Feb. 28, 2000
Tubby Smith
“Going back to the Arkansas game on Saturday, we did some good things.Other than not making shots, I think we played as sound a game as we haveplayed in a while. We took care of the ball with only 10 turnovers. Wereally had to execute in our half-court offense, which I think we did agood job of, except finishing our shots.”
“Mississippi State is a team that is very dangerous. They are back home fortheir final two games of the year, and certainly they want to play well infront of their home crowd. They gave LSU all they wanted in Baton Rouge andwe could not do that. I have been impressed with their personnel in ToddMyles, who is a very heady and crafty point guard. Antonio Jackson is aplayer with outstanding range and is a very good shooter. In Tang Hamilton,you have an SEC All-Star, so they have a real solid team. They are veryfundamentally sound.”
On Auburn All-America forward Chris Porter being suspended for taking moneyfrom an agent:
“I am sure Cliff Ellis and their administrative staff do the same thingsthat we do here like seminars on gambling, agents, alcohol and drugs.Sometimes people don’t listen, but I don’t know what his circumstance is,just that it hurts his team. You hate to see that because that means youare going into the postseason without your best player.”
On too much being made of UK’s shooting woes:
“We just need to take care of business of what we’ve been doing. We havebeen working on getting our shots off quicker. I think we have been takingtoo long, thinking about getting them off and that has been a problem allyear long. The players who get the ball off the quickest are probably Saul(Smith) and J.P. (Blevins). Saul is better off the dribble, and he is arecipient of passes thrown back out when they double-down on our postplayers.”
On how far UK can go in the postseason with the Cats’ strength inrebounding and playing defense, while lacking consistent outside shooting:
“Defense wins championships. That has been our formula. Certainly, we’dlike to score more points and put more points on the board. We arerebounding the ball, the best in conference play. We know that we don’t puta whole lot of points on the board, and we need to try and create moredefensively. Our strength has been to go inside to Jamaal.”
On the importance of UK winning its two final regular-season games in orderto get a first-round bye in the Southeastern Conference Tournament:
“First off, you win the SEC regular season title which has been one of ourgoals. That will also mean we have gone undefeated at home, which is one ofour goals, so we’d achieve a lot of our goals. It will also mean that wewould get a bye, which is one of our goals. From a practical standpoint,you are better off with the less games you play in a tournament.”
On what worries him most about Mississippi State:
“Number one, we have not played that well on the road and number two, theirexecution. I think they execute extremely well and are very poised andfundamentally sound, which is a sign of good teaching and coaching.
On why UK has struggled on the road this season:
“Our turnovers are higher on the road, and we just haven’t taken care ofthe ball as well. We need to be more aggressive defensively andoffensively. Anywhere we play, if we can make shots we are better off.”
#40 Jules Camara
“The postseason is like a whole new season. We have a chance to be No. 1 inthe SEC after this week. This part is going to be tougher, but we love whatwe do. All the losses don’t mean anything in the postseason. Everyone’s onthe same page.
“We have the talent to go out and play with anyone. We just haven’t shownthat killer instinct so far. We have a tendency to go out and relax. Wecan’t do that at all in the tournament. We can’t afford to do that.”
#3 J.P. Blevins
“I’ve gotten into a good shooting rhythm lately, and that’s a good feeling.When the ball leaves my hand I think it’s going in. That’s a good feelingto have.”
“We’re back in the hunt after this weekend. We got the help we needed fromAlabama. With a team that has struggled like us, it’s like new life. Allyou can ask for is a second chance to get back in it. We have the chance towin the Eastern Division and get a good seed in the tournament.”
#42 Jamaal Magloire
On Coach Smith:“I see that Coach is enthusiastic and optimistic. He is a leader. He has anapproach to the season that has kept us motivated. He is enthusiastic,optimistic, excited. With that, we are beginning to play through adversity.Coach is an imperial motivator.”
“I am looking forward to the tournament. I enjoy playing, and I think Ihave risen up in previous tournaments. It’s going to be interesting.”
On Mississippi State: “We will have to execute offensively and defensively. We will have to blockshots. We will have to play spectacular defense. They are a great team. Theway they play doesn’t show in their schedule or their record.”
