Jan. 8, 2002
Kentucky vs. Georgia
Press Conference
January 8, 2002
Coach Orlando “Tubby” Smith
On Mississippi State loss…
“We let one get away by not executing properly both offensively and defensively. I thought they took us out of a lot of stuff with their zone. We had some breakdowns in our interior defense but basically, we kind of backed down a little and that’s what concerns me. We have to work and concentrate on being tougher and more physical.”
On UGA…
“I think Georgia is much like Mississippi State. They have a very athletic team and have guys that can run the floor well and score inside. They have very good post-up players and Jim Harrick’s teams always do a good job of getting the ball inside and attacking the basket. They’re a team that likes to get the ball up and down the court and they’re off to a great start at 12-2.”
On defending UGA…
“We must contain a guy like Ezra Williams who is one of the top scorers in the league. He’s very athletic, can go either left or right, put it on the floor and can shoot with range. In Jarvis Hayes, he’s their second leading scorer, a transfer who sat out last year who is very talented and is playing well. Chris Daniels is another player that is averaging double figures and he did a great job for them last year and is really coming on this season.”
On Georgia guard Rashad Wright…
“Rashad Wright is a player that can really run a team. He does a very good job of taking care of the basketball and distributing it. We’ll have to play much better than we did in the second half against Mississippi State to be in the game against Georgia.”
On getting tougher…
“We have to go after people, be more aggressive in attacking the basket offensively. We were on the road in a hostile environment and I think there was a sense of doubt with our kids as far as not being sure on what we should do and what we can do. You have to continue to attack and play basketball. I thought we got a little cautious and got back on our heels in the second half against Mississippi State.”
On who is to blame for loss to MSU…
“I think there was enough for everybody to take a part in that loss. We share in every victory and we also share in every loss. I think it was a total team effort, from the coaching staff on down, myself included.”
On being more aggressive…
“What happens is you get that big lead and you know the other team is going to make runs at you and pick up their aggressiveness. We have to be able to answer their aggressiveness in all phases of the game. It was a breakdown in the toughness area – we didn’t physically put our bodies on people as aggressively as we should have.”
On play of Cliff Hawkins…
“He’s been outstanding. When he’s getting rested properly and getting his wind, he’s as good as there is as far as being able to penetrate, break people down, push the ball up the court, and defend. There are a couple chances he’s had to make some better decisions but that will come with more experience. One on one, I think he’s very hard to stop and I’ve really been pleased with his progress.”
On zone defense of MSU…
“The best way to beat a zone or any type of press is beat it before it gets set up, pushing the ball up court and I don’t think we did that. We’ve been putting points on the board but we just didn’t get a lot of opportunities in the second half. I thought the confusion that they created in their changing defenses made a difference. We were throwing the ball in their hands at times and I attribute that to some fatigueness.”
Gerald Fitch
On if the team can rebound from the Mississippi State loss…
“It depends on the type of team you are. Our team forgot about it right after the game. It’s tough but our team can do it.”
On what Georgia will do against the Wildcats…
“I think they are going to come after us just like Mississippi State did and then also crash the boards.”
On his preparations for the UGA game…
“I’m very anxious. We have been practicing hard and we know what we have to do. This is a big game for us.”
Keith Bogans
On his hunger for the next game…
“I’m very hungry. The only thing I can do is go out and get ready to play again. The Mississippi State game is the worst game I have seen in a long time.”
On the UGA game…
“It’s very important to play well after our letdown on Saturday.”
On what the Wildcats must do to improve…
“For us to be a great team, we all need to be on, not just the starting five.”
Cliff Hawkins
On the UGA game…
“We are looking forward to going out and redeeming ourselves against Georgia.”
On what he specifically needs to do…
“I need to make improvements in my decision making.”
On how he feels on the floor compared to last year…
“I feel good. Anyone who gets the ball out there is going to feel better.”
Tayshaun Prince
On the status of the team…
“We are not down on ourselves after one game. We know that we should have won that game. We realize that it is now time to respond and play like we are capable of playing.”
On rebounding…
“We were out-rebounded in the second half at Mississippi State. We need to get all five people to hit the defensive glass if we are going to be a successful rebounding team.”
On the Georgia game…
“We haven’t watched any tape on them yet, but we know that they are a good team. They are always a sound ball team. They don’t have the strength inside like Mississippi State did with Mario Austin. We feel like we can take advantage their match ups on Marquis and Jules.”
On adaptations after the Mississippi State loss…
“It is hard to think about that game. We watched the film and that was even harder. We have learned from a lot of the things we did wrong in that game though. We won’t make the same mistakes twice. We just did not play tough enough in the second half.”
Adam Chiles
On his role on the team…
“I think I am starting to get comfortable, but I still make too many mistakes. I need to cut down on my turnovers. I have always played basketball with confidence, I just need to make better decisions.”
On his first SEC road trip…
“It was an experience. It was extremely loud. I didn’t expect anyplace to be as loud as Rupp Arena, but the Mississippi State fans deserve a lot of credit. We just couldn’t come out with same intensity in the second half after they made a run and the crowd out into it.”
On the change from high school to college…
“I am really enjoying playing college basketball here at Kentucky. I like hanging out with my teammates and Coach Smith is great to play for.”
