Dec. 20, 2002
Head Coach Tubby Smith
On the similarities between Indiana and Michigan State…
“They are two different types of teams. Indiana is not as physical, they like to spread the floor a lot and they do a good job of getting in isolated situations and dumping the ball inside to their post players. Their perimeter players can stretch the defense because you have to be out on their shooters. Indiana is a very talented team, they have a very veteran team returning and are getting great play from their newcomers.”
On what freshman Bracey Wright brings to Indiana…
“He’s a great scorer. He has an excellent stroke on his shot and has great athleticism. He has a great feel for the game as a freshman and has been taught well. They are utilizing him very well. They have veterans in the backcourt with him and they do a good job isolating the defense to get open shots for their perimeter shooters.”
On the confidence Indiana gained in last season’s NCAA tournament carrying over…
“When you have that many guys returning off a team that experienced such success, your confidence is very high. They haven’t had any major distractions, as far as injuries or defections, so that’s all been very beneficial to their continued success this season.”
On what he expects from Cliff Hawkins in his first game back…
“He had an excellent game against Indiana last year. He brings us an excellent ball handler in the backcourt and has great defensive skills, which is where we’ve been struggling. The area in which Cliff will help us the most is on the defensive end, where he will inject the most energy into our team. We will get him in the game as time calls for it, and I expect him to play, although he won’t start.”
On the importance of containing Indiana’s three-point shooting…
“I’d say they get about 60% of their offense from three-point shots, so if we can limit their touches and make them take tough shots, hopefully we can limit the amount of shots they make. We’re not going to completely shut them down, but we’re going to give it our best to limit them.”
On the use of an eight-man rotation vs. a 10-man rotation…
“I’d rather have more players than less, and I think most people would. I think the limited rotation early in the season helped some guys to come into their own. Chuck Hayes was able to get more playing time on the perimeter. It’s helped Gerald (Fitch) develop his point guard skills. Now with Cliff (Hawkins) coming back we can move Gerald back to the wing position, and when Antwain (Barbour) comes back from his injury we’ll make more adjustments. I’m most excited about the defensive energy that we’ll add when Cliff and Antwain return to the lineup.”
On Chuck Hayes’ improvement of his jump shot…
“In practice we remind him of what his flaws are, and we hope that carries over to the game. We just have to wait and see what happens in the game.”
On the key to defending Indiana’s three-point shooting so well last season…
“Cliff’s defensive pressure on the perimeter really cut down on their open looks. We can go out and pressure their perimeter shooters because we have people inside that can defend the basket. Last year we had Tayshaun (Prince) back there, and this year we have that same ability with Marquis (Estill) and Jules (Camara) inside.”
On Antwain Barbour’s progress from his injury…
“The doctor has given good reports on his improvement and says he is healing the way he should. We don’t know when he’ll be able to practice again; it could be a week, two weeks, or three weeks, but the doctor is going to look at it again the first part of next week and make another evaluation. So far the doctor has been really pleased with his progress, but we want to make sure that he is completely healed before he comes back.”
On tightening the rotation heading into conference play…
“You have to narrow your focus as far as who’s playing minutes and you have to figure out who’s best in what situations. Unfortunately, we haven’t had everyone available so far this season, so we’ll have to adjust as we go.”
Gerald Fitch, Guard
On Indiana…
“They’re a great team. They’re playing with a lot of confidence. We have to come out and match their confidence and intensity.”
On Cliff Hawkins’ return…
“I suspect that he’ll have some jitters in his stomach, seeing that he hasn’t played for a while and is coming back for this big game.”
On his preference of playing point guard or shooting guard…
“It doesn’t really matter to me. I like both of them. I like crashing the boards but I also like handling the ball. It’s going to be a plus for me regardless.”
Erik Daniels, Forward
On his role on the team…
“Coach just wants me to get out there and play my type of basketball – play hard, get up and down the floor and get my teammates involved.”
“It doesn’t matter if I’m starting or coming off the bench. I’m going to be giving the team everything I have and contribute so we can win.”
On Indiana…
“They’re a very tough team. We’re going to look to come out and play our type of basketball – get up and down the floor, play tough defense.”
On playing over Christmas break…
“It’s tough not to be able to go home for a long time. We get a couple days off but this is our time of year to concentrate on basketball.”
Chuck Hayes, Forward
On matching up inside against Indiana…
“Their big guys are playing very well, blocking a lot of shots. They don’t have too much depth, so a big thing for us is to pound the ball inside the paint and try to get them into foul trouble.”
On the return of guard Cliff Hawkins…
“It will be positive. It was take some getting used to, for us to adjust to him and him to adjust to us. But I’m pretty sure Cliff can get in there and give us a spark offensively and defensively.”
On the importance of the IU game…
“This is huge. Coach has been emphasizing it the whole week. Practice has been very serious. It’s a business-like atmosphere right now. We know the stakes of it.”
Cliff Hawkins, Guard
On returning to the lineup…
“I feel really good about being back and being able to help the team in any way that I can. I’m just happy that I got a second chance. I’ll be a little rusty, but the effort and the hustle will be there. I’ll give it all I’ve got.”
On practicing at two-guard instead of point…
“As a point guard, you have to know all of the positions. It wasn’t that hard for me to practice playing the two and trying to help the team in any way that I could. I was just happy to be out there.”
On starting Saturday’s game on the bench…
“I was expecting that. I’m not sure how much I’m going to play, but I’ll be ready if [Coach Smith] calls my number. If not, I’m still going to be there cheering the team on.”
