I'm a firm believer in goal setting. Step by step. I can't see any other way of accomplishing anything.

The players today reflect how much the game has evolved and changed both in style and culture. [...] The game now has a wider appeal to a larger market.

It's always been said that when I can't find a way to do anything, I will find a way to do it.

When I worked on my game, that's what I thought about. When it happened, I set another goal, a reasonable, manageable goal that I could realistically achieve if I worked hard enough. I guess I approached it with the end in mind. I knew exactly where I wanted to go, and I focused on getting there.

I wasn't really a work conscious type of person.

Other than my parents, no one had a bigger influence on my life than Coach Smith. He was more than a coach – he was my mentor, my teacher, my second father. Coach was always there for me whenever I needed him and I loved him for it. In teaching me the game of basketball, he taught me about life. My heart goes out to Linnea and their kids. We've lost a great man who had an incredible impact on his players, his staff and the entire UNC family.

If it turns out that my best wasn't good enough, at least I won't look back and say that I was afraid to try; failure makes me work even harder.