November 10, 1998
On the trip to the White House
“We had a busy weekend, especially going to Washington, D.C. yesterday. It was certainly an honor to be honored by President Clinton and Vice President Gore, who wasn’t there, but he called in. It was really a special treat, I’m sure, for our players. It certainly was special for me to be a part of that celebration. I was really impressed with Pat Summit. It’s old hat for her, the way she handled it. We toured the city and the Supreme Court. The only thing about doing it at this time of year is that you want to focus on the present and not the past, but we certainly enjoyed it. Our guys are mature and I thought Cameron Mills and Jeff Sheppard represented us very well.”
What the coaches look for in exhibition games
“Our guys are progressing pretty well. In the exhibition games, we watch to see how hard they’re playing. They’re still not at full strength. I was quite impressed with our freshmen. They’ve made good progress. I want to see how far they’ve come along in eliminating some of the mistakes that we may have made in the first game. But, I was impressed with how they handled themselves. If we’ve learned as much since that game to now, I will be impressed.”
Areas of improvement
“We need to get better at screening. I didn’t think we particularly shot the ball that well. I was concerned about getting into Rupp Arena and getting those shots up. But, we get to use it as much as we can. Defense is always key – if they’re doing those little things. Our philosophy of how we play defense is always a challenge early, because guys with success, sometimes they’ll try to do a little bit more or take more chances. They can form bad habits with our style of play. I want to be sure that they’re sticking to the game plan.”
On the freshmen adjusting to the reserve role
“I thought Desmond and Tayshaun were probably the best at it. These guys probably played 32 minutes in high school. Desmond Allison averaged almost a triple-double and Tayshaun Prince was an All-America player. As a coach, you want to know how they’re going to handle their role and respond. Their demeanor and attitude tells me that they understand their roles and are willing to grow and mature in those roles. They certainly have shown that type of growth and maturity.”
On Mike Bradley
“I like the way Mike is letting the offense come to him. His free throw shooting has been impressive in practice. We’re wanting to get him in better shape. By that, I mean, he’s always running so fast, but we need him to run every time down the floor. Mike has gotten more physical. You’ve got to be physical when you’re playing against Jamaal. They go at it every day in practice. Mike’s cut down on his body fat and he’s put on some muscle.”
On the how the suspended players are progressing
“Jamaal has handled everything very well. Jamaal is Jamaal. He’s not going to change. He’s going to play aggressively and play hard. Sometimes, I might want him to do a little more or be a little more patient on offense. But, I’m sure there’s anxiousness as far as wanting to be out there and play. But, he’s doing a good job. I’ve been impressed with the way he and Ryan and Myron have all handled themselves.”
On Wayne Turner
“The wins and leading your team to championships are the most important things. Wayne has done that better than anybody over the last three years. I’m not big on what people write. I’m concerned on how they perform for us in our system. As I’ve said before, I wouldn’t take another point guard other than Wayne. I think he does for us what I don’t think many other point guards can do. We probably need to let him have more freedom in the open court. I know that other coaches and players think a lot of him. I don’t put a lot of stock in the other stuff.”
