January 22, 1999
Coach Tubby Smith
“I thought the Auburn game was a great atmosphere for college basketball.We did some good things, but we also did some things poorly. We need to doa better job of taking care of the basketball. We made 19 turnoversagainst Auburn and we need to cut down on our careless mistakes. This isthe time of the year when we need to tighten up and improve in all areas ofthe game.”
“Mississippi State gives us a real challenge inside. Tyrone Washington isone of the best big men in the country. They also shoot a lot of threes,so our perimeter defense needs to give a great effort in order to contesttheir outside shooters. This game is another challenge for us and we needto be ready.”
On Jamaal Magloire’s playing status
“I haven’t decided whether or not he will play on Saturday. I talked withhim today and he knows how I feel about the situation.”
“We need to tighten up all aspects of our game, whether it’spsychologically, mentally, physically or emotionally. There is nothing newthat’s going to be thrown at our players. They have all learned theoffense and the defense, so we expect them to be ready to play.”
“We need to become more consistent in our play. I want us to be able toplay to our potential every time out. That’s a problem that I have hadwith this team. They don’t play every game with the same type of emotionor intensity that they did against Maryland, Duke, Auburn, Indiana andKansas.”
“I don’t think anybody on this team should play more than 30 minutes pergame. The coaching staff and I need to be able to recognize when guys aretired and we need to get them out of the game. When guys are tired, theyhave mental lapses and they can hurt the team. We can’t tolerate mentallapses. That’s why you establish depth for your team. Desmond came inagainst Auburn and gave us a lift. Saul did the same thing against OleMiss. That’s what we need to continue to do. I have confidence in all ofour players that they can all do the job. No player on this team isindispensable.”
“I have made a conscious effort to be more vocal on the sideline and moreinto the game. I think the players feed off that and it raises theirenergy level. I think the crowd has a tendency to feed off that at homeand on the road. That just makes me get even louder and even more into thegame.”
“I think you have to have a mixture of defenses because the players are soskilled and they have such intricate offenses. Playing in a zone helps youhandle things that a player may not be able to handle one-on-one in aman-to-man defense. It all depends on the team you’re playing and whatyou’re trying to guard against.”
“Mississippi State likes to push the ball up the floor. They changedefenses a lot and they look for the three. They will pull the trigger>from way outside, so we have to be ready to guard against their perimetershooting. They have quite a few guys who will take that outside shot.Bart Hyche has taken 94 and Detrick White has taken 97, so they really takea lot of three-pointers.”
On an on-campus arena
“I don’t think it’s a cure-all for anything. I think if you have a classprogram, like we do, it’s going to have to happen. I don’t think it willhappen soon. We have to complete our lease with Rupp Arena first. I don’tnecessarily have a problem with Rupp, but I would love to be able topractice where we play. Most teams don’t have that, but I think anon-campus arena is where the evolution of Kentucky basketball is going.”
#34 Scott Padgett
Senior/Forward
“The first thing we have to do tomorrow in order to beat Mississippi Stateis contain Tyrone Washington. If he starts going down low, that will creategood opportunities for the offense and problems for us.”
On the Auburn game
“I feel like Wayne and Heshimu thrive in the open court. You can tell thedifference in their level of play. Once we got into an up and down game, Ithink we rebounded a little better and that may have made the differencefor us.”
On his low scoring game against Auburn
“It’s not frustrating for me to score less as long as we’re winning. I mayhave games where I shoot the ball five times and go 1-for-5, and then turnaround and have a game where I shoot the ball five times and hit them all.”
“I feel like the team is back on track. I know we can play better than wehave been but we are still playing better than we were a few weeks back. Wehave come to a point in the season where we have to quit making sillymistakes. If you’re going to make those mistakes, then you’ll probably besitting next to Coach Smith come game time.”
#32 Desmond Allison
Freshman/Forward
“The Auburn game is behind us now. We have to look to Mississippi State.I’m starting to get comfortable in my role now. I gained some confidence>from knocking down some shots against Auburn. Coming in, I wasn’t a greatshooter, but I’ve worked on it in practice and I think I’m getting better.I figured I would be able to contribute this year. The minutes don’t matterto me. As long as the team is winning, I’m happy.”
#11 Saul Smith
Sophomore/Guard
“The key to beating Mississippi State is to stop Tyrone Washington. He’stheir big-time player. Hamilton is another strong player for them. I thinkit’s going to be a tough game, but it’s going to be fun.”
#5 Wayne Turner
Senior/Guard
“We have to follow our game plan against Mississippi State like we didagainst Auburn. Obviously, we’re at the point of the season where thelittle mistakes can’t be happening. We shouldn’t be doing the same thingsover and over. We should know offensive and defensive principles by now.We’re focusing and getting ready for this final stretch.”
#33 Michael Bradley
Sophomore/Center
On the team’s consistency
“Most of our ups and downs have been with the inside shooting. Everythingelse, rebounding and outside shooting, are okay. We’ve outrebounded ouropponents in almost every game. Once our outside shooting comes, we’ll beokay.”
On his importance to the team
“Nazr (Mohammed) left, and it was a great opportunity to step in rightaway. I worked out over the summer. I thought I could play here. Iwouldn’t have come if I didn’t.”
On his preferred defense
“I don’t really have a preference on defense. I like the zone because itswitches it up for the teams. They aren’t sure what will come up.”
#14 Heshimu Evans
Senior/Forward
“Auburn was great, a big game that we won. I am looking forward to playingtomorrow. The SEC is real tough, it’s always been tough. We just need togo in and play. Every game should be a big rivalry. That should be theattitude we have.”
On his playing philosophy
“I am just trying to have fun. When I have fun, things happen. That’s mymain thing. When I was small, I enjoyed the game. I’ve always enjoyed it. I just need to have fun.”
On his performance against Auburn
“It felt good to help the team-scoring. It was a good atmosphere and wewon the game. I told myself to shoot the ball with confidence, so I shotthe ball with confidence.”
