May 12, 2000
On Gerald Fitch-
“He is an excellent outside shooter. He is a talented player who can score a lot of points, a lot of threes. He gets up and down the floor well.”
On Erik Daniels-
“Erik is a very talented player who is going to do a lot for this program. He reminds me a Tayshaun (Prince). He isn’t as tall, but he is a lefty too. He is still growing. He grew nine inches while he was in high school. He was named the Player of the Year in the Cincinnati metropolitan area. Erik continues to improve his outside shot. His athleticism will help with the loss of Desmond (Allison). He will come into play a lot. He was really taught to play by his coach Paul Andrews. Andrews has meant a lot to this young man.”
On Matt Heissenbuttel-
“He is going to be joining us as a walk-on. I have had the opportunity to watch him play a lot because he played with my son at Lexington Catholic. I know his family, and he is a fine man. He has been around the program a lot and appreciates and understands Kentucky basketball.”
On Michael Southall-
“I am disappointed, as are his parents. He has done something wrong and will have to face the consequences. He stands to lose his scholarship depending on the legal situation. Drugs and alcohol are not tolerated in this program and shouldn’t be tolerated anywhere. Mike is a good kid who obviously made a bad mistake. Unfortunately, he has to suffer the consequences, as we all do.”
On Michael Southall-
“I am very concerned about the image of our program. A mistake is one thing, but if there are other issues involved, it puts him and our program in a different light. We have no specific policy regarding this, but it is our right when this happens to revoke a scholarship or make other arrangements. I want to know everything before I make a decision. I talked to him yesterday. He is very scared, remorseful, apologetic, and he is sorry he let our program down.”
On Tayshaun Prince–
“Tayshaun is recovering from surgery. He is still suffering from a little discomfort. The doctors have asked him to take it easy for the next few weeks.”
“Both Tayshaun and Keith (Bogans) were invited to the Young Men’s National Team tryouts the last weekend of the month. Both are planning to attend. Hopefully, Tayshaun will be well enough to participate. This is good because it helps them help our country. It’s an honor and a privilege to be invited. It also helps these guys measure themselves against the best in the country.”
On Desmond Allison-
“I can’t really comment on Desmond until we get all of the information. He was supposed to go to counseling and get his academics in order. As soon as we get all the information, we will make a statement on his status.”
On Coach C.M. Newton’s tribute dinner-
“Coach Newton has meant so much to so many people. A man of his integrity and character has made me a better coach and person. You always know where you stand with him and for so many people to come in and pay tribute is a special thing. It really shows what he has meant to the game of basketball all over the world.”
On the recent problems in UK athletics-
“I am at a point where I have to look at things a little differently. You do all you can to protect young men, but I have to protect the program first. People deserve second chances. I have to determine if that will be detrimental to the prestige and image of such a high-profile program.”
On next year’s team-
“I like what we have coming back. We have a good corps of returners. With the new players, we can be more aggressive defensively. We should be a better shooting team with practice and maturity. (Cliff) Hawkins can penetrate and shoot the ball. Fitch gives us backcourt depth. He can shoot over people and get his own shot. Last season, we weren’t able to get the press going like we wanted. Heissenbuttel and Daniels will also help with outside shooting. We have added more ability and agility to the team. Marquis (Estill) has also trimmed down and should be a great asset to the team.”
On possible additions to the team-
“I anticipate more walk-ons. We can’t be caught short-handed like we were last year. Toward the end of the season, we were playing (manager) Kevin Murphy.”
