Jan. 7, 2000
Tubby Smith
Pre-Vanderbilt
“We are moving into conference play after playing a very competitivenon-league game. The Georgia Tech game was a very good test for us to getus ready for an excellent Vanderbilt team. I thought our guys showed a lotof grit because there was a chance for us to fold when Georgia Tech tookthe lead. We held our ground and were able to overcome some problems,especially us not shooting the ball well. One of the areas we need toimprove in is transition defense.”
“The Vanderbilt game is a must for us. For us to have any chance againstVanderbilt, we have to contain their transition and fast break. We have tolocate their shooters, especially Dan Langhi who is having a great year.They have a veteran team with experience and are putting a lot of points onthe board. Their chemistry is there and they move well without the ball.They have a high shooting percentage at 51%. It is unbelievable that intheir last game, they hit 15 of 23 three-pointers against Florida. They area team that presents a lot of problems. We haven’t be a very good team asfar as defending the three-point shot. Sam Howard and Dan Langhi are twoguys that were are going to have to locate, but they also have other guyswho can shoot the ball well. We are going to have to play one of our bettergames to win.”
On the Commodores’ hitting most of their 3s against Florida in transition:
“Florida pressed them a lot and they got behind early. That leaves youvulnerable to open threes in transition when you press like that where youhave poor matchups. You might have a big guy coming out on a smallerplayer, or it might be a small player coming out on a big guy like Langhiwho can shoot over you.”
On Vandy’s low-post threat:
“In Greg LaPointe, they have a guy who can bang inside. Darius Coulibaly isa very talented player at 7-foot-1, and he runs the floor well. AnthonyWilliams at 6-foot-7, he is one of the most improved players I’ve seen onthe floor this year. He is a real force inside and reminds me a lot ofUdonis Haslem from Florida. Langhi can go inside and post you up with hissize.”
On Vandy’s style of play with first-year head coach Kevin Stallings:
“I had the chance to go against his Illinois State teams, and his teams arevery fundamentally sound. They play excellent defense. Now that he has ateam of veteran players and seniors, they can really push the ball up thecourt. They are very versatile and don’t really have a post-up player. Theylike to get it up and down the floor much like Kansas, which is where someof his background is from.”
On Jamaal Magloire’s fouls:
“We talked about not getting caught up in that macho, shoving and pushingwith the opponents because a lot of times he gets the short end of it. It’salso how you foul. He just went for the ball and went over his shoulder andthey called it an intentional foul. I think because of the way he plays andhis reputation, he is going to get the calls against him sometimes. Youcan’t take his aggressiveness away, but if a guy elbows you in the face,you have to try and avoid that elbow. Let the official know because that iswhat he is there for.”
On the importance of Desmond Allison defending the perimeter:
“He is one of our better defenders. Desmond’s versatility to guard asmaller guy is a valuable part of our defense. Even against a guy likeLanghi, he is going to have to be at his best. He is going to have to limitLanghi’s touches and prevent him from getting the ball. Doing those thingsare going to keep him from having a big game. If Langhi has a big game,then we are going to have problems.”
On Vandy being 0-23 in Rupp Arena and Stallings trying to convince his teamthey can win:
“He is a realist. He knows being a first-year coach he can instillconfidence and get them to respond and win here. It would give them anunbelievable boost this early in the season. Certainly, if I were in hisshoes, I would be saying the same thing. I’m sure he is doing all he can tomake sure they are prepared and psychologically ready to play.”
UK Player Quotes
#3 J.P. Blevins
On how Vanderbilt?s win over Florida affects this game:
“I think the Vandy win over Florida definitely jarred everyone in the conference a little. It shows what a good conference the SEC is and how tough the conference is from top to bottom. It?s tough to win on the road in the SEC, because it?s hard to keep focused.”
“I think that our hard pre-conference schedule only helps to prepare us for league play. We have to take time to refocus now for conference play. Of course, you want to win all of your home games, but that becomes particularly important in league play because of how tough the road games are.”
“We know that we?re hard to beat in Rupp (Arena), but we also know that we have to play well to win. Defense is the key to tomorrow?s game. Defense is what this team thrives on, so it will be the key to our success all season.”
#11 Saul Smith
“This game is very important because we want to play good basketball going into SEC play. There are annually a lot of good teams in the SEC, and this looks to be a good year for our conference.”
“Our schedule permits us to gain a tremendous amount of experience. If we didn?t play as many good teams, we wouldn?t be this good.”
“We are definitely focused on every team that we play. A win like the one that Vanderbilt had over Florida definitely catches everyone?s attention. It caught my eye that they beat them as bad as they did. I got to watch a little of the game, and Vanderbilt ran with Florida the whole time. That is impressive.”
#42 Jamaal Magloire
“I am excited about starting SEC play. We are ready, confident and playing Vandy should be a good challenge for us.”
On Vandy?s Dan Langhi:
“He is a good player, but we always say that one man cannot beat us. If we play good team defense and play our game then things should work out for us.”
“It is important to win all home games, but we need to win all of our SEC games. It is a preview of March Madness for us. But I know we are excited to get going and our coaches are excited to get the conference season started.”
On Vandy?s upset of Florida:
“The Florida game showed that Vandy is a great team. We will have to bring our ?A? game on Saturday. They are a great team and should definitely be ranked. We will not be taking them lightly.”
