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NCAA MEN'S 1ST AND 2ND ROUNDS: RALEIGHMarch 16, 2016Julian DeBoseMarc-Eddy NoreliaRayjon TuckerRaleigh, North Carolina THE MODERATOR: We are now ready to begin the Florida Gulf Coast press conference. At this time we'll open up the floor for questions for the student-athletes for the Florida Gulf Coast. Q. Marc-Eddy, we just got through talking to Brice Johnson and some of those guys obvious they like to go into the paint like you guys do as well. They got a little more size than you, but you guys have been able to dominate the A-Sun and obviously bumped Dickinson the other night. How do you see the match-up tomorrow night. They probably have more size than you. Are they almost as quick as you, or do you think you guys can utilize your quickness to hang with it and do some good things in the paint? MARC-EDDY NORELIA: I think we're ready. We had practice a second ago. We have a game plan in place for it. So I think we'll be good. Q. Point blank, do you think this team has the talent to beat North Carolina, all of you guys? JULIAN DeBOSE: Definitely think we have the talent. We've been working out, you know, all year. Coach has done a great job of recruiting guys. He thinks we can perform at any level and I definitely think we got the talent. RAYJON TUCKER: Just exactly what Ju said. I feel like all of the guys here are competitive and we love to play the game of basketball and everybody loves to play the game of basketball and we just have to come out and play, and any point in time anybody can be beat. MARC-EDDY NORELIA: They covered it all. We're competitive it all. We have a lot of bits and pieces that fit in there nicely. Q. Rayjon, you're from North Carolina, I know you grew up seeing a lot of UNC basketball games. What's it like facing them in the NCAA Tournament? RAYJON TUCKER: It's really just like any other game. I'm approaching it like any other game. Definitely have love for North Carolina, but that hasn't -- that's not on my mind at all. It's just about winning basketball games. Q. Rayjon, what is the mantra? I think it's been 0-124, 16 against 1's. Are you thinking, hey, we can shock the world? What are you thinking as a 16 against a 1? RAYJON TUCKER: We're basically thinking, like I said the last time, just come out and compete. We have nothing to lose. Really, any of these teams have nothing to lose at the end of the season. We have to come out and prepare like any other team, play, do what the coach wants us to do. Play as a team, play for each other and go out here and try to do and play to the best of our abilities. Q. This is for Marc-Eddy: You guys rebounded really, really well the last two games. Obviously that's something UNC does really well. How important is that to at least hang with them on the boards? MARC-EDDY NORELIA: It's been very important. I actually tell the guards to come down low because we know we'll have our hands full with the bigs down there with the rebounders. I think it's very important we need it to win. Q. For all of you guys, what does that win the other night do for your confidence heading into this game to kick off the first round of the Tournament? MARC-EDDY NORELIA: I think it was great. It was a great start to the Tournament and it's a momentum builder and we can use it to catch fire. RAYJON TUCKER: Exactly what Marc said. We have to come out and play every game, and each game is different, a different group of players and we just have to come out with the same mindset that we're not going to let anything stop us and we're going to play basketball. JULIAN DeBOSE: I have to agree. I think it's a great confidence-builder. It's all of our first times in the Tournament except for Filip, and be able to come out and win, and win at a deficit like that is pretty good confidence-builder. Q. Hey, Julian, I know this is not necessarily Joe's style, but I just kind of wonder if he's broken out any kind of strange motivational things. I rode on the plane with you, so he didn't show "Rudy" on the airplane. Has he really tried to do anything different than usual as you get ready for this pretty high mountain here? JULIAN DeBOSE: Obvious, as I said in previous questions before, Coach is going be the same. He's going to motivate us the same way in practice before the first game of the season or the last game of the season. He's done a pretty good job coming with the motivational speeches and things that will get us hyped up before the games and things like that. So I think he does a pretty good job. Q. Julian and Marc-Eddy, you guys both seem very relaxed and always outgoing and always loose. How do you think that mindset and that personality helps when you're in the spotlight like this? JULIAN DeBOSE: Well, being a senior, you know, it's not my first time doing an interview or playing in a big game. I've learned that it's important to come out and be relaxed, because being uptight and second-guessing, you know, every move you make or every word you say, you know, you kind of break yourself down. What you want to do is be confident in yourself. And also being confident in yourself is a great example for your teammates and you want your teammates to be confident, so everyone can perform at their highest level. MARC-EDDY NORELIA: I think it's a lot easier whenever you're having fun, just upbeat. Because if you're sad and look depressed your energy will pass on to everybody else. So just always being happy, smiling, having fun in the process, kind of rubs itself on the other guys. It helps out a lot. Q. Julian, you played in the World University Games with the Kansas team. How do you think that prepared you for playing against some tough competition? JULIAN DeBOSE: Well, it was definitely a great opportunity, first of all, to go over there and represent USA, and, you know, playing the teams from all around the world and seeing their different styles of play, and how much basketball has grown and how much people all around the world are just as good as people from America. It was a great experience as far as learning how to be a leader. Also learning how to play every possession, and just being ready to be called on when it's your turn. THE MODERATOR: Any other questions? All right, gentlemen. Thank you very much and good luck tomorrow. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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