Freshman Matthew Hurt on defense: "You've just got to compete"

Coach Mike Krzyzewski said that Matthew Hurt was the most advanced freshmen on defense so far in the preseason.

The 6-foot-9, 215-pound five-star forward from Rochester, Minnesota was rated No. 12 in the lass and No. 2 at power forward by Rivals and stood out for his shooting ability. He’s the all-time leading scorer in Minnesota high school history after averaging 37 points per game.

Coach K praised Hurt for his ability to defend on the perimeter and inside, as well as his concentration.

Hurt explained what it takes to play defense for Coach K:

“You’ve just got to compete,” he said. “Keep your guy in front of you, I’d say. Just competing. You don’t want to get scored on. You also don’t want to let your brothers or teammates get scored on either. You just do whatever you need to do to not let anybody score.”

Hurt also talked about what he’s seen so far from sophomore point guard Tre Jones.

“He’s got a better shot,” he said. “He’s improved, I would say. People can’t really sag off him. He’s capable of knocking that down.”

Jones is also taking a leadership role with the young players.

“In between plays in practice, he huddles us up and tells us we need stops and stuff like that,” he said.

It’s early in the preseason, but Hurt has already noticed some differences between the college game and high school.

“The speed of the game,” he said. “People are a lot stronger and faster here.”