Kentucky Basketball Previews Mississippi State
UK MEDIA RELATIONS
MEN’S BASKETBALL
MISSISSIPPI STATE-UK PREGAME MEDIA
JAN. 22, 2018
JOE CRAFT CENTER – LEXINGTON, KY.
John Calipari
On scaling back the offense for Jarred Vanderbilt …
“We’re now starting to get where he is now catching up. When he just walked in, we hadn’t scrimmaged or done anything. So now all of a sudden there are things he has not run through or talked to him about. You can’t run him through that stuff. He didn’t practice when he was out. He may have been in there watching but he wasn’t practicing. No, he is not going to slow us down.
On how Vanderbilt stayed in shape …
“He was doing things inside the tub in there, zero gravity machine. You’ve got all the stuff here, so he was fine.”
On Vanderbilt looking winded early …
“They all do. It’s an anxiety too. I mean, he went up and down the court the first time down at South Carolina, (it) was almost hysterical. He lasted about 30 seconds, but that’s as much anxiety as it is conditioning. And it’s normal stuff.”
On if Vanderbilt feels pressured to be the missing piece to the team …
“No, he shouldn’t feel that. And my message today to them, if we defend and do some of the stuff we did and play, rebound and do some of that stuff, the other stuff is all fixable. I’ll just give you an example: We’ve got to lower some turnovers. Can’t have 16. Six of them walks. What? Ten to 11 is fine. You guys know I say, if we have four, five or six we are not being aggressive enough. So it’s 10 or 11, not 16. Second thing is you have got to create shots so we can have easier baskets for each other. Lastly, I would say we’ve got to make six to seven 3s a game. That means between 15-18 3s and you’ve got to make six or seven 3s. Who are the guys making them? We make those, we are fine if you defend and do the stuff we did. Just gotta kind of keep playing a little faster. Playing more people should help that. But it’s all fixable. Look, I’m the coach at Kentucky. This is what you deal with. I’m not shying away from it. It’s not overwhelming me. I’m not panicked. I will say every game we play, including Mississippi State, they are capable of beating us. Just how it is. We are also capable of winning, but they are capable of beating us every game here on out. The league is way tougher. I think our strength of schedule is 12th. I may be corrected on that because you could look at something else, but that’s what the NCAA goes by: 12th. We are 14-5. I’m not panicked. I mean, I coach at Kentucky. I always have young guys. I don’t have them this young. They are really young. They are learning to trust each other. I’ve got to get them to trust each other on both sides of the ball and it may take more time. There have been years it has taken us to the end of February, and guess what? I woke up every morning, got ready to go, did my thing, coached my team and eventually they got it. I fully expect that from this team, but there are growing pains. This may be the youngest team in the history of the NCAA trying to do something unique and special. There have been teams this young and they’ve been like 3-25.”
On Vanderbilt’s potential as a leader …
“He’s a little bit of a leader. But you can’t lead from the tub. You can’t. It’s hard to lead from the bench. You gotta be in the court. You’ve gotta be performing and then you’ve got that chance. So, he’s starting. He’s a great kid. He wants to make plays for his teammates. We just – there’s a lot of stuff. Like we’re still – we played with six, seven guys. Brad (Calipari) being eight. Now, with two days practice, we’re back to playing with a full roster. And one of those guys is Jarred. And it’s the youngest team in the country. I can’t expect these guys to get this right away. No one else should. Now you can expect that they play hard. You can expect that they play unselfish. You can expect that they compete until the horn blows. That’s all normal stuff and they do. These are great kids. But, you know, I’m with them. I haven’t lost any faith in them. Individually or collectively. It’s just hard. And it’s harder than they thought it would be. To be honest, at the end of the year I forget how hard it is as you’re going through it. So, it’s hard on all of us. It’s just a tough deal.”
