Jan. 10, 2003
Head Coach Tubby Smith
On preparing for the South Carolina game…
“Getting ready for this game is a real challenge because they do a lot of different things offensively and defensively. Last time we saw them they beat up on us pretty good in the SEC Tournament. They still have one of their big guys out (Marius Petravicius), but (Tony) Kitchings is back, so they’re pretty solid.”
On if he thinks the team will remember that game last March in the tournament…
“I think they will. I know I do. This is conference play, so we’ll have our hands full trying to contain Kitchings and Rolando Howell inside. The kid that’s leading them is Carlos Powell inside who’s playing extremely well. He’ll be a tough matchup for us.”
On the interior game of South Carolina…
“They’re very big. They’re probably not as big and strong as they will be when they are at full force, but they are very talented. Both Howell and Kitchings are tough.”
On if Kentucky is better prepared to take on South Carolina’s inside attack…
“We have the same people we had last spring with the exception of Tayshaun Prince. We’ve had a tough time with big, strong post players, but I think we’ll be fine. We’ll have to throw a lot of different looks at them and get the ball out of the low post as quick as possible.”
On how hard it is to defend Tony Kitchings once he catches the ball in the post…
“If you do double-down they have some outside perimeter guys that can shoot the ball, so it’s important to keep the ball out of the post so that we don’t have to double down and give them open shots outside. I thought we did an adequate job against Tennessee. Most teams in the SEC have a good post player that can beat you one-on-one in the post if they get the ball down low, so we try to give Marquis as much help as we can so that he doesn’t get in foul trouble.”
On the overall play of Marquis Estill this season…
“He’s done okay. He can play harder and better, but then again everybody can. He’s done a better job of late kicking the ball out of the post, which we want him to do. Sometimes he gets in foul trouble, so I think he’s hesitant to be as aggressive as he should be. We’d like to see him a lot more aggressive and active, as I would everybody.”
On what he expects to see from South Carolina…
“I think they’ll zone us and try to trap us in the half court. That makes you go to your second and third option. They’ll try to play to what their strengths are at this point and time.”
On South Carolina point guard Chuck Eidson…
“He plays within the system. He’s tall enough that he can see over people and he’s got a good handle. He does a good job of distributing the ball. I think his basketball I.Q. is outstanding. He has great anticipation and understanding of the game. He understands the opposing team’s offense the same way that a quarterback has to understand the other team’s defense. He also has great length and reach, which help him defensively.”
On if he’ll try to pressure South Carolina’s guards…
“We like to pressure people because that’s what we do best. We need to create more offense with our defense. We’ve had a tough time scoring against set defenses and most people do. So, we need to create more opportunities either will full-court pressure or half-court pressure.”
UK PLAYERS
Chuck Hayes, Forward
On last year’s loss to South Carolina in the SEC Tournament…
“That’s always going to haunt you in the back of your mind. You try not to think about it, but they sure did give it to us in the SEC Tournament last year. I think revenge would be nice. We have to come out ready to play – we can’t let that happen again.”
On South Carolina’s physical play…
“They have (Tony) Kitchings – he’s a load himself and they also have a very solid player in (Chuck) Eidson. They’re a good team. They bring in a lot of veterans and experience.”
On UK’s distribution…
“We’re doing a better job of getting everyone involved, getting everybody in the rhythm of the game. That’s one thing we try to focus on. Teams can’t focus on one or two of us, they’ll have to pay attention to us all. That’s one of the good things about this team, you never know who is going to step up.”
Keith Bogans, Guard
On avenging last season’s loss in the SEC Tournament…
“They (South Carolina) didn’t rub it in, we just played poorly. If you lose to any team the previous year, you want to come back with a win.”
On South Carolina’s physical play…
“I think we have big guys that can match up with their big guys. Marquis (Estill), Jules (Camara), Erik (Daniels), Chuck (Hayes) – all of them are ready to bang in the post. Even though they’re talented, they are going to have to deal with our big men.”
Cliff Hawkins, Guard
On South Carolina’s Chuck Eidson…
“He knows how to play the game. He’s smart and real crafty. That’s his advantage over most players.”
On defending Eidson…
“It’s going to be a challenge. I’m not sure how the match up will go, but he’s a smart player and we are going have to do our best against him. He protects the ball real well and keeps it where you can’t get to it.”
On Estill’s importance to the team…
“He’s an outstanding scorer. He makes high-percentage shots when you get the ball to him inside. We have to get him going early in the game. Once we get him involved it will open up the perimeter for us. When he’s on top of his game we’re tough to beat.”
On the loss to South Carolina in the 2002 SEC Tournament…
“We can’t think about what happened in the past. We have to prepare for this year and make adjustments according to what’s going on right now.”
Gerald Fitch
On the loss to South Carolina in the 2002 SEC Tournament…
“This is definitely a redemption game for me. The way they beat us in the tournament, wasn’t pretty. This is our chance to pay them back.”
On why he was able to have big games against South Carolina last year…
“I’m not exactly sure why I was able to have big games. I guess they were more focused on Tayshaun (Prince) and Keith (Bogans) and that left me open.”
On Estill’s importance to the team…
“It’s huge. He’s able to draw double teams and find the open man. He’s done a good job finding the open man on the perimeter and it just makes us a better team.”
