Coach Gary Williams

On playing basketball after winning the national championship: "The one thing I have noticed so far is that as we start practice this year I look back in my coaching and notice some things start to fade or run together. But winning the national championship is something that will never go away.

On Comcast Center: "It's as good as any on-campus arena, if not the best. In coaching you get to see most arenas. When you go into a town to play, you don't get to see the libraries or the museums. You get to see the gym, so I'm a gym expert. This place was built for basketball, not as an arena to play basketball in. It's incredible how you can see from the highest seats."

"That visiting end is tight to the court and it just happens to be where the team will be shooting in the second half. We flipped a coin and it just happened to come out that way."

On the importance of the coaching staff: "As I have become an older head coach, I realized how important the assistant coaches are especially in terms of friendship and loyalty. The time you spend with the coaches becomes the most important thing. It is important to have people on the staff who really care about our success, the school's success and the players. It makes my job a lot easier."

On the returning seniors: "We are very fortunate to have five returning seniors. Not many people in the country can say that. The four who did play have quite a bit of experience."

On Steve Blake: "He was a great leader for us last year. He sacrificed a lot of his game to get the ball to Baxter and Dixon. I don't want him to change the way he is as a player. He was a starting point guard on the team that won the national championship and no one else can say that.

"In Steve, we have the most experienced point guard in the country. Nobody has played in more big games than Steve has. Hopefully his knowledge and his ability will help our younger players as we get started."

On the recruiting class: "A lot of times, it takes guys a while to adjust to the college defenses to become great shooters. But in this freshman class, we have a lot of guys who can shoot the ball based on what they did in high school, so hopefully that will continue."

On the fans: "The fans stepped up and have been there since I came in 1989. The crowds were great in Cole even when we weren't that good. They knew that we were working hard and working toward certain things. Those people stepped up and became factors in building this new arena. Without us being a good team I doubt those people would have stepped up to make those contributions."

"For anybody to say that our university isn't as good as any one else's, either athletically or academically, really has to take a good look at our situation. We have become a well-rounded university, and as a graduate, I'm very proud of that."

On the challenges this year: "We do face a challenge. When you lose four guys who are currently on NBA teams, obviously those were key players. I always say that you don't win no matter how good of a coach you are unless you have the players. In addition to really good players, they were good people. You have to have a certain talent level, but in addition to that, they have to be able to take criticism and be willing to work hard in practice every day, no matter how good people tell them they are. I think our seniors this year are the same type of people and will make up for that."

"A lot of guys will have to change their roles. They will have to go from coming off the bench and really contributing to starting. That's part of the progression as a college basketball player."

"Our bench will be younger. We have to get to the position where there is no letup off the bench, like last year's team. There is no guarantee that this will happen, but it is one thing we will really have to work on."

On the season starting: "It's here. It's hard to believe it's here, in some ways it feels the summer went very fast this year. I'm hungry. I'm looking forward to getting in there with the players. I wouldn't trade that time of the year when you are trying to build your team into something for anything. It is the most important thing to me in coaching."

On player improvement: "You always see that first week of practice who really worked hard. You don't really know that until practice starts."

On watching his players in the NBA: "That's the great thing that when go you home from practice and you want to relax, you can always check on your players. It doesn't take away from my focus, which is on this year's team."

On wearing the bullseye of the nation: "The only way that happens is when you win a national championship. We have always shot for other guys and I know how that feels. What you have to do with that is use this as a matter of pride. We won't let anyone come in here and take away from us what we have tried to establish. You can't go over the line and be cocky, though. Last year's success doesn't guarantee us anything this year."

On the upcoming ACC season: "I think it is wide-open. I think every team lost some really good people this year. A lot of it is going to depend on new players to determine how good teams will be."