On this team compared to the 2013-14 team …
“I don’t know. I mean Julius (Randle) physically gave you something that maybe this team doesn’t have. He could just bulldoze you. PJ (Washington) at times does the same, gives you some of that. The twins (Harrisons) had come in and didn’t get it until late February. When they got it, they were pretty good. We’ll see how this plays out. James Young and Dakari (Johnson) and Willie (Cauley-Stein) – but we had some veteran guys too, Alex (Poythress). They’re all different. You guys should know every team I have here is different and it’s a different process. It’s different steps. The lesson plan at the end of the year is thrown out. (We) start with a new lesson plan. And then as you’re going through the lesson plan – I don’t like this. We’ve gotta try something different. They’re not getting it. So you go in another direction. And then they’re still quite not getting it. Then let’s try some of this. You tweak some stuff. You try some stuff. And you look and you say, ‘Man, they’re way better.’ We’re way better defensively than where we were. But, again let’s understand. We’ve got a team, Mississippi State, coming in here 14 wins, playing really good basketball. They’ve lost some games, but they’ve been in every game. Alabama had them down 20 and they came back and should have won the game. At Alabama. So, again – they’re really good. I’m concerned about my team. Let’s just get our stuff right and if that’s not good enough we move on to the next weekend.”
On if his recruiting class is complete …
“Don’t know yet. Don’t know.”
On how the recruiting landscape has changed …
“I don’t think it has. I mean, there are some classes that are really good classes. And then there are other classes that are OK classes. It’s just how it is. We don’t get every kid. I’ve said that all along. We get the ones that need to come here. Others chose not to and that’s fine. That’s their choice. Obviously, the kids who have come here are worth over a billion dollars. Seventeen have graduated. Thirty-five, or whatever, got drafted. Three No. 1 (picks). I mean, kids who have come here belonged here. It doesn’t mean that everybody needs to come here. I don’t think it’s changed much at all.”
On what he saw with the six traveling violations in the Florida game …
“Some of it was in the post. I didn’t think Shai’s (Gilgeous-Alexander) was a walk, and the other three were Kevin Knox. We worked on it over and over and over and over and he’s not really ready to break that habit. It’s a habit he’s had, and they’re walks. You can’t have six walks in a basketball game because if you took the six walks away, we’re at nine, 10 turnovers, which is fine. You’re good. If we’re at six, I’m saying we’re not aggressive enough. If we’re at 16, you’re too sloppy and a little bit undisciplined.”
On if he finds a common theme among recruits that don’t come to UK and the schools that recruit them …
“No. Some of them do well. You’d have to look at who we lost and how they’ve done. I don’t know. Some of them have done well. I don’t look that way, but if they do, I wish them well. I’m not wishing ill will on any of these kids; it’s about them and their families. My concern is whomever we get here – how do we get them to be the best version of themselves, both on and off the court. How do we send them off from here – after a year, two years, three years, four years, whatever – with a basis to have success on and off the court where they can be involved in their communities and it’s not just solely basketball? How they can count on themselves. I don’t sell, when you come here: ‘The university and the state will take care of you for the rest of your life.’ You may buy that, and I’ve got some great property and some swampland down in Florida to sell you too. Every one of us in this country is based on, you have to take care of your self, prepare yourself, and then when you make it you make sure you’re helping and along the way you’re bringing other people with you. That’s what we’re trying to do: just give these guys the best opportunity. We’re not trying to say that this university or state will take care of you for the rest of your life. There’s no socialism here. This stuff is you have to go do it and we’re going to help you do it. Some like that, some don’t like that.”
On why he would like to have six or seven made 3-pointers every game …
“Because we’re capable of that, and I think that’s not an unreal number. What happens is when you’re making four to five and (opposing teams) are making three more, we don’t have enough of a gap this year. We need to narrow that gap, lower the turnovers, create better shots, keep playing how we’re playing, and let’s just get used to each other. That’s, in a simple sense, why I’m looking at this and saying I’m fine. We competed against one of the best offensive teams in the country in Florida and they’re good, but we’re OK. South Carolina, we had our chance. We let that one slip. Now we have another tough one. This is a young team. So now, we’re going to find out, have they grown up a little bit or where are they when the adversity hits? Like I said, I’m with them.”
