CHAPEL HILL NC– North Carolina freshman forward Jalen Washington met with the media before Friday’s practice at the Smith Center.

Washington and the Tar Heels are set to face off against ACC matchup at Louisville on Saturday at 2:00 PM.

Washington is coming off an excellent performance against Virginia scoring 13 points and grabbing six rebounds in 27 minutes of play. UNC’s Armando Bacot was injured 1:18 into the game forcing Washington into extended minutes. He entered the game having played just 21 minutes combined for the season.

Above is the video of Washington’s presser, and below are a few notes and pulled quotes from what he had to say:

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*Washington scored 12 of UNC’s last 22 points of the first half Tuesday night at UVA, which came over a span of around 11 minutes. After halftime, however, he managed just one point. UVA adjusted moving Ben Vander Plas on him instead of Kadrin Shedrick, and his quickness and strength bothered Washington. But it’s all a learning experience, which the freshman said was great education.

“I think the second half showed more of the experience side in the increase in minutes and where I need to improve,” he said. “It was definitely a learning lesson.”

*So, 21 minutes of game action in 18 months and suddenly 27 minutes Tuesday night against a physical team. How did the Indiana native feel the next morning?

“I was pretty sore,” he said. “I feel like anybody would playing from three minutes to however many minutes I played against UVA. I was sore, but recovery plays a big factor into it being available for the next game, even the next practice.”

*Okay, so Washington expressed what he learned, but what was his biggest takeaway from playing in a major college game in Charlottesville?

“Playing extended minutes like that is pretty hard,” he said. “You’ve got to stay locked in on every possession, (and) that can be hard when you get tired. So I would say that was probably the biggest takeaway from that.”

*Washington played the five at UVA, and may have to exclusively play there again at Louisville, but he sees himself as something else long term.

“I’m a really skilled four,” he said. “You see me out there, I’m really looking to shoot the ball, use my touch. A couple of shots (Tuesday) didn’t go in, but I feel like that will come as I get used to playing on this level.

“I love the face-up game, I can use both hands getting to the middle off the face-up, really. Able to shoot the ball from the three-point line (and) space the floor out.”

*Washington dealt with two knee injuries, and it wasn’t until about five weeks ago when he started doing everything full speed, as UNC was quite cautious in how it brought him along. The long haul of the process, however, was a challenge though it never got him down too much.

“I’ve always been kind of patient about the whole thing,” Washington said. “I just really try to slow down and take things step-by-step, putting one foot in front of the other.”

*The journey to returning was more taxing mentally than physically, Washington said. But he is surrounded by people who helped him through the process.

“I’ve been blessed with a great support system,” he said. “I’ve got two parents, and they love me and they support me, and I’ve got great siblings as well. A great inner circle. It’s just been pretty great for me, and they’ve been in my ear with wisdom and motivation.”