February 19, 1999
On the game against Arkansas
“We are getting ready to go into one of the toughest places in the countryto play in Bud Walton Arena against one of the most feared teams in collegebasketball in Arkansas. You have to go in there with your best game and befocused in order to compete. They’re coming off a tough loss at Florida. Wehave to come out and play aggressively both offensively and defensively. Weplayed pretty well against Georgia and South Carolina, but it’s a differentatmosphere and level of intensity when you go into Bud Walton Arena. Ourplayers have to understand that we have to have our best effort tomorrow.”
On the Bud Walton Arena atmosphere
“It will be a sell-out crowd, 22,000 people. It will be an atmosphere thatwe haven’t responded very well to the last few games on the road. We haveto develop that road toughness in order to play well. We need to make shotsand take care of the basketball. You can’t panic. We have a fairly youngteam. In that type of hostile arena, you have to be able to execute toperfection. They’re going to trap and double-team you so you have to bevery poised and very patient. When you do get the open shot, you have toknock it down.”
On Arkansas head coach Nolan Richardson
“Nolan has been a mentor for me as far as college coaching is concerned,especially at Tulsa, knowing what he did there in his first opportunity asa head coach in Division I. I’ve tried to emulate some of the same thingshe did and the success pattern he’s had in his career. He’s been a mentorfor a lot of coaches around the country. He’s won the nationalchampionship, Southeastern Conference championships and SouthwestConference Championships. He’s done it all, and he’s done it at everylevel. That’s what I respect most about him. I respect not just his winningability but him as a person too. He’s a very down-to-earth guy, a verycaring and sincere man.”
On how the game will affect the freshmen
“It will be a good test for us. I don’t know if it will say anymore aboutour freshmen than our seniors. The freshmen have done a good jobresponding. They’ve developed some quality experience against toughcompetition on the road and outside the league. It will be a good way tomeasure how we are as a team and if each player is ready for this type ofchallenge.”
On Arkansas
“They started three freshmen in their last outing against Florida-BrandonDean, Sergerio Gipson and Justin Hankins-and they played very well. I’msure Coach Richardson was trying to send a message to his upperclassmen forthem to provide more leadership. He probably made his point and Kareem Reidand Pat Bradley will probably be stepping up and starting tomorrow. We’vegot to play our game. We can’t be concerned with how they’re going to play.We have to be concerned with our focus and our ability to execute. We’vegot to be able to adjust and capitalize when opportunities presentthemselves. They play uptempo, and their press creates turnovers. They areone of the best teams in the country at forcing turnovers and capitalizingon them.”
On what UK needs to do to withstand Arkansas’ pressure
“We need to be poised and patient and make the extra pass. When you dothat, you have got to be able to make the shot. That’s something we haven’tdone well the last two outings on the road. At Florida, we were verypoised, we just didn’t make the shots. But we’re shooting better. That wasa good lesson. We learned a lot from that game. The attitude that Floridahad is the type of attitude Arkansas has all the time.”
On Arkansas
“They try to confuse you and take things away from you. They make you makequick decisions. They force you into an unorthodox type of play. We need toplay with poise, maturity and experience. Those are factors we didn’texemplify in our losses to Florida and Alabama, but we’ve grown a lot thepast few weeks in those areas.”
On UK’s inside game
“We’ve got one of the best inside games in the country. Jamaal Magloire isplaying very well, and we have the leading field goal shooter in thecountry in Michael Bradley. If we can get the ball to them, they’ll gethigh-percentage shots.”
On Michael Bradley
“Michael worked hard this summer. He has a good feel for the game and heplays under control. He’s a great example of what you can achieve when youwork hard and believe you can be a better player. He’s always hadconfidence in his abilities.”
On whether Arkansas will play its best game
“That’s what everybody does against us. Our opponents always play theirbest game when Kentucky comes to town. Coach Richardson’s expectations forthis team were higher, especially for the seniors Kareem Reid, Pat Bradleyand Derek Hood. They’ve had outstanding careers, but they haven’t done thethings that previous teams there have done. I’m sure they’ll be eager toplay us. If we play with confidence and if we’re prepared, there’s nothingelse we can do. We can’t let their goals dictate our goals. You have tohope you’re ready and that the players play with the confidence that theycan score.”
On playing uptempo against Arkansas
“It helps up because we’re not a great halfcourt team. We have a lot ofdifferent combinations in our lineup. Last year, we didn’t change ourstarting lineup. Now, we’re better off using our athleticism and playingoff our instincts in an up-and-down game. We’re better suited for that.We’ll be able to create more open shots, and get more lay-ups and shotsclose to the basket.”
On Heshimu Evans
“We want him to pick it up and become a better defensive player. That’s onearea I feel Heshimu has the potential to be better. This time of year,that’s what it’s all about. It’s not about who scores the most, it’s whocan stop other people. If he can play with the same aggressiveness he hadthe other day, he’ll be doing the things we expect him to do.
PLAYERS QUOTES
Scott PadgettSenior/Forward
“I’m sure that Arkansas will be fired up and the fans will be as rowdy asthey have been all year. We have to come out ready to play. We need tofocus on the players, not the crowd. It’s the guys on the court who aregoing to win or lose the game, not the fans.”
“Obviously if their team is running we can play our best game. We scorebest in a running game. We have to play smart against the press and makethe simple plays rather than the homerun plays. If you’re not under controlin your style of play, it can be a long day for you.”
Wayne TurnerSenior/Guard
“Every time we play Arkansas, there is going to be a tough battle. Theypress and run like we do. Arkansas is also a very hectic environment. Thecrowd is always into the game. It can be a tough fight with everything thatthey throw at you.”
“I am comfortable and confident in my role on this team. I’m not as goodoffensively and defensively as I would like to be though. It’s my job tofind ways to get the whole team into the game. We’re not completelytournament ready yet. The tournament is right around the corner but westill have two good games after Arkansas. I feel like we need to continueto improve and Arkansas will be a big test of how well we’re doing that.”
Michael BradleySophomore/Center
“We’re going to approach tomorrow’s game the same way we approach everygame. Arkansas is very talented regardless of what their record reflects.They have great athletes in Kareem Reid and Pat Bradley. We have a littleadvantage in the low-post position. I’ve never played at Bud Walton Arena,but I’ve heard it’s the wildest place in the SEC.”
(On his shooting success this season)
“I knew I was making the shots, but I guess I didn’t know how many shots Iwas making. My teammates give me great opportunities and make my job reallyeasy. I know my role on the team is to stay down low, tip-in whatever shotsI need to and work the boards.”
“Every time we play on the road we expect a crazy environment. Everyonewants to knock off Kentucky. We know they are an explosive team. I feellike this will be a good experience for the freshmen going into tournamenttime. It’s always helpful to face a good pressing team right before youhead into the SEC tournament.”
