Feb. 14, 2003
Coach Tubby Smith
On the status of Chuck Hayes…
“Chuck Hayes has a bruised hip after falling yesterday. I’m not sure about his status, but I know he’s pretty sore. I’m not sure if he’ll practice once he gets out on the court.”
On LSU…
“This is another chance to measure ourselves against a very athletic team in LSU. I think they’re as talented a team as we’re going to play, when you consider they have guys like Jaime Lloreda, Torris Bright and Ronald Dupree.
“I’ve been impressed with them on film. They just annihilated Vanderbilt, so that was an impressive win. We’ve got to come ready to play because the thing that concerns me is dealing with prosperity. I try to tell our team that all the time. Sometimes it’s tougher to deal with prosperity than with adversity. LSU is battling to get into postseason play and to get back in the thick of things in the SEC West, so we can’t let our guard down.”
On why Kentucky’s defense has been so successful…
“They (the coaching staff) are doing a good job being consistent, teaching the fundamentals and correcting mistakes everyday. The players are correcting one another. That’s a good barometer in terms of measuring how much we’re retaining and how much we’re executing what we’ve taught. We’ve got to take one play at a time and one possession at a time. If we can take care of business that way, I’ll be that much more comfortable, but I’m comfortable with where we are and how we’re playing, especially defensively.”
On how he reacts to players correcting each other…
“It’s a positive thing, positive reinforcement. It is positive and the players are taking it that way. When you see guys competing in practice – like Gerald and Cliff – and they’re helping one another, well, that’s the best thing about it.”
Player Quotes
Cliff Hawkins, Guard
On LSU…
“Their front court is very athletic and mobile. We’re going to have to play good defense to hold them in check. We know LSU is a good team. They beat the No. 1 team this season. We can’t take them lightly.”
On Keith Bogans…
“Keith is a good leader. Even last year when he wasn’t shooting well, he still was a leader on the team. He’s a spokesman and gives everybody a lot of pep talks. He reminds us of what Coach Smith is telling us, and it’s good to hear that from one of your peers, too. Keith is really taking his responsibility as a leader head-on.”
Erik Daniels, Forward
On LSU…
“LSU is a very tough team. But we just have to keep putting pressure on them and wear them out like we have done to other teams.”
On climbing the polls…
“We have to maintain a level head and focus on the task at hand, one game at a time. We just want to go out this weekend and continue our winning streak. If we keep playing our type of basketball, it doesn’t matter where we are ranked.”
