UK ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS & PUBLIC RELATIONS
MEN’S BASKETBALL
PRESEASON INTERVIEWS
OCT. 14, 2020
ASSISTANT COACH JOEL JUSTUS
On if Kentucky has been able to benefit in recruiting because of the alumni performances in the NBA bubble …
“Well, I think that it gave us certainly a huge set of content to discuss especially during this time when you’re not doing in-home visits, you’re not doing school visits, you’re not doing visits on campus. So, you’re looking for new things to talk about. Anything to talk about really with young people. When it came in the form of our guys doing so well, in the bubble, it definitely gave us something to discuss as well as with our team. I think that it’s been helpful.”
On the challenges COVID-19 presents and the varying interruptions a team could face and how it has gone for Kentucky …
“I think our guys have been extremely disciplined in their day-to-day lives. It speaks to their maturity. It speaks to their commitment to becoming their best version. I think that when you come to Kentucky that is really the biggest thing. You come here for the culture. You come here to test yourself on the floor. You come here to test yourself against great competition day in and day out. You come to be coached by a Hall of Fame coach and a group of assistant coaches who are going to push you. Our guys have been extremely disciplined in their day-to-day. We have a tremendous athletic training staff that works with our guys. Our weight room has been electric. Our practices have been great. So, it’s been fun. I think when you have these times and you have things that are going on that we can’t control, I think you need guys that are disciplined and bought into daily improvement.”
On if team bonding has been affected because of the restrictions due to the pandemic and how will the players respond to fewer fans in the stands if that is the case …
“Well, I think if you look at our team and if you look at teams across the country, it has to take a hit. I’m referencing team bonding because you lose certain areas. You lose not only the basketball court, you lose common areas. You lose team meals. You lose opportunities to be in large groups. I think that is where we’re going to have to hope that we are able to make that up somehow and hope our guys are coming together sooner with less opportunities then we have had. I think that is something that Coach (John Calipari) has always done here. We’ve had meals and we’ve had family-style gatherings, and we haven’t been able to do that because of the restrictions. I think that has to do with it a little bit more, to be honest with you, than some of the stuff that we’ve been able to do on the floor. In reference to the fans, I don’t know. I think that you see the bubble and I think that was a high level of basketball that we just watched. I think when our guys are able to get back out on the court, they’re going to be excited whether there’s one fan or 21,000 fans. I think they’re going to be excited. They’re going to play for each other. They’re going to be challenged and they’re going to be ready to go.”
On Brandon Boston Jr.’s personality of handling the spotlight and scrutiny of being a top-five recruit …
“Well, like I’ve said, he’s very similar to a lot of the guys that we’ve had here. They’re driven internally to be great. BJ wants to be special, why I think he came here. He wanted to be different. He wanted to be someone who went against other really good players every day that came to play for a Hall of Fame coach, that came to a place with a staff who was going to challenge them. He knew he was going to play against really good players in practice and go up against the schedule that we’re going to put together for him here. He’s a guy that is motivated. He wants to be in the gym. He wants to be coached. He has some of the traits of some of the great guys here and some of the greats who have been here and definitely during my time, guys who have had a curious mind. They ask questions. They want to watch film. They’re very coachable. But at the same time, I love BJ because he’s confident. He’s a little bit stubborn. Those are also the guys that are special, and I think that he’s built for that. I think the guys that come here, they want to have that challenge and really, they want to be built different. I think that’s what we’re going after right now.”
On how the coaching staff is advising players on social issues on and off the court …
“I think that when you come to Kentucky, you have, like I’ve mentioned, a Hall of Fame coach that is going to support you. He’s going to have your back. This is a players-first program. Everything we do here is with their dreams, their goals in mind. Every day when you come into this office as an assistant coach is to serve the players. Our head coach sets that tone every single year. And we support our players. That’s the bottom line. We love our players. We challenge them, but at the end of the day we support them. We’re here for them. We’re here to listen. We’re here to have conversation and that is what our job is. That’s what our role is for these guys is to be here for them and to support them. We’ll always support our players on the floor and off the floor.”
On Terrence Clarke coming from New England affecting his recruiting process …
“Terrence is an extreme talent who works hard, who’s competitive. I would probably just be spouting off if I kind of answer your question without really knowing much. I honestly really don’t know much about that area. I know that there’s been tremendous players. Guys on our staff have recruited more up there in the past than I have. But watching Terrence play over the last couple of years, you see an uber-competitive young man that wants to win and is excited about the challenge. I think that when you go to a problem like Brewster, that is extremely well-coached by Jason Smith, has really good players, that Terrence is comfortable playing with other talented players and wants to be in a setting where it’s going to be challenging. That’s a credit to really Jason and his staff up there and the tradition and culture that they have. That says a lot about Terrence.”
On Olivier Sarr and how he’s handling the eligibility unknowns …
“I mean, Olivier is a beautiful person that has a great attitude, a positive outlook on every single day. I don’t know how it’s affecting him. I know that he comes to work every day. I know that he’s one of the first guys in the gym. I know that he’s putting in extra time. He’s becoming a great leader, I think, for this young group. But to be honest with you, I love his positivity and how he comes here every day and you can tell that he’s excited to be here. He’s excited to be in the gym. I think that we’ve seen that with guys like Olivier. You see it with Davion (Mintz). You see it with Nate Sestina. You know, you see it with Jacob Toppin. You see it with Reid Travis. These freshmen don’t know anything different. This is college basketball to them. They don’t know anything different. These other guys have seen what it’s like other places and now it’s a little bit of they’re able to order the surf and turf on the menu. I think they’re eating pretty doggone good right now and I think that they enjoy that. So, I think that it’s fun for these guys. I think it’s great for Olivier and he’s added a tremendous boost to our day-to-day operation here.”
