March 7, 2000
Tubby Smith
3/7/2000
Pre-Southeastern Conference Tournament
“We are certainly excited to be sharing the Southeastern ConferenceChampionship. This group of young men are very deserving of it. This year’steam has really been maligned at not being able to shoot the ball well.They have overcome a lot of adversity with people transferring and thedeath of John Stewart. We have had a lot to overcome and through it all,they have prospered. I couldn’t be prouder of a group of kids than I am ofthis team. They have done more with less, not necessarily less talent, butless people, than any other team that I have been around. Everyone on theteam has stepped at some point in time and contributed. Our veteran playersand seniors have been real leaders on the team.”
“To get a bye in the SEC Tournament is important. Both teams, Georgia andArkansas, are capable of advancing in the tournament, so we are going tohave to be at our best. Both Georgia and Arkansas played extremely wellhere at Rupp Arena and came close to beating us, and that should be anincentive for our guys to prepare well for them.”
On this year being the most memorable season of his coaching career:
“It has been tough because a lot of changes have taken place since lastyear, changes that weren’t anticipated. It is a lot easier to prepare forthings before they happen. That is why it would be a memorable season. Wehad do to a lot of changing and analyzing to get the most out of ourplayers. Getting each individual player to contribute at the right time, isprobably one of the best coaching jobs of my career and our coaching staff.”
On the 1999-2000 being a gratifying experience:
“It is always gratifying and rewarding to know that your players andpersonnel stuck it out and achieved their goals and the goals we set as ateam. Seeing the type of year Jamaal (Magloire) had and the excellent yearTayshaun (Prince) had, I think all our players improved, not just asplayers but as people. That is the most important thing, that they grow notjust as basketball players but as students because of the tough challengeswe had.”
On how he feels going into the postseason:
“We have already accomplished some of our goals we set this year that wedidn’t last year. We didn’t win the regular season title last year, and wedidn’t go undefeated at home last year. Our goal it to focus in on the nextgame and that is Arkansas or Georgia. The sky is the limit for this team.”
On preparing for the postseason in practice:
“I think we’ll probably spend more time on fundamentals like we did onMonday in practice with shooting, passing, screening, and rebounding. Westill have to stay sharp, so we’ll probably get in a few scrimmages betweennow and Friday to keep our guys sharp, even to the point we might bring inofficials. Having only 11 guys makes it difficult.”
On his biggest concern going into the SEC Tournament:
“I think were are mentally ready, and I think we are physically ready. Weare shooting the ball better, and we are doing the things it takes to winconsistently. I like playing great defense, rebounding, and playingunselfish. One of the things we did extremely well against Florida was makethe extra pass and move without the ball. I am very confident that we cancontinue to play the way we played on Saturday.”
On preparing for Arkansas or Georgia:
“Since we have played both teams, we have a pretty good idea about theirpersonnel and how they play. Having watched Arkansas in the Auburn game,they looked pretty good. Neither team will change much between now andFriday, and we will go with what we did previously against each team. Weusually start preparing for the team the day before the game.”
On whether he expected the team to be this good in March:
“We always expect them to be better in March than in November. That is howwe build our program and build our team, by playing our best basketball atthis time of year. One of the things that helped us was playing the toughnon-conference schedule. I think it is beneficial to us in a big game likethe Florida game last Saturday. We are where we excepted to be.”
On why his teams have always been able to peak in March and the postseason:
“As you build your team, you have to build yourself as a coach. You don’twant to peak out as a coach either. You can’t get too high or too excited,and you can’t get too down. It is an attitude of never giving up andkeeping the faith. Keep believing in yourself and the system, and you willcome out okay. Most people give up or quit when adversity hits. I wasbrought up this way, and I try to convey that to our team. You are going tohave some ups and downs and rough times, but you still have to meet yourresponsibility.”
On UK’s young team drawing confidence from what past UK teams that weresuccessful in March:
“I think they draw confidence from past teams here, because we have guysthat have been a part of it like Jamaal and Steve (Masiello). They can allshare with the players how the championship team in 1998 responded and theattitude they had going into the tournament.”
On the parity of the SEC Tournament:
“You can look at the four teams that tied for the SEC championship, and Ithink this is the first time that four times have had identical records inwinning the title. Plus, you have teams like Alabama and Arkansas who arereally coming on here lately. In 1996, everybody pretty much knew thatKentucky was the team to beat because they went undefeated in the league.”
UK Player Quotes
#11 Saul Smith
“We’re really enthusiastic about our upcoming games. I’m always happy whenthis month comes along. March is what it’s all about. For the state ofKentucky and the University of Kentucky, this is big time.”
“We’ve been through our tough times this season with transfers and the lossof a future Kentucky star (Jon Stewart). It’s not over. I have a sense ofpride that we’ve accomplished some of our goals for the season. We wantedto win the SEC regular season title and go undefeated at home. We’ve donethat.”
“At the beginning of the season, you go through times where you’re tryingto find the identity of your team, where you’re looking for answers oncertain things. You have to find your strengths and weaknesses. That’s whatthe regular season is for, to prepare you for the postseason. Differentteams peak at different times. We’ve always been a team that peaks at theend of the season.”
#40 Jules Camara
“We had a tough start this season, going 4-4. People had their doubts aboutus, but we’re satisfied with what we did, considering our tough schedule.”
“We have to have confidence going into the SEC tournament. We’re going tobuild on the fact that we’re one of the top teams in the SEC.”
“Georgia and Arkansas are both very good teams. Arkansas likes to run thefloor. We have to go against every opponent with a killer instinct. We haveto step it up big time, no matter who we play.”
#42 Jamaal Magloire
On the difference in last weekend’s battle against Florida?”We came out and played with intensity. We got great play out of Tayshaun.We have to keep that up, because he’s the difference in our game.”
On playing in a dome?
“We do well, because we love playing in domes. I love the atmosphere, butit’s really just another three games to us.”
“It feels good to be going into the postseason. We have to step up to thechallenges that are being presented to us and look at this as a whole newseason. I think we can do that very well.”
“We definetly have to be ready to play back-to-back-to-back games. That canbe hard for the new fellows, but I’m going to see them through it. I haveto take my play up a notch, be a lot better, a lot smarter and lead byexample. Being the leader on the team, I know that fans will see adifferent Kentucky team. We’re going to take our intensity to a maximum.”
#10 Keith Bogans
“This is it. We have to play every game like it’s our last. No one wants tolose from this point on. We have to play focused and intense. We’ve hadplenty of droughts where we didn’t put the ball in the whole and we’vestill had close games. That proves we can handle anything. Our main goal isto get plenty of rest, because we’re going to be playing a whole lot ofgames.”
“I like to look for my shot, because I have a scoring mentality. If a coachtells me to watch my shot selection, I’m still going to take shots. CoachSmith hasn’t ever told us to stop shooting.”
“I’m really happy with my role on this team. I knew I could be a big partof this program when I signed. It was tough at first, but the result hasbeen so good.”
#21 Tayshaun Prince
“We have to keep up what we’ve been doing in the past few games. In March,it’s important to keep that mentality. Winning the SEC tournament is a partof our tradition. It’s a nice environment to play in. We always seem toplay well in the tournament, because we know what it takes to win it. Eventhe sophomores on this team won it as freshmen. That helps us. The way weplay at the Georgia Dome, I’d consider it a home court advantage for us.”
