Feb. 25, 2000
Tubby Smith Quotes
On the Tennessee game:
“I say it all the time, ‘You are never as bad as you think you are,’ although we were pretty bad shooting the ball. J.P. gave us a great effort. Saul gave a great effort even though he didn’t shoot very well. Defensively, he has been outstanding, and so has J.P. We got it back to five after being down 15. We just didn’t seem to be as energized as we needed to be. We have come back and tried to improve on our passing. We need sharper and crisper passes. Especially against Arkansas who are faster than Tennessee. We have to take care of the ball.”
On Arkansas:
“Although Arkansas is not where they are typically this time of year, they are having a good year. With so many young players they have had an outstanding season. Filling the positions that Coach Richardson has had to fill this year makes it difficult. Joe Johnson who became eligible second semester has really stepped up. He’s outstanding at 6-8 and can do a lot of different things. He creates a lot of match-up problems because he can go inside or outside. Containing their penetration and taking care of the basketball, because they force a lot of turnovers, will be critical in the game. We want to exploit our size in the middle with Jamaal (Magloire), Tayshaun (Prince) and Jules (Camara). For Jamaal, the key will be when he does get the ball and feels the double-team to kick it back out quick enough that we get an open shot. Jamaal is getting better at that.”
On Nolan Richardson:
“We go way back. I am impressed with his coaching philosophy and style. We have spent a lot of time together since my Tulsa days. He’s a great coach, and I consider him a good friend. He had to overcome a lot of things in that environment at Arkansas. He gave me and other coaches courage.”
On whether the tough schedule has been good preparation for March:
“It is good and bad. It is good that we have gotten such a high RPI rating. Hopefully that will mean something with the selection committee for the NCAA tournament. I think it has been a lack of depth that has been bad. Jamaal, Tayshaun and Saul have logged a lot of minutes. I am not sure if it is really the toughness of the schedule or the lack of bench strength. I don’t think we are necessarily tired. That could be a factor. There is a little bit of physical tired, but I think most of it is mental. We need to get Todd Tackett and Steve (Masiello) into the game. It would mean we would have fresher people.”
On the team’s shooting woes:
“It is more mentally frustrating than mentally tiring, mostly on my part. We talked about putting up more shots, but that doesn’t mean taking bad shots. We want to get more good shots.”
On the strain of this season:
“It’s been a long year. But don’t get me wrong, it’s been fun. It’s been an exciting season. But it can be relentless. I think our guys are refocused. We were distracted with the benching of three players in the Georgia game. We are fired up about Arkansas. That’s how we take it. And we won’t look past them. We need to get the enthusiasm back, and that starts with me.”
UK Player Quotes
#21 – Tayshaun Prince
“It’s getting to the point in the season where I have to go out and produce as much as I can. It’s really important to our team effort that everyone gives 100 percent.”
“I mainly like to play the three-position. Yarborough was a tough match-up for me. My problems now are just a matter of letting my offense come to me. I’m at the point where my shots just aren’t falling.”
#32 – Desmond Allison
“I suppose I’ve just gotten into the flow of things lately. I’ve been concentrating. I really didn’t want to lose the game on Wednesday, but Tennessee wanted to win more. The game tomorrow will be very similar. Arkansas is lacking the size that Tennessee had, but they like to get out and shoot. The key tomorrow is for us to get back on defense.”
“The crowd will play a huge factor in the game tomorrow. Playing for the home crowd really gets us pumped. We seem to come out with more intensity at home than on the road. We need a total team effort. Everyone has to step up these last few games.”
On the Tayshaun Prince’s recent shooting slump
“If we come out victorious, it really doesn’t matter how well he plays. The key is to have a total team effort. Tayshaun is a key factor of this team though. As he goes, we go. If he’s not playing well, chances are, we aren’t playing well as a team.”
