February 26, 1999
Head Coach Tubby Smith Quotes
On Tennessee
“We’ve seen a lot of Tennessee. Our players know them pretty well. They’rea team that’s playing pretty well at this point in time. Brandon Wharton isplaying as well as any guard in the league and he is shooting the ballextremely well. Isiah Victor is one of their top players, as is C.J. Black.They’ve got a lot of balance in their lineup. Rashard Lee is doing a superjob and Vincent Yarbrough is probably a candidate for SEC Freshman of theYear. They have a lot of weapons that can hurt us. We’ve got to make sureto contain a guy like Tony Harris who can make so many things happen on abasketball court. Anytime you go to Knoxville, it’s a tough place to play.We’ve got to be at our best. Certainly, there are still things we need toimprove on and we’re working on them at this point in time.”
On what UK needs to improve
“Rebounding is one thing we have to do a better job of than we did againstthem last time. Taking care of the basketball is something we have tocontinue to improve on. Those are the areas we must improve to have anychance in Knoxville.”
On the last game against Tennessee
“It was a pretty physical game. Every game is physical so I can’t say itwas any more physical than any other game. Tennessee has a lot of size, andthey do a good job of boxing out and going to the boards. They have peoplelike Torey Harris and Charles Hathaway who are very strong and physical.They are probably the most physical team in the league, because of theirsize and their skill with their big men.”
On both team’s improvement on offense since their last meeting
“Both teams seem to be executing better. We’re executing better because ourguys are starting to play with a little more confidence. There have beengames where a couple of little things we should have done better would havemade the difference. We really haven’t shot the ball that poorly. We justneed to continue to get somebody to step up and make the outside shot.”
On UK’s three-game losing streak on the road
“Those were all close games, other than the Florida game. Against Alabama,one shot could make the difference there. The same thing applies to theArkansas game. If we had gotten a couple of shots to go down when we weredown only a point, it would have been different. There’s a lot of balancein this league. We were fortunate to go undefeated [on the road] last year.”
On the defensive play of both teams
“Both of us are playing outstanding defense. Tennessee is leading theleague in blocked shots. It will be a defensive battle, rather than anoffensive display. We’re pretty versatile, but slow-down games haven’tplayed in our favor, such as against Tennessee and Alabama. We’re moreaccustomed to going up and down the court, and so is Tennessee. It’s theirSenior Day, so they’ll be jacked up for that. There will be a lot of energyin both teams.”
On how Tennessee has improved since the last meeting
“They’re scoring better. Neither team played well offensively, so that’s anarea they’ve improved in. Their backcourt is really playing well right now.Brandon Wharton and Tony Harris are playing outstanding right now incontrolling the tempo and the flow of the game. That’s been the difference.”
On Tennessee’s outside shooting
“Tony Harris, Brandon Wharton and Rashard Lee can all shoot the outsideshot, but Vandy and Arkansas are noted for their three-point shooting.Arkansas is good with Kareem Reid and all of their quick guards. Tennesseemay not have the depth of Arkansas, but they’ve gotten good play out ofVegas Davis. It will be a matter of guard play. That’s where DesmondAllison, Wayne Turner and Heshimu Evans will be critical.”
On Michael Bradley’s rebounding
“He didn’t play a lot of minutes in the Arkansas game, but he needs to bemore aggressive boxing out and going to the boards. He’s not giving thatsecond and third effort that we need him to give. Being physical is not oneof his strong suits, but he handles himself pretty well. He’s not physicaldefensively. He’s more physical offensively, posting up and getting hisshot off.”
On Wayne Turner
“He has the ability to stay focused because of his demeanor. He doesn’t gettoo high or too low. He just plays the game and goes on. Hiscompetitiveness, grit and his will is outstanding. He just won’t give up.This time of year, the team that flinches the least and can sustain theirintensity will be successful. I’ve never seen Wayne not give his all inevery aspect of his game or of his life. That leadership that he commandsfrom others just pulls the rest of the team along.”
On playing in front of a sell-out crowd in Knoxville
“That’s a positive for us. Our guys like to rise to that level and play tothat type of challenge. We get that everywhere we go. It’s nothing new forus to play in front of a packed house. That’s something we can use to ourbenefit.”
On UK’s attitude
“We’re very focused and very upbeat. We’ve had good practices and goodworkouts. I’m excited about where we are right now. I’m pleased with wherewe are in our growth and development. We’ve had some setbacks, but thoseare games that just seemed to go our way last year. I look at it from apositive standpoint that the ball is going to start falling our way.”
On Jamaal Magloire’s two technicals against Vanderbilt and UK’s physical play
“At the time, I told him you just can’t react. But after reviewing thetapes, I don’t know where those calls came from. I didn’t think he deservedeither one. Jamaal has been good at staying aggressive. One thing thatconcerns me about this team is our lack of physical play. We don’t condonedoing anything outside the rules, but when the ball is on the floor orthere’s a rebound to be had, we’ll do whatever it takes to get it. I wantto see guys on the floor, diving for loose balls. The first guy down is mykind of guy. The dirty work and blue-collar play is what you have to haveto be a championship team. That’s something that has concerned me.”
On being named an assistant for the USA Men’s Senior National Team
“It’s a real honor. I’m looking forward to it. Rudy Tomjanovich, Gene Keadyand Larry Brown are all great coaches. It will be a fun and exciting thingto do. I’ve had experience working in the Olympic Festival, and it’s a funexperience.”
