Kentucky Women’s Basketball Postgame Quotes
Kentucky vs. Morehead State
Memorial Coliseum– Lexington, Ky.
Nov. 22, 2017
UK Head Coach Matthew Mitchell Quotes
Opening Statement …
“Good win for us. The players really shared the ball today, they played hard for each other. You know, it’s always a fun day when the ball is going in the basket, but I thought we really worked hard to create some good looks. It was a lot of good shots going in the basket, a lot of good shot selection. Not a lot of forced shots that we were just making. The offense was really, really working well today and creating some shots. So, proud of the team, proud of they’re unselfishness. Morehead State is going to be a really good OVC team and they worked hard and played hard and got on the boards, and we’ve got to try to make some improvements on the glass. But that’s something we knew coming into the game, so we’ll keep working on that. But proud of the players for a good victory this afternoon.”
On Makenzie Cann showing improvement in last few games …
“Well, you know Makenzie has worked hard. She’s a good player. She is somebody who works at her game, works hard in practice, really can impact the game in many ways. I think she has done a nice job scoring and rebounding. I thought her passing was phenomenal today. I just thought she really moved the ball in an incredible way, and so she’s a threat out there on the court. I think the double-doubles have resulted from she’s a really gotten tough on the boards. I mean, she’s going after some tough rebounds with two hands and taking them from people. So, couldn’t be happier about her effort and I think she is showing a lot of toughness with that.”
On Cann playing the floor last season …
“Yeah, sure, I think her experience last year has just helped her enter the season with more confidence and more comfort, and you know she knows what she needs to do. And we just, we just emphasize how important it is to rebound with two hands and that’s what I was most excited about today is that I just thought she made a real conscious effort to go after the ball with two hands, and Morehead came in with some incredible rebounding numbers and so they are a very aggressive rebounding team. So, I was really, really happy to see how tough she was on a couple of those defensive boards.”
On how Maci Morris has evolved this season …
“Well, you know, I think she probably put up a million shots this summer and she was among the group that stayed in the gym last night until about 7. They just kept shooting and kept working and kept working, and so she’s a worker and she’s taking full advantage of her opportunities and so we’re trying to help these players increase their skill level with skill development. We’re trying to help them get stronger, quicker, faster, more agile with our strength and quickness program. So, she just gives her all to every opportunity she has to get better in the program and she just takes advantage of it. So, you know, I’m excited for her and she really, she shot the leather off of it today; it was really fun to watch her shoot the ball.”
On the turnovers against Morehead in first half …
“Yeah, I mean I thought we worked at it pretty hard there. You know I think we really have some room to grow there. I think we really need to sharpen up our defense. But yeah, I do think we had an advantage there athletically today and I think that helped us.”
On the team’s fast start …
“I think that’s always good for a game like that. We were favored to win the game coming in. When you let a team hang around, it creates some pressure on you. Today we just moved the ball crisply and stepped into our shots. We had good shooting footwork and anytime you have someone shooting the ball from 3 well, that helps you. I think the fast start is very helpful in games like this and it gives other players the opportunity to get extended minutes. So those minutes for Kameron Roach today and KeKe McKinney were just really, really valuable because we’re trying to build them toward the end of the season to be factors with us. When you’re in a nip and tuck game and experience really matters sometimes that takes away the opportunity for the younger players. This was a really important game for us today to handle the way we handled it. They all got in there and get some very important experience.”
On Tatyana Wyatt’s progress …
“Progressing well. I think we’re on the way to getting her back. Last couple of days have been very, very beneficial. Now she is progressing towards playing, and is no longer in the holding pattern. No symptoms or things like that, she’s on the progression to play. As long as she doesn’t have any setbacks, she should be back Sunday – it’s a possibility. I’ll update you on Friday or whenever we get together next.”
On Thanksgiving break…
“Yeah, the players stay in town or stay close. We don’t want anybody to wear themselves out with a five- or six-hour car ride. Really, I think our Kentucky kids are the ones going the farthest. Kids outside of that are going with their teammates and going to get a day of rest tomorrow. Take the day off and let them bounce back from the long trip out west and quick turn around here. So, try to catch their breath tomorrow, let them sleep in Friday and we’ll have a good practice Friday afternoon. And try to get ready for a good Marshall team on Saturday.”
Kentucky Student Athletes
#4, Maci Morris, Guard
On touch passes allowing the game to be fun …
“It’s been a really fun year so far. I’m really excited. I said in the summer I was really excited to play with this team. It’s just so many different personalities on and off the court. We have a lot of athletic players, so just to be able to do things, it’s fun to play with and fun to watch.”
On staying ahead early…
“The guards at the beginning of the game during warm ups, met in a circle and were like, ‘Let’s take it to them and let’s not let off.’ We kind of wanted to set that atmosphere early on so that we could get the win.”
On being a team leader and effective 3-point shooter…
“I mean, our team, we’ve always had very sufficient scorers, so it’s not like another team can just key out on me. If Tay (Murray) and another guard has the ball and they drive, they want to focus in on them. They’re going to go in for a layup if not. So, just being able to find the open spot and be ready to shoot, knock down and get my teammates the assist – that’s what I’ve been focusing on since I got here. I think that goes for anybody.”
