March 4, 2003
Head Coach Tubby Smith
On senior day…
“Going through senior day is a special moment in any person’s life. Whether you’re graduating from high school or college or wherever, it’s a special time. You build relationships with these young men and they build relationships with their teammates that will last forever. I’m really proud to have had an opportunity to work with all of our seniors. I hope we can send them off on a good note with a good game tomorrow night against a very tough Vanderbilt team.”
On Jules Camara…
“Jules has meant so much to our program. He’s a fifth-year senior. He has so much courage. He was basically ‘Americanized’ here, in an atmosphere that is a lot different from his culture in Senegal. Hopefully he’s learned his lessons here and will be able to take away the good and not just the bad. He’s a special young man. He’s spent basically seven years in this country, away from his parents. We’re very happy that his mom will be here for senior night tomorrow night. We’ll probably start him in the lineup, since he’s a senior. He’s meant a lot to us, brought a lot to the table and done a lot for Kentucky basketball. We’re really happy that he’s going to graduate – he’s pretty much completed most of his requirements for graduation. And that’s why I’m so proud of Jules and what he’s been able to overcome and accomplish, because I’m sure it wasn’t easy, with the language barrier and everything else.”
On Keith Bogans…
“Over the years, he and I have kind of clashed at times. He really has a lot of belief and confidence in his ability. But that’s why he’s the player that he is. He’s always been one of the guys that wanted to take the big shot, be a part of making the big plays. He’s accepted his role as a leader this year as well as any leader that I’ve had since I’ve been coaching. On and off the court, he’s been a great athlete and a great guy to work with. We’ve never had problems with him off the court – he’s been a role model throughout his college career. Academically, he’s going to have to go to summer school, but he’ll get that done.”
On Marquis Estill…
“He’s kind of in limbo – hopefully he’ll be back for another year, but we decided to let him go through this senior ritual because you never know. Hopefully things will work out. It would be very beneficial to everyone if he returned. I have the utmost respect for him. When you come in and you put that moniker on somebody it’s always tough to deal with. That’s one of the things that concerns me. Athletes are publicized enough and to label him negatively because he’s had some shortcomings academically. That’s something that in the NCAA we need to address. Maybe we’ll use some other way of identifying people. There are a lot of people on this campus that have some type of deficiencies but because they’re talented in another area they can overcome it. He was willing to give up his scholarship. He did something that very few players are willing to do so that we could scholarship other guys. That’s something that I’m glad he was able to do and it tells me a lot about his character and how much he loves this university and enjoys being a part of Kentucky basketball.”
On the turn-around in the second half in the first Vanderbilt game…
“I talked to the players (at halftime) and told them that I thought we were a better team. I felt I needed to be more involved in the game in the second half. That’s really the only thing that changed. And inserting Cliff (Hawkins) in the lineup. I think that’s when a lot of the players gained a lot of respect for Cliff. I saw leadership manifesting itself in the way he came out and performed with the right attitude and a high energy level. That was a big lift for us. He basically controlled the game for us, especially on the defensive end, which he’s capable of doing. He can control the game on the offensive end with his ability to break people down with his dribbling, finding people open and passing the ball. On the defensive end, he can create all kinds of disruptions and wreak havoc with his quickness.”
On defensive strategy against Vanderbilt…
“They had just beaten Alabama and they were riding pretty high because they were playing extremely well. We were looking at other ways to defend people because their offense is similar to Florida’s, in that they were running a lot of hand-off and pick-and-roll, and that was giving us a lot of problems in the first half. We were doing a very poor job of defending it. We felt we needed to get away from the zone. We were behind and needed to catch up. We started to pressure more in the front court and that was a big help for us.”
On the turn-around in the first Vanderbilt game…
“I think it was monumental. It showed our kids that we could come from behind if we gave it our all defensively. And that we can shut teams down, because we felt that we had shut down a very good offensive team. Vanderbilt had played everyone very well up until that point. They have some weapons. They’re a pretty young team, but in Matt Freije, Russell Lakey and Brian Thornton I think they have guys that can really play.”
On Estill’s plans…
“He can go workout in the pro draft like any other underclassmen. That’s what he can do and that’s it. And he probably will do that. In fact, I probably would recommend that given his status. If there’s anybody that should do that, it would be him.”
On Estill’s physical shape…
“This is the healthiest he has ever been. He’s come off two knee surgeries. He’s had back problems. The knee problems led to muscular problems. Now, he’s been able to get in shape by lifting. He got his body fat down. That’s all been a big plus for him. It’s been the key to his emergence as a real force in the SEC. I’ve always said that Marquis is one of the most talented offensive post players I’ve ever coached. He’s got the best hands. He can catch anything you throw near him. He’s got excellent touch. He needs to work at getting up and down the court, but when he wants to he’s about as fast as anybody. (His emergence) has been monumental. He’s the biggest guy we have on the team. There’s nobody even close to him, other than Chuck Hayes, when you talk about bulk and being able to muscle people around and play physical inside. They won’t let us play six guys, and we’d have to tape two guys together to equal him. You know, when you’re healthy, you play with a lot more confidence. Mentally, he knows he’s stronger. He missed practices last year all the time because of a bad back or a sore knee. He hasn’t missed one this year.”
