at Wake Forest, one of my jobs was to put the starters in the book at 10 minutes before game time. We were playing at Maryland, and I completely forgot. Therefore, the game was going to start with Maryland shooting two technical free throws, but Gary Williams decided he didn’t want to start the game like that and saved me. That was pretty embarrassing.
Send any questions for Coach Haith to e.kalis@umiami.edu.