Nov. 5, 2001
UK Coach Tubby Smith
“We play exhibition games to find out where we are, to test our guys and measure our progress. I think so far the guys have been working extremely hard. We are really pleased with Josh (Carrier) and Chuck’s (Hayes) progress. We’ve had some nicks and bruises as well as going twice a day since we started. Sometimes that can affect guys that haven’t done it over and over again. Marquis hasn’t practiced in over a week now as he has a muscle pulled in his back so he probably won’t play tomorrow.”
“We are suspending Adam Chiles and Rashaad Carruth for tomorrow night’s exhibition for violation of team rules which at this point in time is just a one-game suspension.”
“We have had good, spirited, competitive practices up to this point. The guys that are going to get a lot of playing time, that are really coming on are Chuck Hayes, Josh Carrier and Erik Daniels. Jules (Camara) has had some excellent practices and is looking very good. It will be interesting how Jules responds after sitting out a year. We will probably start J.P. Blevins, although he dislocated his finger on his left, non-shooting hand, in practice. He was shooting out here this morning so he should be ok. The others are Gerald Fitch, Keith Bogans, Tayshaun Prince and Marvin Stone, because Marvin has been playing very well, he should start tomorrow night.”
“I am excited about this group. They work extremely hard. We are getting the type of leadership we need from our leaders in Tayshaun and J.P. They’ve shown that they are ready to take on the challenge. I am a little disappointed in our injury situation. Before Jason (Parker) got injured we thought we had a lot of depth and then all of a sudden Jules is out with a groin pull for a week. Then you look up and Marquis (Estill) is out for a week with muscle spasms. Rashaad went down yesterday and is in a soft cast with a high ankle sprain. You lose some excitement when things like this happen because you don’t have a full compliment of players. Any time missed is a problem.”
“With so many players, we wanted to make sure we are developing chemistry and teamwork. Most of the guys were here all summer so they got to know one another. We aren’t going to do anything differently. We just want to implement our press, which is a point of emphasis. We want to score more. We have good shooting on the perimeter and we have a good front line. I am concerned about the backcourt now that we have to sit out two guys and J.P. dislocated his finger.”
“We’ve always played what I consider good man-to-man defense as indicated by our defensive field-goal percentage. But we want them to trust that if they are out there pressuring a guy we have guys behind them who can block shots. Marvin (Stone) does it more by positioning and getting in place. He took more charges than anyone else on the team last year. He does it differently than Jules, who can block shots inside. I think in Tayshaun we have a good shot blocker. In Jules we have an excellent shot blocker. Marvin Marquis (Estill) are capable of blocking shots. We emphasize pressuring the ball, getting up on your guys and understanding that if you do get beaten off the dribble we have someone who can protect the basket.”
“Marvin (Stone) is lighter and in better shape. He’s running well, and his mobility and stamina are better. He is passing the ball well and playing unselfishly. I don’t think he has any hang-ups on getting more shots. He just needs to concentrate on doing what he does best: anchoring our defense inside, setting good screens, rebounding the ball and taking the shots when they are there. And he’s doing those things extremely well.”
“Gerald’s ball handling last year was very suspect, but this year he is a guy I trust to bring the ball up the court and do a lot of different things. He’s gotten stronger which has helped. Erik Daniels started off with a bang last year. He’s such a crafty player, and his ball handing, strength and size have gotten better.”
“Jules (Camara) has done very well in practice. Because he is such a good athlete and is intelligent, he knows how to adjust to give players room and space. If he is trying to post up a big guy who is bigger or stronger, he knows how to get into position to block a shot without giving up an easy basket. We want to see him block more shots and go after more shots. He still has to continue to improve his hands, and I hope he will be a better rebounder. He is our best shot blocker. He could be one of our better defenders if he can put on some more weight, which is his biggest challenge. If he could stay over 220, he will be solid.”
“Tayshaun (Prince) has improved his defensive perimeter skills and is being able to defend smaller guys which was a challenge for him last year. He knows how to defend both a point guard and a post player. He has also improved his outside shooting. He’s probably not working on his outside shot as much as both he and I would like because he is playing the four.”
“Keith (Bogans) still needs to concentrate on his intensity and his rebounding, so we are trying to get him more conscious of getting to the boards, boxing out and rebounding the ball. I think his shot selection has improved and will continue to improve.”
F Erik Daniels
On Coach Smith…”He knows how to bring the best out of our players. He’ll get upset if our intensity isn’t there.”
On the first game…”We are really ready for the game. It’s been hard to play against our own team. It’s a war out there. So now we can go take it out on someone else.”
C Jules Camara
On practices…”The practices are real intense. Everyone’s competing for playing time. We all know that we are part of something special here.”
On keeping his weight up…”It was difficult to keep my weight above 225 this summer. But since I’ve been here, and have been eating healthy, it hasn’t been a problem.”
G Keith Bogans
On the first game…”This is a hungry UK team. We have battled against each other for two weeks and we are ready to go against someone else.”
On the team’s talent…”Everyone’s very excited to be on the team. We have 15 players and all of them can play. I compare this team to the ’96 and ’98 teams. But I think we have more talent. It’s our team goal to go all the way.”
F Tayshaun Prince
On what fans can expect tomorrow night…”We’re going to try a lot of different things. Coach will try some different lineups to see how we play together. We will come out and play different defenses, but the one thing that won’t change is our aggressiveness.”
On the team’s progress…”We’ve been making great progress, especially defensively. Our young guys have been learning the different offenses. Practices have been going really well, and we’re improving in all areas. When you spend time in the weight room three days a week, you will get stronger. We are all seeing that.”
G J.P. Blevins
On his injured finger…”I was diving for a loose ball, and I just dislocated it. I jumped up and popped it back into place. It’s really sore, but luckily its on my nonshooting hand. I’m going to try it out today in practice. It could mostly affect my dribbling, but we’ll see how it goes.”
On the team’s progress…”I’m doing fine. I’m happy with the way the team’s been playing and the way I’ve been playing. We haven’t played a game yet, so we’re all looking forward to getting out there.”
On starting…”We’re all fighting for playing time. If I get to start, that’s great. It would be nice to hear my name as a starter in Rupp. I just go out there in practice and do as well as I can to get as much playing time as I can.”
