Nov. 1, 2008

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Head Coach Billy Gillispie

On the game…
“I liked everything I saw out there today. We had an extremely hard practice and a very lengthy, difficult practice yesterday so I thought our energy today was very good. I thought they did great today. There are still a lot of mistakes being made on transition defense, perimeter defense and post defense, but for the most part I thought they played fantastic and we are much further along than I had anticipated at this point.”

On the offense…
“We always want to push the ball as much as possible and I think we are doing a pretty good job with that. We are trying to put a lot of pressure on the defense. I think we will be much better at that when are we are little more rested and when we have all of our guys on the same side. We will be able to put constant pressure on the defense. That is something we haven’t always been able to do, but now I think we can.”

On how the guys played tonight…
“The coaches and I agree that you play the same way you practice. If you practice really well then you play really well. Jodie (Meeks) has been practicing really well and he played really well tonight. He made some mistakes like everyone else but he continues to get better. Some people say that when the lights come on people play differently, but I don’t really believe in that philosophy. I think what you saw tonight is just a byproduct of practice. The guys who turned the ball over tonight are the same ones who turn it over in practice. We want to eliminate as many turnovers as we can.”

On Josh Harrellson and Jared Carter…
“I thought Jared (Carter) played really well tonight. He made some mistakes when he got off balance in the high post. Everyone will make a lot of mistakes this time of the year, so no mistake was that surprising. I think Josh (Harrellson) didn’t play very well at the start of game, maybe due to nerves. I believe he played harder and competed much harder as the game went along. He began to shoot better later in the game also. I believe both of those guys played a fine game.”

On Mark Krebs…
“I thought Mark (Krebs) played great tonight. I think he is going to be a guy that we’ll be able to utilize in different situations. I think that he feels like he belongs here at Kentucky now and that wasn’t always the case. Sometimes walk-ons get caught believing that they are just proud to have the jersey and be on the team, but we have tried to convince him to compete and be ready when we call on him. He has had a very good fall and I believe he will be a guy that will get some minutes as the year goes on.”

Josh Harrellson, #55

On his play in the Blue-White Scrimmage…
“It feels really good to get a double-double my first time out. I feel like I could have had a few more rebounds and a few more points. Next time, I want to pick it up and hopefully continue that success every game.”

On the transition from junior college to Kentucky …
“My transition was really rough over the summer. Playing at this level and this pace was hard to adjust to. Overall, I feel really good and the transition is smoothing out. I know there will be more rough patches this season, but I know I can get over them. When I got here I wasn’t in shape and I didn’t have the stamina necessary to compete at this level. The past couple of months everything has come around.”

On the scrimmage…
“We had a lot of fun tonight because it was more like a game and it was really interesting. It was a lot different from Big Blue Madness because we actually had set plays. In practice we don’t get many breaks and it’s nonstop. When you get a break like tonight, we get more energy and get the chance to come back even harder.”

Ramon Harris, #22

On recovering from a sprained MCL…
“I sprained my MCL last Friday in practice. I came down on it wrong and my knee buckled. At first, I thought it was a lot worse and the pain was bad. I wasn’t sure what was going on and a lot of things went through my head. When I found out it was just a sprain I was relieved. The rehab is going really good and the swelling and pain have gone down a lot. I feel good right now.”

On the team…
“Coach Gillispie says we play like we practice. We have been putting in a whole lot of work and effort at practice. Hopefully the fans saw that tonight. We do have things to work on, but what team doesn’t have to improve.

On the team’s relationship with Coach Gillispie…
“I feel more comfortable with Coach this year. Last year we were all new to each other, so there were a lot of things that we were trying to work out. This year, we had a tremendous summer and we appreciate each other a lot. We’re trying to pass that attitude onto the new guys.”

Mark Krebs, #12

On getting to play in Rupp Arena…
“It is a dream come true. I have been here three years now and ever since the first day I got at Kentucky I have been dreaming of getting some minutes in. My hard work is starting to paying off.”

On how the team is progressing so far…
The team is progressing well. We are much more knowledgeable this year and our focus level is much better. It is a little easier transition this year, than last year. Everybody is playing very hard and practices have been good as well. We know that if you practice well then you will play good.”

On the play of Jodie Meeks…
“He played great tonight. It was my job to guard him and I had trouble with it. He is a great player, very strong and he can really shoot the ball well. He is a great teammate too.”

Jodie Meeks, #23

On the scrimmage…
“It felt good to get out there tonight. Everyone is getting a little tired of just practicing, so getting out there to play is a lot of fun.”

On the team’s performance…
“I thought we played good tonight. There were some things we need to work on, like the all around defense. We’re not supposed to be good at everything on November first, so I thought we did excellent tonight.”

On shooting and scoring…
“Coach Gillispie is a big believer going 100 percent on everything you do. So, I’ve been practicing a lot of shots. Coming off of my injury, I’ve done a good job of getting back into shape and getting into a shooting rhythm. I think I’ve done a good job of getting back into that rhythm.”

On teammate Jared Carter…
“Jared Carter did a great job tonight. He was running the court, and Coach was very pleased with him. Carter wasn’t only running the court, but he also tried to finish all of his shots. He stepped up tonight.”

Landon Slone, #10

On getting to play in Rupp Arena..
“Growing up here in Kentucky it is a dream come true to play in Rupp Arena as a Wildcat. It may sound cliché, but for me stepping out on that floor tonight means so much. I grew up during the Kentucky Championships run in the late 1990’s so stepping out on that floor really was awesome.”

On how he played tonight…
“I gave some great effort tonight, especially in the first half. I just want to help the team win any way I can. Whether that means making a defensive stop, hitting a three pointer or getting water for someone on the bench, I just want to help this team. Kentucky Basketball has been such a big part of my life, and now that I am apart of it, it is unbelievable.”