Dec. 30, 2002
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Kentucky Head Coach Tubby Smith
Opening statements…
“This was a good win to bounce back after the tough, tough loss we had against Louisville. You could tell our guys were a little bit down, but we bounced back and picked it up in the second half. We got our press going and made some shots. We were able to create some turnovers and capitalize on those turnovers. 31 assists – we’re really impressed with that. I thought Erik (Daniels) did an excellent job. Keith (Bogans) made shots. We were able to get people in the game tonight and actually do some teaching. We’ve played in so many big games of late that we really haven’t had a chance to get guys the type of minutes that we need to give, especially our young players. It was important to do that, not to take anything away from Tennessee State – I know they’re going through a tough time without their head coach, Nolan Richardson. In the first half, they really gave us all we wanted, especially their three-point sharpshooters like Garrett (Richardson) and (Josh) Cooperwood – they were really tough on us. We had some match-up problems, but we were able to work it out.”
On the UK’s improved shooting…
“We got some easy baskets in transition and that was a big key. But our passing was better, we had 31 assists. We did a better job than we have in the past.”
On UK’s young players…
“They’re still learning, obviously. Kelenna (Azubiuke) made some shots. We have to get them to really stay down on defense, look at the proper rotations and play team defense. I thought we got good play out of Josh (Carrier) tonight and all of the young guys. We’ve been so focused on having to play the Indianas and North Carolinas and it’s tough, but this was a time for [the young players] to grow and they can feel like they’re contributing to the success of the team in a game. I thought all of the young guys worked extremely hard when they were in the game.”
On the mass substitution early in the game…
“[TSU] was taking us off the dribble and knocking down threes early. We had discussed that in a film session yesterday. We want them to listen and learn and carry it over onto the court and that was something I didn’t see early. That second group, with Jules (Camara), Josh (Carrier) and Cliff (Hawkins), did a good job creating a quicker tempo for us.”
UK PLAYERS
Keith Bogans
On the team’s slow start…
“I was telling them (the starters) when we got back in the game we had to pick it up. We got off to a slow start. If we did that again once we got back in the game, we probably wouldn’t have seen the floor again.”
On Coach Smith’s reaction to the slow start…
“He didn’t have to say much. Once he sits you down you already know. We knew we weren’t playing any transition defense. They were getting easy baskets, but the young guys came in and did a good job of stopping their fast break.”
Chuck Hayes
“Coach talked to us about getting out there and making things happen. I think as a team we’re still finding ourselves. We’re trying to take things one game at a time and we’re working on getting ready for SEC play.”
Marquis Estill
On the team’s performance…
“Our performance as a team was alright. We weren’t satisfied with it though. We played hard at times but sometimes we had let-downs and they got too many lay-ups on us tonight.”
“Getting pulled out really got our attention. We knew we had to pick up the defensive intensity and stop making silly mistakes. The younger guys really helped to get things going.”
Erik Daniels
On his improvement…
“I’m feeling good that I’m able to contribute. The up-tempo style really helped me get into my game. I’ve got long arms and quick hands and that helps me get deflections. I really like playing the 4-spot.”
On being pulled out early on…
“Sitting out made me hungry to get back out there. I missed being on the floor and I just wanted to get out and be more aggressive. As a team we knew we had to pick it up. We weren’t playing aggressively enough in the beginning.”
Tennessee State Assistant Coach Hosea Lewis
On the fast-paced tempo…
“We went into that 2-3 zone and let them have the three because we felt if they took the outside shot, it would give us a chance to get the long rebound and go the other way. That’s what we do – we run. When they hit a couple of those in a row, it forces us to make adjustments, but that’s the chance we have to take because we’re a running team.”
“We bank on the other team taking that long shot so we can get out and run. There hasn’t been too many teams that we have played so far that can run with us in the open court. That’s our strength.”
On Josh Cooperwood’s play…
“Josh Cooperwood is a main catalyst on our team, so he has to come out every night and be active – if not on the offensive end, he needs to do it defensively. Josh was feeling it tonight and I told him to keep filling it up because we have to score. We have to rely on the zone rebounds and go the other way.”
On playing together as team after losing Coach Richardson…
“We were definitely more focused on the game plan that the coaches put in. Right now we’re just taking it one day at a time.”
On UK’s strengths…
“Their size – they beat us up in the paint. I can’t imagine how many points they got in the paint. Their strength in the inside just dominated us. I think we can match-up running with any team in the country, but when it comes to manning us in the post we don’t have a chance. That’s why we must get out and run.”
On playing at Rupp Arena…
“We fed off the atmosphere – the people are great here. It was something to see. I recommend anyone coming here to play, it’s a great place to play. You can really feel the history. I thank everyone at Kentucky for inviting us to come here.”
TENNESSEE STATE PLAYERS
#5 Josh Cooperwood, Guard
On how he was able to score 32 points against the Kentucky defense…
“Kentucky has great players and they are good defenders. I just had one of those nights where I was hot and I got on a roll. Their guards are some of the best I’ve ever played against. (Cliff) Hawkins is very quick and both (Keith) Bogans and (Gerald) Fitch are great players, too. I give their players a lot of credit, I was just had a good game tonight.”
On the effect of the Rupp Arena crowd…
“I think it rattled some of our younger guys. I loved playing out there tonight because the crowd got so loud and it got me going, but I think it did have an effect on our game because some of the less experienced players weren’t used to dealing with that.”
#31, Garrett Richardson, Guard
On how Kentucky was able to take over the game after the good TSU start…
“I think we got away from our initial game plan. We started to lose composure and took some bad shots. Our strategy is to get the ball down the floor and score quick, but tonight we missed some shots and Kentucky took advantage in transition on the other end.”
On playing in the atmosphere of Rupp Arena…
“I loved playing in front of that kind of crowd. It was an energetic atmosphere and I had a great time out there. I’ve always wanted to play in Rupp Arena and I’m glad I got the chance to.”
