>> As a prize recruit, as a freshman, Uche Izoje has been tearing it up.

Now a two-time ACC rookie of the week.

First time the program has had that happen since 2021.

And you and the staff rewarded her with the hard hat, the Bank of America hard hat.

What has she brought to this team?

What she thinks she brings to the team.

She is the best dancer on the team.

This young lady, we can talk accolades about her all day.

She can run, she can jump.

She can box shots, she can score and she can defend.

But what is the most impactful thing about this young lady?

She is a great human being.

She is a kid that you just have to love, or you are not a real human being.

I mean the way she graces you with her smile, the way she hugs you and you are a stranger.

The way she sees a teammate who is sad and puts her arm around them.

The way she connects with every coach and everybody that comes around her is remarkable.

You see her on campus and everybody seems to know her.

Like Uche, who is that?

I think I met her in class or something.

She waved at me, and I waved at her.

If you get to know my team, you will get to know the inside scoop.

Not you but the fans who are listening.

Uche Izoje is one of the best recruits we've had all around because of what she brings from our characters academics and our basketball.

But the basketball piece, we didn't know what kind of timetable we were going to have with her with her adjustment from her time in Japan to here.

It's not what we need it to be but way further than we thought it would be.

She catches on fast, she is a visual learner.

She is a person that will ask questions, and she will say no, that's too fast, and take you to slow down.

And take you to a place that she can comprehend.

The reason we have success sometimes, or most of the time, I would say is our defense.

Uche Izoje, she defends and she doesn't allow our team especially our shooters to feel like they're on an island by themselves.

They miss a shot, she is going to get the rebound.

They get beat, she is the one that is going to stop and now she is second time ACC rookie of the week.

It makes me smile because it's because of defense.

because of defense.

>> She got it.

[Laughter] >> 16 points, 13 rebounds!

[ Cheering ] >> You guys did a great job.

Every time like we... you guys talk to me and we come together... [ Cheering ]