Feb. 11, 2000
UK Coach Tubby Smith Quotes
Pre-LSU Press Conference
February 11, 2000
Opening Remarks:
“I thought everyone would be in Cincinnati celebrating Griffey. I know I just rushed up and got my tickets.”
“Reviewing the game against Florida, which we really didn’t want to do, it was our worst defensive effort by far. It was our worst effort in most aspects. I thought Todd (Tackett) got a lot of confidence by making a few jump shots and getting some quality minutes. Marvin (Stone) got a lot of confidence with his extra playing time, and Desmond gives us a consistent effort night in and night out. Keith did a lot for us, but still has a lot of work to do in his defensive game. I definitely thought that, overall, our biggest breakdown was in our defense.”
On LSU-
“All of the areas where we are bad, they are good. The areas that we were poor at against Florida, they are good. I’m impressed with John Brady and his staff. They work together as a team and play unselfishly. They are the top rebounding team in the league, and are top in many areas in the SEC. They play a very good game. We’re going to have to play very well to beat a good LSU team.”
On the status of Jules Camara-
“If he’s able to run, there is an obvious improvement. David Kindy says that his condition is improving and the pain is gone. How do you avoid getting the foot stepped on in a game is the question. I’m not sure if he’ll play Sunday. That’s two days away. I doubt he will play. He won’t practice today and probably tomorrow. If he doesn’t practice, he probably won’t play.”
“LSU has a very talented front line, from (Brian) Beshara to (Stromile) Swift to Jabari Smith. But I have a lot of confidence in Marvin, Jamaal and Tayshaun. They have five guys who can score. Jabari is a very good post player. Everyone knows how good Swift is. Roland is playing really well coming out of junior college. They have balanced scoring and not too many weaknesses. Everything about them scares me.”
On the recent drop in Tayshaun Prince’s scoring-
“A lot of teams have been getting physical in their guarding of Tayshaun. He’s been worn down having to work to get open. We have to begin screening to get him shots. He’s had to work a lot at screening for others. People body him a lot, and that’s hurt his scoring opportunities.”
On the play of LSU freshman Torrie Bright-
“It’s hard for a freshman to come in and have an instant impact. Players today are mature beyond their age. Bright is sturdy at 6-4, 200 lbs. He’s athletic, strong, plus he’s talented. He’s the complete package. He’s doing really well in their system because they’ve brought him along well. That’s a credit to their staff. When you look at the stats, he has a great ability to run the team. Without him, I don’t know if they would have the record that they do.”
On if he feels there is a such thing as a good loss-
“There are no good losses. I think the Florida game caught our attention and told us that we have to be mentally ready. We can’t allow distractions to bother us because that lets them take you out of your game.”
On how he feels about the match-up between Magloire and Smith-
“I don’t think that LSU will trap the zone. Florida tried to take the ball out of Jamaal’s hands. LSU has confidence that Jabari can take Jamaal one-on-one, and I’m sure Jabari is confident he can take Jamaal on one-on-one.”
Player Quotes
#42 Jamaal Magloire
“We’ve had a good week of workouts. I anticipate a good practice today. We’ll be ready on Sunday at full strength.”
“We know we have to play at a more consistent level, and that we have to keep a consistent pace. We need to go in on Sunday and play the whole game like we played the first half against Florida.”
“LSU is a good team that has earned all the recognition they have received. Jabari Smith is a good player. He does what it takes for his team, and the same goes for me.”
#11 Saul Smith
“The SEC is always tough to play in. It’s especially tough to face another SEC team in their place. It’s going to be wild and crazy. They’re foaming at the mouth to get another chance to beat Kentucky.”
“It’s important to get a lead early when you’re in someone else’s gym. That sort of takes the crowd out of it. No matter who you play though, when you have the lead, that’s when the best play comes against you. No team is ever out. We just hope to come off with a win on Sunday.”