#22, Makenzie Cann, Forward
On her lase few game performances…
“Coach (Mitchell) has been on me in practice, need me to get some rebounds. Since Evelyn (Akhator)’s gone, there’s a lot more rebounds for people to go out there and get so he needed someone to step up.”
On being more confident in shooting since last year…
“I definitely think I’ve got more confidence, but I think that anybody who plays their first year in the SEC for UK, your first year it’s kind of like my freshman year part two. You know, it’s your first year. So this year I am more comfortable. I know how it works, so I can just calm down and shoot how I know how to shoot.”
On her overall stat line…
“Coach actually showed us a video, I think it was Billy Donovan, and he was saying you only have the ball for 5 percent of the time, and 95 percent of the time you don’t have the ball. So, everyone is concerned about the 5 percent, which is the scoring and the nice flashy plays, when in reality you don’t have the ball 95 percent of the time. So, he was just saying press the rebounding and the other things. So, I think that’s been a huge focus for him.”
Morehead State Head Coach Greg Todd
Opening Statement…
“We obviously were excited to play in this game. I didn’t think that we came out with as good of focus and we didn’t have the same focus that I felt Kentucky had in the first quarter. You have to give Kentucky a lot of credit, they shot the ball extremely well. We knew Maci (Morris) and Makenzie (Cann) were good shooters and they proved that today. If you look at the numbers of the game, in terms of shots, I think we got up 11 more shots. The free throws were pretty much the same, we shot the same amount of 3s it just came down a lot to perimeter shooting. Kentucky shot the ball very well, if you look at the aspects of the game I think they did things better than we did. It was better for us to get up a lot of shots, I felt like we did a decent job inside as far as containing their inside play, but it really came down to the perimeter shooting for us to get that many more shots. I thought we had some good looks and that’s something we have struggled with so far and it’s not necessarily a strength of our team but I feel like we’re a better shooting team than what we have showed so far.”
On how much of Kentucky’s defense caused their offensive troubles …
“I think that you have to give Kentucky some credit, but I feel like we were getting some good looks at the basket and had a lot of them go in and out. I don’t think any of our 3s were from a challenge standpoint. We got some good looks, the ball just didn’t go down in the basket. They’re obviously an SEC team, you know coming from the OVC to an SEC environment you’re going to fight uphill so you’re trying to win some small battles and I was pleased in some of those areas. I thought that turnovers led to a lot of points in the first half. Fortunately, I think in the second half we cut the turnovers down and got some good looks but Coach Mitchell and their staff has done a marvelous job with their personnel and you can tell their team enjoys playing together and I think they can have a very good year with no question.”
On Maci Morris changing throughout her high school and college career…
“I think between her and the coaching staff, I don’t think that anybody could have guessed she would be able to play to the level she is playing. I give her credit, I always thought she was a good player, but she’s really blossomed into potentially an all-conference type of player. I think that down the road she has continued to get better and better. I think with her ability to put the ball on the floor and she can score at all three levels. Her 3-point shot I think has gone from a good to a great type of 3-point shooter, with her length I think she’s going to get better and better but she’s obviously worked very hard and their staff has done a very good job in developing her and Makenzie Cann. I mean you got to give hats off to her as well. She’s shooting at a phenomenal rate and plays to her strengths. She had a double-double, with 10 rebounds tonight. She played very well.”
On being the top rebounding team coming in but Kentucky outrebounding them …
“I think that Kentucky, they are a SEC program. I wouldn’t expect us to win the battle night in and night out on their home floor and they won the battle by three but we still got a good amount of shots. I felt like that was not a huge factor for us. Now if we’re playing in the OVC , rebounding is our thing and if we’re getting outrebounded in our league then it’s different but they’ve got good size and with Cann doing her thing rebounding from a wing spot. I felt like it was OK, I didn’t fell disappointed with our rebounding.”
On a game like this preparing his team…
“I think normally it would. Our problem is Belmont has an incredible group of talent in our league so we know we have to get to that level. Belmont only lost one player, more of a role player and they replaced her with a young lady who started at Indiana, so we know our league is going to be very good. This is one of the tougher tests we’ll have, we’ll go to West Virginia and play so I think you know you’re fighting uphill in an environment like that and you want to take some things from this that you accomplished and hopefully it gives the young ladies some confidence as we move into this swing of games and could get on a winning streak I’m hoping, starting with Chicago State this weekend.”
Morehead State Student Athletes
#32 Eriel Mckee, F
On playing against Makenzie Cann …
“She actually texted me last night and she sent me a picture asking if I remember our handshake from middle school like that was so long ago. She told that she was going to be guarding me and I told her that I was going to be guarding her and she said she was excited to see me and stuff.”
On a lot of people from her hometown being at the game …
“I think we did. I know the team was here.”
On how Makenzie Cann has changed as a player…
“I would say that she has. I mean she has become a lot better, especially on the 3-point line. I mean she’s always been good but she’s become great at it.”
On any trash talking between her and Mackenzie…
“Not really. I just acted like I didn’t know her. I said after the game we can be cool but not right now.”