Kentucky Players
#22, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Fr., G
On how they are holding up after losing two straight …
“We’re all good. It’s the game of basketball. You’re going to lose two in a row. You’re going to go through slumps and stuff like that, but being confident gets you through the slumps and we knew that going into it. We’ll be fine.”
On what players are saying to one another …
“Be more connected, I think is the biggest thing. We’re starting to fight a lot better on both ends of the floor, but being connected and talking more and being more engaged through the whole 40 minutes will get us through it.”
On offensive struggles …
“I think it’s just, like you guys said, remaining confident in ourselves and putting the work in in the gym. Once you put work in, you’ll see the results eventually and I think guys are starting to do that more often and we’ll be fine.”
On having to communicate more in college …
“It forces you to talk at this level because the other teams are so smart and a lot of the teams we play are so experienced that they’ll take advantage of moments when we don’t talk. We’ve noticed that in film – we have to talk – and that’s why we break down and we’ll have to fix it for the upcoming games.”
On how much more they talked with Quade Green on the floor …
“Yeah, he’s definitely a really big vocal leader for us and I did feel like we were more connected than the South Carolina game. But I feel like we’re getting better each and every game in terms of being engaged and talking to each other. We’ll get to the point where it’s second nature.”
On whether it helps that they are close to full strength …
“It definitely does. We’re obviously deeper with those two guys back and they bring another element to the team. It takes a load off of a couple of us that are playing heavy minutes. It’s a lot of help.”
On dropping out of the AP Top 25 …
“I don’t pay attention to rankings. I’m really just trying to get better personally and help this team get better each and every day. The rankings, I don’t really pay attention to.”
On whether it felt like they let one get away from them …
“Yeah. I think both the past couple games we let get away from us. South Carolina, we were up big in the second half and we let go of the rope. And in Florida, we were up with like seven minutes to go and, again, let go of the rope. We just need to stay focused, like I said, and stay more engaged through the times when we go up and the times we go down so things like that don’t happen.”
On the confidence that came from defending Florida well …
“I think we all know we’re getting better each and every game and as long as we’re trying, we’re putting in the effort and we’re attempting, we’re going to get better. We trust the process and we’ll be special by the time the end of the year comes.”
On what Cal has told them since the Florida game …
“He said we got better, but we also had the same moments, just not as much, and that’s why we lost. We gotta cut them out completely.”
On whether Cal was encouraging in the postgame locker room …
“Yeah. He told us that we did get better, we made strides, but obviously those strides weren’t enough and we lost. We just watched film the next day and we’ll try to correct it for the game coming up.”
#2, Jarred Vanderbilt, Fr., F
On how it felt to get back on the floor and play in a game …
“It felt great. Anytime you have an injury, it just made me appreciate the game more. I was just glad to be out there and be able to compete with my brothers.”
On what factors went into his decision to return …
“Mainly I just wanted to get 100 percent. Being that I’ve had a couple injuries already, I just wanted to play it on the safe side. I didn’t want to rush back out there, go too fast, and it end up happening again. So, I just wanted to play it safe, make sure I was ready to play physically, mentally and basically just make sure me, my parents and (Coach) Cal were all on the same page.”
On how his foot has felt after the first two games …
“It’s felt pretty good. It’s getting better by the day, each week it’s progressing. The main thing right now is just me getting in shape, me trying to learn more of the offense, and basically try to fit in where I can.”
On how much of the offense he knows at this point …
“I’m getting there. Each week, each game I’ve gotten better. Trying to focus more in practice, just multiple positions. Wherever the team needs me, I’m just trying to lock in right now, try to stay focused.”
