Offseason Q&A: Deon Thompson

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. --- North Carolina's Deon Thompson spoke to the media on Monday afternoon at the Smith Center as part of an offseason interview session.

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Listen to Audio (13:09)

How do you feel about your growth?

“It’s something that Coach [Williams] tells me all of the time, but I just have to be patient with myself, but the simple fact is that I’m still playing catch-up in a way just for the fact that I haven’t been playing the game as long as most people. I’m still younger than most people, so developing my body and my basketball game is probably going to take a little bit longer than people who have been playing the game and are a little bit older than I am, so I’ve just got to be patient and not get down on myself.”

What does it mean to have such a large amount of talent in the post?

“That just means that everybody at practice on a day-to-day basis is going to get better. I think that’s why some of those guys come to Carolina to play against guys that are going to make them better every day and develop their skills, so it’s a really good thing.”

How was the situation with the guys coming back from the NBA Draft?

“It was fine in my eyes. We were going to be okay regardless if they came back or stayed in the draft. We knew we were going to be good if they didn’t come back, so now that they did comeback, it’s going to make us even that much better.”

On the four incoming freshmen:

“They’ve been good. They’re here working with Jonas, trying to get stronger and they’re just really excited and ready to work. I’m really happy to have them here. They’re really talented, so it’s going to be good.”

Your team has four high caliber big guys, while most teams would be happy to have two ...

"We are very fortunate ... if you look at any position, from point guard (with Ty, Bobby, Larry), to shooting guard (Wayne, Danny, Marcus) -- all the way down the line this team is going to be stacked, loaded."

What do you think we're going to see you add to your game this year?

"Just a consistency. Last year I thought I'd perform a lot better, so I'm not going to put too many expectations on myself and just play."

Are you feeling increased confidence in your game right now?

"Yeah, I see it happening. Just from working out, playing, I can see my game coming along and progressing. So I keep working and know it'll come together."