On the Wildcats becoming vocal about their defensive prowess…
“That’s the attitude that this team has had with the way we’ve been playing defensively. They take a lot of pride in their ability to shut people down. [Estill] is one of the top shot blockers in the league. When he wants to stop a guy, he’s got the ability to do that.”
On recruiting Estill…
“He did come in weighing about 285-290. He may have hit 300 pounds at one time. But I knew the first time seeing him play, at home watching the state AAU tournament (highlights on TV). I called around and said, ‘Hey, who’s this big guy from Madison Central?” Once we started to go watch him play, visit with him and got to know him, he’s a very likeable guy. He’s kind of like the life of the party. He’s fun to be around. I thought he would be a good fit, being a local Kentucky player. That’s one of the things we talked about when we first took the job, that we wanted to recruit and give the in-state players the first opportunity to be a part of this program. I think we’ve done that for the most part. And I could visualize him being this way, I really did. The first thing with big man is whether or not they have good hands, that will tell you what kind of player they can be.”
UK PLAYERS
Keith Bogans, guard
On if he thought he would actually be at UK long enough to participate in senior day…
“No I didn’t think so. Things have turned out that way and I’m just happy to be here right now.”
On his four years at UK…
“It has gone by too fast. It seems like I just got here yesterday and if I could go back and do it all over again I would. It’s my senior year and I’m playing my last game at Rupp Arena so I’m just going to try and have fun tomorrow night.”
On his favorite memory at UK…
“My favorite memory is in the works. This is the best season I’ve had since I’ve been here. This year is definitely my best memory.”
On if he thought staying four years was the best thing for him…
“I think this worked out perfect for me. All young guys come in like I did and think they can leave early but it such a different game. It’s not easy. You have to stay and work hard. That’s what I did and I think it will pay off. I’m glad I stayed.”
On the UK fans…
“Our fans are great, they are what makes this program. Without our fans this program wouldn’t be the same. I love the fans here, they’re up and down with you at times, but for the most part they will be there for you.”
Marquis Estill, center
On going to the NBA tryouts…
“I think it’s good for me to keep my options open. I’m going to work hard at school so that I also have the option to come back.”
On his favorite UK memory…
“I would have to agree with what Keith said. This has been a great year. The guys have all gotten along and we’ve played as a team.”
On Coach Smith noticing him on TV…
“I’m glad he wasn’t watching another channel. It’s been a great experience for me playing here. I’m glad I chose to come here.”
On why this has been a breakout season for him…
“I worked really hard in the offseason to get in shape and work on my game and the things that coach wanted me to work on.”
On the UK fans…
“I think we have the best fans in the country and I just want to think them for all of their support over the years.”
Jules Camara, center
On going up against Marquis Estill for four years in practice…
“It’s been really good. I think he’s one of the best centers in college basketball. Going up against somebody like that everyday only helps you get better.”
On his mother being at the game…
“She saw me a couple of years ago at Midnight Madness, but this will be the first real game so it will be nice for her to see me.”
On what his emotions will be at the senior day ceremony…
“It’s going to be very emotional. It was emotional watching the other guys before me, knowing that it’s your last game at Rupp Arena. We’ll have to wait and see how I am. I’m an emotional type of guy so I don’t know how I will act.”
On the UK fans…
“I think we have the best fans in the world. No matter what’s going on there’s always 23,000 people packed in the arena. They’ve made this a great experience for me and I’m glad I came here.”
Chuck Hayes, forward
On the first Vanderbilt game…
“We just played like we know how, the way coach has taught us. We just got after it. We took control of the game and we had them in our command. We pressured the ball, got in their faces and limited their shots.”
On Marquis Estill’s importance to this year’s team…
“He has been huge. Being an inside presence, he opens up so much for us. Teams have to double-team him. This year, he’s a man on a mission. He wants to get the job done and that’s what he’s been doing.”
On the seniors…
“They’re all a great bunch of guys. We’ve had a lot of fun together. Jules can always make us laugh with his accent. Marquis, we’ve always had fun together. Hopefully, we younger guys can send them off the way they should be sent off, because they’ve provided leadership.”
On the difference in Keith Bogans this season…
“He’s walking around here with more of a smile. He’s having fun, having a great time.”
Cliff Hawkins, Guard
On the seniors…
“They’re a great group of guys. Keith is the team comedian. Off the court, we do a lot of things together, and our success this year has a lot to do with those three.”
On Marquis Estill’s progress this season…
“He’s in really great shape, and that’s been a key for him this year. He’s been more aggressive than he has been in the past, and he can battle with anyone.”
Gerald Fitch, Guard
On Estill’s progress this season…
“It’s not surprising. He did a lot of work in the summer and turned into an all-around player with his passing ability, his rebounding and his scoring. When you’re in the post, he’s able to find guys and he helps everyone.”
On the importance of the seniors to this year’s team…
“We’re on our streak right now because of the seniors. They show leadership on and off the court.”
