March 24, 1998
“We are really pleased and excited to go to San Antonio representing the University of Kentucky and the SEC. We had a great time down in St. Petersburg (Fla.). Once again, it was a total team effort and that is something we have strived to work for all year long.”
“The match up with Stanford is something we are looking forward to. They have a great team. Mike Montgomery has done a fantastic job creating a quality program especially after losing a quality player in Brevin Knight.”
“We feel like we are playing very well. It was a good win (against Duke) for us, especially coming from behind. It will give us some confidence as we go into the Final Four.”
(On: Emotions going into the Final Four) “You have to keep your composure. One of the things we tell the players is to control your emotions. Never get to high and never get to low and I have said that all year long. You’re never as good as you think you are and you are never as bad as you think you are. My emotions are probably somewhere in between.”
“Our guys look fresh. Obviously, they are excited. I know that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for many. The seniors have been through this before. They will be a big help to all of the newcomers, like myself, as we prepare for the Final Four and for the Stanford team.”
(On: Final Four experience)“Now is the time (for the players) to concentrate and not to get caught up in the hype and the distractions and people telling them how good they are and congratulating them. We have a way of bringing them back down to earth. I think it is more effective when it comes from within the team. Jeff Sheppard, Allen Edwards and Cameron Mills can help by leading and by setting an example.”
(On: picking a nickname for this team)“It is has been a smooth year. We really have not had many ups and downs. We try to stay very focused and positive all year long. When we weren’t playing as well as we thought we should and others thought we should, but we were pretty consistent in our effort. What you want to do is reach your potential and give them back some effort every time. I will leave it up to other people whether they want to nickname this team or not.”
“Arthur Lee is playing awfully well. I think his quickness is a concern. His is able to penetrate and break people down. Plus, he can shoot with range. Their inside power and strength is pretty obvious with Tim Young at 7-1, 250 pounds. He is a very good player who really understands how to score in the low post. Mark Madsen is a very mobile power forward. He will create problems for us and we have got to match up with Nazr Mohammed and Scott Padgett which is going to be a real test for our post people. They have excellent perimeter shooter with Peter Sauer and Kris Weems. Kris Weems is a player I tried to recruit my last year at Tulsa. They have got a deep bench. Everything worries me about Stanford.”
(On: three-pointers)“We have had trouble defending the three most of the year and I think we ended up pretty well being one of the top defensive teams in the (SEC) league. What we need to do is limit those opportunities and limit those looks for their good perimeter shooting. Ryan Mendez is a player who can really shoot with range. He may be leading them in three-point field goal percentage. I said before how well Arthur Lee is shooting the ball from the outside and they (Stanford) have many people that can beat you with their outside jump shot. We have got to do a better job then we did during the first half against Duke. But I thought our kids rose to the challenge against Duke in the second half and made their adjustments to challenge their outside shooting.”
(On: Who does Stanford remind you of?)“I think they are very similar to us. They feel like their strength is in the front court.”
(On: Preparations for coaching in the Final Four) “The preparations are where you are most concerned because it is a unique situation. The atmosphere that surrounds it is unbelievable. I love going to the Final Four. I talked with Rick Pitino this week and I was going to make a couple calls to some of the other coaches that have participated and coached in the Final Four to just to get their take on what they did as they prepared their teams.”
(On: Rick Pitino’s advice on how to prepare for this week) “Some of the things he talked about was the environment that you have to control with the players to keep them focused and understand what their goals are and how to make it more business like because they will have plenty of time to have fun after it’s over with. We want to go down and enjoy the moment and treasure the times that we spend there. I think we are mature enough and experienced enough that these guys understand what our purpose is and what our objective is in San Antonio.”
(On: the strength of the front line)“I’ve been really pleased and fortunate to have the versatility that we have and the combinations that we can play that I think creates matchup problems for opposing teams being able to play Heshimu Evans at the power forward spot or at the small forward spot. He was a big key in every game this year and was a big factor in our comeback against Duke. He was the one who slapped the ball back out there and really dominated the game both offensively and defensively for about five or six minutes in the second half against Duke. I think he is that X-factor, that when he goes in the game a coach has to say ‘Now who am I going to put on him and how are we going to defend him?” Scott Padgett has been consistent all year long. He’s mixing it up, going inside and outside.”
(On: The last four or five months of the season personally and professionally)“I was very fortunate that we had some talented players returning and the program was in great shape. We talked a lot about not having the marquee player and we knew we had to be a team and had to play as one unit. Our players have excepted that fact and have improved individually in order to make the team better. Our guys have worked extremely hard in individual workouts to develop their skills to the point that we are able to play so many different combinations and develop the strength and the depth that we need coming off the bench. As the year progressed, Jeff (Sheppard) became more comfortable after sitting out a year, Heshimu (Evans) made an adjustment to a new system and having three coaches in three years and that’s tough. And then take a guy like Allen (Edwards), going through his mother’s illness all year long and then her death. We had a lot of adversity to deal with but this team has been so resilient and that’s why I’ve been so admirable of them because they’ve been so mature and it all starts with the leadership of the tri-captains. If I’ve done one thing right, it was telling those three guys (Allen Edwards, Cameron Mills and Jeff Sheppard) at the beginning of the year that “this is your team and the way you lead it is going to determine how successful we are.'”
(On: If someone would have told you at the end of January that you were going to the Final Four what would you have said?) “I hope so. All things are possible if you only believe. The goals don’t change whether you are at South Carolina State or Kentucky or at Tulsa or Georgia. Everybody’s objective is to be the best that they can be and we are very fortunate here at Kentucky that we have the tradition and the ability to go out and recruit the top players and we have the resources that make us a top program.”
(On: The team attitude of Stanford, Kentucky and Utah losing their best player last year and all participating in the Final Four) “I think it shows what college basketball is all about. Many people worry about underclassmen leaving early and I’ve said all along that I think college basketball became more balanced when that happened. College is a lot different than pros. People root for their school team. Individuals play the game, but teams win championships. That’s the big difference between college and professional sports. That’s why you see the fanaticism in the stands from the fans and the following of the Wildcats all over the country and the buying up of all the tickets. That’s special. That’s something you don’t find at the next level.”
(On: Taking over a high-profile program similar to Bill Guthridge taking over North Carolina and the different transitions between the two) “It’s tough any time you come into a new position, just the unknown territory and the stress of moving and leaving friends behind. I think it was tough on us as a family more so than professionally, having to leave G.G. back in Georgia. That was really tough and probably the toughest thing I’ve ever done in my life. Bill certainly has been nothing short of fantastic. My hat’s off to him because of how he took over at the important time that he did. He didn’t have much time to develop his own philosphy. The stress for me was moving, versus Bill living right there and not having to leave his home.”
(On: Being more relaxed compared to Pitino) “I’m a little more laid back. That’s just me. Rick is very intense but his method and style has been very successful. Certainly there are times when I get pretty intense also.
(On: Wayne Turner turning up his game in March) “This year he has gotten better at running and knowing our offense. He’s also gotten better shooting the ball, and that has created some problems for people when they have to push him out more because he can knock down the jump shot. Before, you would probably just play him for the drive only, but now he has an ability to get to the free throw line and make shots.”
