March 4, 2000
Kentucky Coach Tubby Smith
Opening?
“We appreciate all the support we have gotten from our fans all season long. They are the best fans in the country. They had a big part to play in the win today. Being Senior Day, I think Jamaal (Magloire) and Steve Masiello came out and inspired the crowd. They are class people, and that is why we have had so much success this year and overcome so much adversity. You think about last year, the transfers and the death of John Stewart, these kids have done more and achieved more than any team I have ever been associated with. I couldn’t be prouder of a group of young men than I am of these kids. We have achieved one of the goals we set at the beginning of the year, and we couldn’t be more excited about where we are.”
On Florida?
“I want to compliment Florida. Billy Donovan and his staff have done a remarkable job in Gainesville recruiting outstanding players and building a powerhouse, a team that is going to be ranked every year in the Top-25.”
On Kentucky’s play?
“Our defense the first half was superb. Our shots were falling today. Saul (Smith) directed our offense and defense superbly. We had five guys in double-digits. We out-rebounded them. All the things you have to do to be a championship team we did today. Hitting shots, we can build on that and become that much more effective on defense. Against a team like Florida who presses you, we are going to get the ball out and get some open looks. We made some adjustments on our press offense, and it is paying off for us.”
On Florida’s physical play?
“Our guys knew what they had to do to raise their level of play. Jamaal is always physical and bangs inside. I thought Jules (Camara) played well. I think the physicalness came from us boxing out early. That’s what physical play is, setting good solid screens, getting on the floor, mixing it up inside, taking the charges, and attacking the glass. That was the difference today.”
On Jules Camara’s play?
“He is a difference maker. At Florida, the only shot-blocker we had in the game was Jamaal Magloire. Jules gives us that extra shot-blocker. So at Florida, we lost that big-time defensive presence. Today, Jules shot the ball well, moved well without the ball. I put him back in the game at the end because he was taking care of the basketball. He had lively legs and was jumping and blocking shots. That is what he does best.”
UK Players
#10 Keith Bogans
“I think we came in and we didn’t let down. We shot well. When we hit those first few threes, it became contagious. Before the game, we were focused. We were pumped up so we just went out and played. I think it’s time to build off of this game. We can’t afford to have another bad shooting game.”
On the seniors?
“Today was their day. We wanted to send them out with a bang. They wanted the win. If I was a senior, I wouldn’t want to lose on my senior day either.”
#21 Tayshaun Prince
“Concentration is the key to getting ready. Our shots were falling early. We got the first couple and that always gets the team going.”
“We knew we were going for first place going into this game. Florida is a great three-point shooting team. We knew if we got ours going, we would have the advantage.”
“We tried to raise the defensive intensity. We got some steals, forced bad shots. We pushed up the court and then our shots fell.”
#42 Jamaal Magloire
“I think we did all the right things today. I am looking forward to a great post-season. I would call this a statement game. It is letting the SEC, as well as everyone else know we are serious. The road to the SEC always has to stop here and now we are No. 1.”
“We are a team with good attitudes and good players. With that we are in good shape.”
#4 Steve Masiello
“I told my Mom and Dad to not be emotional. I was getting a little misty-eyed, thinking of all the memorieshow far we have all come and the changes. When you are at Rupp, you have to think of all the great memories. It felt great.”
On his start?
“Coach didn’t tell me that I was starting. He just looked at me before the game and said, ?Go ahead.'”
#11 Saul Smith – On UK’s defensive intensity?
“That was the reason they took it to us last time because we didn’t play our type of defense. We brought our defense today. We played with great intensity. Overall, our defense suffocated them.”
On receiving a bye in Atlanta?
“It’s very important. It’s huge with having only ten guys on the team. No help’s coming. That extra day off is going to help us not to get any injuries. We can worry about our academics, practice and get ready for the tournament.”
#40 Jules Camara
“It was a great effort today. Everyone came ready to play. We were up and down early this season. I am very proud of how this season ended. Now we can get ready for the post-season.”
On the seniors?
“I am going to miss them. They have showed great leadership throughout the season and played great today. This was a great win for them.”
Florida Coach Billy Donovan
On today’s game?
“Coming into this game, I felt there were three key factors. I felt like we needed to stay on Kentucky’s shooters because of the way they haven’t been shooting the ball very well. They do a good job of rebounding and getting to loose balls and we didn’t want to let them go to the three-point line. The three-point shot is very important for them and they shot the ball very well tonight. We had some very good looks, but Kentucky deserved to win this game.”
On the loss?
“Of course, we came in here wanting to win the game, but I think this was a tremendous learning experience for us. We are getting ready for the second season with the Southeastern Conference tournament and the NCAA. I’m proud of the way the guys played, but we are obviously upset that we didn’t get the victory here today. If this game proves to be something we learn and grow from, then it was a tremendous experience that will help us in the post-season.”
On Kentucky?
“I think they are a very solid team. They don’t make many mistakes. They are going to be very good in the post-season because they haven’t shot the ball consistently all year long, so when they have a poor shooting night, it’s not going to be a brick wall for them. They find other ways to win basketball games.”
On Rupp Arena?
“Kentucky has tremendous fans and Rupp is definitely an imposing place to play. UK has a tremendous record on senior day, but what happened 35 years ago has no bearing on the game today, so we don’t let that affect us. I think Kentucky just played an outstanding game and they made plays when we didn’t.”
On Kentucky’s defense?
“I thought we had some very decent looks at the basket and took some good shots. We just weren’t able to make the key plays. We didn’t have very many turnovers, we just didn’t make the plays. Their defense wasn’t totally stifling, but it’s very difficult to win when you shoot 23% in the first half and 10% at the three-point line.”
Florida Players
#13 Mike Miller
“We must play full halves. We did not play the full 40 minutes today. As a team we did not play well the first half and I didn’t play well either. We still have a lot of the season left and we must now look forward to that.”
“Kentucky is definitely a good team. They are going to be fine in the tournament. If they shoot and play as well as they did today they will do very well in the tournament. Kentucky is a great SEC team on the road, and I know that will help them.”
“I guess you could look at this loss as being a good thing. We don’t like to lose, but if we have to look at it any way I guess we better look at it as a good thing. We learned a lot today.”
“We did not play well today. I did not show up. You just can’t miss lay-ups like I did. We had a lot of chances, but I didn’t capitalize on some of my easy shots and others didn’t as well.”
“We did not finish today. We had a lot of easy looks at the basket, but just missed.”
#52 Kenyan Weaks
“Kentucky did a good job of defending us on the perimeter. They made it difficult for us to pop out and catch the basketball. Kentucky was hard on our offense.”
