Jan. 31, 2003
Head Coach Tubby Smith
On preparing for South Carolina…
“It’s been awhile since we’ve played and we’re preparing for a good South Carolina team. They’re struggling to put points on the board right now, but they’re a team that’s very dangerous because they have a lot of talent and they play well at home. They had winnable games at Tennessee and Florida. I’m sure they’ll make changes in what they’re trying to accomplish, so we have to be prepared for just about anything. We spent the past week trying to make the necessary changes that we have to make and improve on the things we need to improve on, especially rebounding and free throw shooting.”
On how the week off could affect the team’s momentum…
“Hopefully it will affect us in a positive way and we’ll play better because we’re rested and healthy. I’m looking for us to be better because we’ve had some time off to rejuvenate ourselves. Guys have been able to get in the weight room and get a couple of good lifts in, so that’s positive for us. I don’t think it will diminish our eagerness to go out and play well and hopefully we’ll continue to play well. It’s always tough to have a break in the schedule, but it was necessary for us because we’ve played a lot of games lately.”
On what South Carolina did well defensively last time the two teams met…
“They do a good job of trapping. They force you to go to different options because they trap the first dribbler and the first pass, so you end up with guys in unfamiliar positions trying to fight traps. Their matchup zone is very effective. They’re very athletic and they play good, solid defense. They’re really close to having a very good team. A lot of the games they’ve lost they were right in. They’re a physical team and have good size. We don’t have anyone to really matchup with a couple of their size guys and in Kerbrell Brown they have a guy that’s playing really well right now.”
On the difference in Kentucky between the last South Carolina game and now…
“I believe we’ve improved in some areas that we needed improvement on. South Carolina has a way of getting you into a certain pace of the game, but I like that our team can play at different paces and speeds. How we attack their zone and how we play on the road is going to be critical in a very hostile environment.”
On the opportunity for the UK defense to seize on a vulnerable South Carolina offense…
“I expect our guys to come with the proper intensity and mental focus regardless of what the opposing team is doing. We will tell them the particular matchups of who’s doing what at particular times and what percentage of shots guys are taking and then we make the necessary adjustments on the court. Even though they’re struggling they still have guys with the potential to have big games.”
On the key to maintaining the defensive intensity…
“It’s a pride thing. We just need to take pride in our ability to do something we do well. That’s one of the things I will try to motivate the team to do. I think they’ve shown that already. They understand that playing smart, playing hard and together will make us a more consistent, good defensive team.”
On if his coaching philosophy has changed…
“No. After you’ve been coaching for a number of years and been successful in what you’re doing, you obviously make some changes with different personnel, but our philosophy is the same as it was six or 10 years ago. You move into different eras of basketball as far as what’s selling at the time or what people are looking for at a particular time, like a fad, but you can’t get caught up with that in coaching – you have to be yourself, and I think that’s what we’ve been able to do. We’ve been able to get the right type of players that can play the style that we want to play.”
On if it’s different trying to sell playing defense than it was in previous years…
“No, none of them want to play defense. That’s not what you get glory for or what you get on TV doing, you make the highlight reel by making a spectacular play or a dunk. It’s been the same from high school to college to this present day. You have to show, encourage, inspire, demonstrate, whatever you have to do to show players how important playing on both ends of the floor is.”
On if this is the best defensive team he’s ever had…
“I don’t know, it’s still early yet, but it’s not. I don’t know what the best one is because we’ve had some good defensive teams over the years. I don’t think there’s any particular team because we’ve had some good ones. To single one out is something I just can’t really do.”
On the dramatic turnaround midway through the season…
“I don’t see the dramatic turnaround that you all do. As you get into conference play you have more tapes to look at and more familiarity with people. Cliff (Hawkins) made the biggest change. When you have a player like Cliff putting the type of pressure on the point, it’s critical. Then we have other players understanding that they have to step it up in practice. And then it’s a consistent effort to improve in practice. The holidays was an important time for us to get in more practice time and time to break things down. That’s been the biggest improvement in this team – their ability to retain a scouting report and a game plan. They understand now how to prepare themselves physically and mentally, and that’s a maturation process.”
On the jump in deflections on defense…
“We’ve seen a jump in deflections with Cliff’s (Hawkins) insertion into the lineup. A player like that adds a lot more deflections to our count.”
On the improvement in the frontcourt players…
“On offense we’ve been looking to get the ball to Marquis (Estill), Chuck (Hayes) and Erik (Daniels) in positions where they can score and be effective. They draw a lot of attention and they do a good job of being unselfish and passing the ball out. Defensively we’re getting to traps inside quicker and guys are understanding basic principles on our defense. A lot of the help has come from film sessions and them retaining from game to game and from possession to possession the adjustments they have to make to shut a team down. We have a fifth-year senior in Jules Camara who is probably our best all-around defender. When he’s in the game he makes a big difference defensively. The guys off the bench are good athletes, so there’s not much of a drop-off when they come into the game. We expect them to improve because we’re teaching and working with them every day in practice. When they get a chance to perform it shows that they’ve listened and learned in practice.”
On if he’s having fun…
“Yeah, coaching is what I dream of doing and what I love doing, so I’m having a lot of fun.”
UK Players
Cliff Hawkins, Guard
On South Carolina…
“They’ve got a new team and we’ve got a new team. They’re going to give us their best shot. They’re struggling right now, so that gives them more incentive to beat us now that Kentucky is coming in. We have to be on top of our game. We need to keep pressuring people like we’ve been doing in our past few games.”
On hitting the game-winning shot last season in Columbia…
“It was a good play, and it was something I’ll never forget. But I can’t dwell on that play. We have another 40-minute game ahead of us.”
On preparing for the Gamecocks…
“We’ve been practicing the same way (given the off week), working on areas that need improvement like rebounding in a zone and in a man-to-man and being on the boards defensively. We’re focused and we’re looking forward to going to South Carolina and playing tomorrow.”
Erik Daniels, Forward
On Kentucky’s recent success…
“Everyone is contributing right now. We’re all doing what we need to do to win, and if we continue to play defense as good as we are capable of doing, we’ll be alright.”
On the key to beating the Gamecocks…
“They’re tough inside and they’ll try to get the ball inside often, so we need to control their inside game. They have a lot of good players, so we’ve got to be ready to play a strong defensive game for 40 minutes.”
