Nov. 28, 2001
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KENTUCKY VS. KENT STATE
POST-GAME QUOTES
NOVEMBER 28, 2001
Coach Tubby Smith
On the game…
“This was a good win against a very good team. Kent State is a solid ball club. Our kids did well to fight back after being down in the first half. We had balanced scoring and better pace. Cliff (Hawkins) played real well, and the bonus was him making two threes. Marquis (Estill) gave us good inside play. We had no answer for Antonio Gates inside. He was very quick and active.”
On the team being more active on defense, taking more charges and going after loose balls…
“Those were areas we were concerned about after the loss to Western Kentucky. We did much better with that tonight, and that’s the type of effort we need every night.”
On switching to a zone defense with five minutes left in the first half…
“We weren’t able to stop their dribble penetration so we switched to the zone to cut that down.”
On Marquis Estill…
“He has really good mobility. His knees are a lot better so he is able to do more. We show the guys highlight tapes of things they do well so they can see what they need to continue to do to make this team better.”
UK Players
#1 Cliff Hawkins
On Kent State…
“We watched a lot of film on them and we knew that they would do a great job of getting the ball out and getting it down the floor. We wanted to push it back at them. We knew we had to get penetration on them to score, but it is the defense that we played tonight that will win games for us.”
On his shooting…
“I felt good in warm-ups and I told myself that when the game started I would try and take advantage of my open shots. I hit that first three-pointer and my confidence just built from there.”
#21 Tayshaun Prince
On Kent State…
“They are a great team. They shoot the ball extremely well. Coming in here tonight we knew that our hands would be full. We got a lot of deflections, Keith did a good job of getting to the basket early and Marquis was a great inside presence for us. This was a good win.”
On the schedule…
“This game is a step in the right direction for us. With every game I can see us getting better. The spread out schedule has been both good and bad for us. It has given us time to work on things that we need to work on, but at the same time, when we don’t have a game we get too anxious to get out on the floor.”
On Estill’s contribution…
“A lot hinges on Marquis staying healthy and getting his minutes. When he establishes an early presence and stays out of foul trouble he can do a lot for this team. If he stays healthy he will be a great addition to this lineup.”
#50 Marquis Estill
On playing with healthy knees…
“Without my knees bothering me, it helps out a lot. When I feel good I can play longer.”
On a strong inside game…
“I think I can overpower a lot of guys, that’s why we try to get the ball under the basket.”
On taking charges…
“It definitely got the team pumped up, I don’t think they’re used to me taking charges.”
#10 Keith Bogans
On playing a home game away…
“It still feels like a home game. When I look up and see all the blue in crowd cheering it feels like a home game. I try not to look up a lot, but sometimes you can’t help it.”
On mixing the defense…
“The zone helped us out, it seemed to throw them off a bit, and allowed us to make some big plays.”
On rebounding…
“Coach Smith emphasizes rebounding a lot. I’m trying to improve and get better than what I did last year.”
Kent State Head Coach Stan Heath
“I was very pleased with our team effort. I thought they really hurt us inside second half.”
On the difference in halves…
“In the second half, there was a momentum change. When they (Kentucky) missed shots, they got put backs and second chances.”
On Kent State’s turnovers…
“Turnovers are uncharacteristic of our team and we didn’t capitalize on the breaks. We didn’t make those plays and, consequently, that hurt us.”
On big guys…
“The strength of my team is my guards and Antonio Gates. As time goes on, they’ll get better. But when I go to war, I’m going to go to war with my veterans, my guards.
On Kentucky’s zone defense…
“The zone slowed us up. We were stagnant. We were not efficient in this area tonight.”
On Marquis Estill…
“We expected Prince and Bogans to have a big game against us. But tonight, Estill was the difference.”
On Kentucky’s final four potential…
“Kentucky has the ingredients to make a run. If they get solid point-guard play, that will help them. I think they have the pieces of the puzzle to make it. If they gel as a team down the stretch, Kentucky could be a Final Four team.”
Kent State Players
Forward Antonio Gates
On the UK second-half defense…
“They went to a zone. Eventually they were going to cut me off and start to take charges. That was primarily why I didn’t get the ball in the second half.”
On fitting in with the team…
“Every game we play is a chance for me to gel with the team. I think the team gets more confidence in me every game.”
Guard Trevor Huffman
On the turnovers…
“We haven’t played a team that denies so hard on us. It was tough to get our offense going in that situation tonight. This will just be a learning experience for the team and myself to become a little more efficient in this type of situation.”
On the first half…
“It seemed like every time I had the ball there was always a guy face guarding me. The first half was definitely a struggle for me but I will just try to work on everything. As long as we are patient with our learning then everything will come to us.”
On the second half…
“Our defense just broke down in the second half. We gave them three or four shots and there is no way you can beat a team like Kentucky giving those many shots. We tried a zone ourselves to make them shoot from outside but when a team is hitting the glass like that they can’t be held back.”
On Cliff Hawkins…
“He actually was a surprise to us. We really kept our focus on (Tayshaun) Prince and (Keith) Bogans so Cliff Hawkins really hurt us. We let him basically dominate that position and it killed us in the end.”