On playing point guard on the road in his debut …
“It was surprising. We didn’t much really plan it, just went with the flow. Guys were in foul trouble, so I’m just glad I was able to step in and help the team while we were down at the moment.”
On where he feels most comfortable on the court …
“It doesn’t really matter to me. Anywhere he wants me, one through five, I’m versatile, I can play multiple positions. Anywhere I can be to help the team be successful, that’s where I’m going to be.”
On how it feels for people to rely on him to be a “difference maker” on the team …
“There’s no pressure, really, just playing the game. That’s how I’ve played my whole life. Just trying to bring what I can to the table, and really just enhance our team. Trying to start getting back to winning and playing Kentucky basketball.”
On how he handled the talk of whether he would play …
“I really didn’t pay it too much mind, because I know if those guys looked at it from my perspective they probably would have done the same thing with them, or even if they had a child done it the same way. So, I mean, I really didn’t pay it much mind. We just tried to stay focused and prepare for when I do step on the court. Yeah, just be mentally and physically prepared for whatever was to come.”
On how much he feels like he’s shown what he can do so far …
“I think I’ve shown flashes. I mean, just a little bit of it right now in the limited minutes that I’ve had. But I feel like as the season goes on, as I get in better shape, the more minutes I play, the more I’ll show.”
On what difference he can make for the team …
“Just being an extra spark, midseason. Not saying guys are down, but just that midseason way for me to come in, have an extra spark of energy, just a boost for the team pretty much.”
On what’s going through his mind when he first stepped on the floor at South Carolina …
“It was amazing, considering I was sidelined for multiple months. It was just great to get back out there on the floor, really just be able to play basketball again. So, I was very appreciative of that.”
On Coach Cal looking for someone to be able to challenge his teammates …
“I feel like eventually I can probably get to that point. I try to lead by example and be vocal as well, mainly just try to challenge these guys every day in practice just by going hard, having energy, having a motor, hopefully they feed off that. It’ll do nothing but better our team. That’s the goal.”
On if was ever worried he wouldn’t come back …
“Actually I didn’t have any worries. I just tried to stay patient, basically just trust the process of what I had to do to get healthy. Just wanted to make the best decision for me and my family.”
On going through the pregame warmups at Vandy …
“I just wanted to get prepared for whatever was to come – whether I was to play or not. Just to have the option to (play), but the main thing for me was to get the feel of everything, just go through our routine and get used to the system and how we do things here. Just trying to adjust and adapt.”
On the mental hurdle of trusting his injury is healed …
“I feel like every human does anytime they go through any type of injury. It’s just natural to have that, but through the support of my brothers, my teammates, the coaches and my parents as well, I even prayed about it. I’m confident right now.”
On rebounding well out of his area …
“I’ve just always been a competitor. Pretty much just trying to do everything for the team. If I’m not scoring, I at least want to rebound. Do something to impact the team and be productive while I’m out there on the floor. Whether it’s rebounding, blocking shots, playing defense, just pretty much try to do a little bit of everything.”
On how he stayed in shape during the injury …
“I went through rehab, I listened to everything the doctors and the physical therapists had me doing, and I tried to trust the process. Just worked every day. There were different types of ways (to do cardio). We have a pool, workout in the pool, zero-gravity (treadmill). Mainly just working out, that’s pretty much it.”
On what this team is lacking right now …
“Honestly, I think with me just being inserted at this time of the season and Q (Quade Green) coming back too, right now we just have to gain back our chemistry. Just get a feel for each other. Not saying it’s a new team, but it’s new additions right now. Like they said, they’re adjusting to me just as much as I’m adjusting to them as a team. So, I feel like that’s the biggest component for us right now.”
On what he learned about the college game by sitting …
“I learned the pace of the game, the physicality of it and also how Cal coaches and what he wants from us, what to do, what not to do. Stuff like that. Just trying to be a student of the game from the sidelines. Just trying to learn as much and know when I go in, like I said, just play hard and everything else will come.”
