November 16, 1998
On the car accident involving two UK football players
“Our thoughts and prayers go to the young men’s families. We certainly hope that Jason Watts recovers and that the rest of the players are able to get through this period of mourning and get ready to play a tough Tennessee team. It’s hard to think about games at a time like this. It is a tragic thing when a young person’s life is cut short. We wish their families and everyone involved the very best. We met with our team this morning, and most of our players already knew about it.”
“The players were very concerned and mournful. Coach C.M. Newton had his press conference right here last night, so some of our players were probably here. I’ve been very blessed that I’ve never had to deal with that. I can’t imagine.”
On the game against Eastern Kentucky
“We’re looking forward to playing Eastern Kentucky tomorrow. They’re a good team and Coach Scott Perry has done a good job in rebuilding that team. They have played well in their exhibition games. Ronnie Griffin is an impressive player, and Michael Bradley, Jules Camara and Scott Padgett will all have their hands full. Warren Stukes didn’t put up a lot of points last year, but he,s off to a good start this year. As for us, everyone seems to be healthy, except Todd Tackett and Desmond Allison have had shin splints. But everyone is eager to get going. I’ve been pleased with our practices. The players have turned up the intensity.”
On the intensity of the team
“We [the coaching staff] are pretty much intense from day one. The players are starting to talk the talk. There’s a sense of urgency that they have to be focused and ready to play. Now they have the chance to measure themselves against players they might have faced before in high school.”
On UK’s signees
“Marvin Stone has played extremely well so far. Keith Bogans hasn’t played yet. He had surgery to remove a cyst early in the year, but he has recovered and is doing fine. John Stewart has been working hard, and he has trimmed down and lost some weight. I expect all of them to have great years this year, because now they can focus and do well for their high school programs. They fit in with what we want to do in terms of rebounding, size and strength. With Heshimu Evans, Scott Padgett and Wayne Turner graduating, we need players who can score. Marvin and Keith can step in and contribute right away. Marquis Estill also has the skill level to contribute right away. But all those guys also have the opportunity to get better in their senior years.”
On what UK can learn against EKU
“Every game is a good measuring stick to me. The game against Eastern will show us how our players will respond in Rupp Arena. I’ve been pleased with the way the freshmen have responded so far in our exhibition games. We,ll see how our players do in understanding their roles and when they are going to be involved. We have different lineups and matchups if we have a half-court game or delay-type situation. We,ll see how Michael Bradley will match up against Griffin inside, and see how he responds to the challenge of a starting role.”
On the exhibition against the Aussie All-Stars last week
“Overall, I wasn’t pleased. I’m not going to be pleased for awhile. That’s not because I’m hard to please. We’re just trying to make known to the players that there is a lot of room to get better and a lot of improvement to be made. We need to play a lot harder and smarter.”
On finding the best lineup
“It’s an ongoing, continuous process. Our players understand that. Once they get into the game, they know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. It’s a matter of most guys knowing their roles and where they fit in. I know what their strengths and weaknesses are, but getting them to realize that is the biggest challenge as a coach.”
On the UK’s play against the Aussies
“I was pleased with the freshmen. I thought they did some good things. We shot the ball better, and we rebounded better than in our previous exhibition game. One thing I wasn’t pleased with was our passing. One of our trademarks has always been that we play unselfishly. Against the Aussies, sometimes we tried to make the difficult play instead of the easy play. That’s just a matter of trying to do too much.”
On facing EKU
“We’ll probably get a better look at how we handle pressure. They do a good job of changing defenses, so we’ll get a better feel of how we’ll react and respond to that.”
On the two-guard spot
“I’ve been pretty clear about the two-guard spot – a lot of people are going to play. We have versatility at that spot. We can go quick, we can go big, we can do a lot of different things. We could go with experience and move Heshimu Evans or Scott Padgett to the two, and have Jamaal Magloire or Michael Bradley in the lineup at the same time. We can do a lot of different things, and that,s a strength of this team this year.”
On whether he is nervous before the season-opener
“I’m more sure of myself and where we are in the program than I was last year, and that helps but it doesn’t make me any more relaxed. If you are not nervous with sweaty palms before the game, it’s about time you give it up.”
