March 1, 2002
Orlando “Tubby” Smith
On Senior Day…
“Certainly everybody around here knows how important that our seniors have been to us. And whenever you get to the point where you have seniors in your program, it tells you that they have been doing the right things and they have stood the test of time.”
On the two seniors…
“J.P. Blevins and Tayshaun Prince have certainly been very important to our program. They have been a part of a lot of wins and a lot of success. Two of the last three years they have won SEC Championships – regular season and tournaments, and they’ve had a chance to go to the Sweet 16, so they have had a chance to taste success. They’ve really typified the type of student-athletes and the type of basketball players we have in our program and that we want in our program in the future. One’s an All-American academically (Blevins), and the other’s an All-American basketball-wise (Prince). They have been great ambassadors for Kentucky basketball and for college basketball.”
On J.P. Blevins…
“J.P.’s season, and his career, has been both up and down with injuries as well as waiting his turn this year and then injuries set him back. But through it all, he’s been a very positive influence, a very good leader for this team.”
On the importance of the Florida game…
“We know the importance of this game. It’s a game we need to win for a lot of reasons – certainly Senior Day, our last home game, and it’s for seeding in the SEC Tournament, to get that bye. Plus, we need to get to 20 wins. We’ve struggled all year long. It’s been a real up and down season. I can’t say we’ve been that inconsistent on the court, we’ve been more inconsistent off the court than on it.”
On the makeup of Florida…
“We have to be at our best tomorrow because Florida is playing really well. In Udonis Haslem, Matt Bonner and Brett Nelson you have three of the top scorers in the SEC and they can certainly put the ball on the floor and beat you in a lot of different ways. One of the unsung heroes on that team is Justin Hamilton. The way that he plays and runs that team, he is doing a great job.”
On the keys to defeating Florida…
“Defense and rebounding will be the keys to this game, which is something we did not do a good job of against Vanderbilt. We didn’t really defend the three very well and Florida is the type of team that likes to put up a lot of threes. Containing their high-octane offense and their up-tempo style will be critical for us.”
On the state of the players…
“Marquis (Estill) is fine. He has been given the ok to play. Erik Daniels and Gerald Fitch will play in the game tomorrow. They have been taking care of business and doing the things we required of them from a disciplinary standpoint. Adam Chiles will also be back with the team tomorrow.”
On how Tayshaun Prince has progressed in his four years at Kentucky…
“I remember sitting in his home, talking to him about the opportunities to be an All-American and one of the best players to ever play at Kentucky, and some of those things have come true for him. He’s gotten stronger. He came here at 6-8 weighing 180 pounds and now he’s at about 215 and you can actually see some definition in his arms and legs. Through it all, Tayshaun has been the most settling influence on the team.”
On the intelligence of Tayshaun Prince…
“He’s probably as intelligent of a player as I have had the good fortune to coach. I would say he and Saul (Smith) are two of the smarter players I have coached. Scott Padgett was a pretty intelligent player. But Tayshaun is probably the smartest in knowing what to do and being able to execute that.”
J.P. Blevins
On his career…
“I’ve had a lot of good times and some bad times. But I’m very proud to say I’m a senior and I’m standing here and I’m going to make my way down to Rupp Arena for my final home game. Considering where I came from, I think the odds were pretty much stacked against me being here.”
On getting a bye in the SEC Tournament…
“It’s huge. Playing four games in a row is a very tough task. We could help ourselves a lot by getting the win tomorrow and getting a bye in the first round.”
On what he’ll take away from his time at Kentucky…
“The thing that I’ll cherish the most, that people can’t see from the outside, is the friendships I’ve developed with players. Tayshaun (Prince) and I will have a friendship long after both of our careers are gone. Obviously his career will last longer than mine, but we’ll still be friends even after his career is over.”
Tayshaun Prince
On the game tomorrow…
“Florida’s a great basketball team and we have to win to get a bye in the first round of the SEC Tournament and put ourselves in a great position in that tournament and going into the NCAA’s.”
On the season…
“It’s been a tough season. We’ve had to play without the inside presence of Jason Parker, who I felt could’ve really helped us. We’ve had an up and down season and it’s been difficult to stay balanced and do a lot of positive things on the basketball court but I’ve think I’ve gotten through it.”
Cliff Hawkins
On getting the bye in the SEC and playing three games instead of four…
“By the fourth game, when fatigue comes into play, the guys with the fresher legs are going to be more energized and have a little bit more at the end of the game.”
On the team’s attitude…
“We are focused. We know what we have to do. We know Tayshaun and J.P. would love to leave Rupp Arena with a win tomorrow. We’re going to play for the team, for those guys, and give everything we have.”
On Florida guard Brett Nelson…
“He can really shoot the ball. But we have guys that can cover him. As long as we can get a hand in his face and not let him shoot three-pointers, we’ll be fine.”
Marquis Estill
On Blevins and Prince…
“They’ve been great teammates and it’s going to be hard seeing them leave.”
On Florida’s forwards…
“We just have to come out and be ready to play more aggressive than them. Haslem’s a big guy inside and really physical.”
On Florida as a rival…
“They’re a great team. They’re always fired up to play us and we’re fired up to play them and it’s always a close game.”
