UVA coach Tony Bennett and players Devon Hall and Jack Salt talk with reporters after the Cavs’ 79-39 win over Robert Morris.
Coach Tony Bennett
On UVA’s play tonight and the upcoming schedule: “I did not think we were solid early. We were sluggish in terms of the pace of running our offense. Defensively, we were okay. I did not like what I saw, but I liked how they responded in the second half. We went inside a little more and did what we needed to do. They struggled to shoot the ball. That is one thing with Robert Morris, they have had a hard time at the free-throw line, and that I think plagued them today. I just wanted the guys to play regardless of the score, get good experience for Ty [Jerome], Kyle [Guy], and Mamadi [Diakite], and all of the guys. I am glad we are going to Cal for London [Perrantes]’s sake, Jack [Salt]’s family will be there as well. I think the competition will step up from here on out and we will have to be ready.”
On the play of Jack Salt: “When you have a break this long, you can really almost do individual skill development. We do it all the time, but we have really been working with Jack [Salt]. Jack is such a diligent worker on power moves and finishing in close, and obviously, we had a height advantage. It was nice to see him put some of those in, and that he was sure-handed when we threw it to him on the high-lows or offensive rebounds. I noticed that, when he goes against Jay [Huff] or Mamadi [Diakite], when he has to go against shot-blockers, he did a good job this week of finishing some post moves and in-close ones. Interior scoring for us was important, and I liked what I saw. I want to see him get on the glass and rebound. I think that is the next step for him because he works so hard. I think there is going to be some big athletic players we are going against and the defensive rebounding will be crucial.”
On the play of Devon Hall: “He got to the free throw line. We were really laboring to score. We went with a four-guard lineup, and I thought that opened up the court. Devon [Hall] had a couple of nice drives, London [Perrantes] got to the rim, and Darius [Thompson] threw in that circus shot. Devon is always an intense player and he is physical, and I am glad for him to have a little success, either a drive and a finish, making a three, or getting to the line. He has been having a little trouble, percentage-wise, finishing some shots, so I thought that was good, and I thought that his physicality and his intensity were needed. There are certain guys you look at and you can see they are laying it out on the line and playing hard. You can always see that in Devon and Isaiah Wilkins. Other guys, their exterior is a little more calm or cool and you do not see it as much, but with Devon, it is contagious, and I thought a couple buckets he got, some hard rebounds was really good for us. The four-guard lineup gave us a nice lift.”
Forward Jack Salt
On his family being at the California game: “I’ve got eight family members that are going to be out there, so I’m pretty excited. I haven’t seen them for a while. I’ll get to stay with them in California for a few days, which will be nice. I haven’t seen them for maybe eight months, so I am really looking forward to seeing my family.”
On expectations for this game: “The coaches told us they were undersized, so I was just looking for opportunities down there and I got a few good ones. I always look forward to going against a short guy.”
On offensive development this year: “We work on our finishing every day. Just putting in the work in practice with the coaches helps a lot in the games. I just kept working at them and I found my shot a little which is good.”
Guard Devon Hall
On finishing at the rim better this game: “We work on it every single day, being able to use my length, size, and strength to try to finish better around the rim. I get around the rim a lot so I think it’s key for me to be able to finish in those tough situations and work in traffic. Working each and every day has helped me.”
On his role: “I’m extremely comfortable with my role and the way we have things. We’re so deep on the bench and guys can score any day. So just being ready and aggressive each time, knocking down shots when you’re open, and getting in the lane is big.”
On Ty Jerome: “He’s extremely poised and he is a lot like London [Perrantes] when he comes in, being where he needs to be and being poised. His vision is great and I think he had six assists today in I don’t even know how many minutes.”
On preparations for second road game of the year: “Come out and do exactly what we do each and every day in practice. We try to implement what we do in practice into the games. Knowing that we’re going into a hostile environment and we haven’t been on the road for a long time, we want to be able to go out and put our foot on the gas.”
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