One of the few bright spots in the Indiana Pacers’ slow start has been the encouraging play of second-year center Roy Hibbert. Throughout the preseason and the early part of the regular season, the former Georgetown Hoyas standout has upped all his stats. In his first four games of the ‘09-10 season, Hibbert is averaging 10.8 points, 10.3 rpg and 2.2 bpg. We sat down with Roy a few nights ago, when the Pacers were in town to play the Knicks.

Dime: After a good preseason, you’ve also started the season playing well. Are you surprised with your stats?
Roy Hibbert: No, I knew it was going to be a lot of ups and downs this season. But I think I’m mentally stronger than I was last year. So, I’m going to be able to persevere throughout the tough times in the league this year.

Dime: On top of the mental toughness, are there things physically you worked on in the offseason that has also made the difference?
RH: The young guys, we’ve been in Indiana all summer lifting prior to and after our summer league. And we really did a good job getting our bodies strengthened for this upcoming year. I think lifting and conditioning will be a big part of the young guys’ success this year.

Dime: Being that this is your second year, do you feel you’ve adjusted to the pace of the NBA game a lot better?
RH: I have, but I still have to find my place in certain spots. I’m still making some mistakes like fouling and not being in the right spots in certain times but I’m slowly learning.

Dime: How tough has these first three games been for you guys?
RH: It’s been tough. Obviously we want to get a win under our belt and starting 0-3 is not a good look for us. But we’re trying and we’re going to fix the things we need to work on, so hopefully we can get a win tonight.

Dime: What has Coach O’Brien said that you guys need to work on?
RH: He thinks our defense is coming along, it’s just making sure our offense is running smoothly. Obviously that’s going to help us win games. We have to get up and down the court and make sure our flow is really good. Defense is key.

Dime: What specific things do you want to add to your game throughout the course of your career?
RH: I’m slowly doing a little turn and facing and shooting a little bit and driving a little bit. I’m a traditional back to the basket center but I want to be able to open up my game. I’m fine shooting jump shots around the key but I want to be able to turn and face a little more.

Dime: Who has been your toughest matchup so far in your career?
RH: There’s been a lot of them. We have Dwight, we have Shaq, you have Amar’e. So, basically every night in the NBA is a tough challenge. But at the same time they have to guard me too. So I’d say everybody is tough in the league.

Dime: You come from a Georgetown program that has a great big man tradition. Who have you tried to pattern your game after?
RH: When I was at Georgetown, I wanted to be my own player. But I also wanted to have a little mix of Alonzo, Dikembe and Patrick. So I try to be a defensive presence like Dikembe, be physical like Alonzo and have post moves like Patrick. So I want to be a little bit of all of them.

Dime: Speaking of Georgetown, you beat Tyler Hansbrough’s North Carolina team in the tournament. Now do you guys are teammates, do you guys jab at each other.
RH: (laughs) Nah we don’t jab, we try to move past that. But if Georgetown plays North Carolina this year, we’ll definitely trash talk to each other for that game.

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