Feb. 28, 2003
LEXINGTON, Ky. –
Kentucky Basketball Pre-Georgia Press Conference
Feb. 28, 2003
UK Coach Tubby Smith
“We are preparing for a very tough road trip to Georgia. Georgia is coming off a good win the other night against Ole Miss., and we just need to be able to focus. I’m anxious to get back today. We had a day off yesterday, so we really haven’t had a chance to visit with the guys until today.”
On Georgia’s now health, Jarvis Hayes…
“He’s healthier. He’s always had an excellent shot, and we knew that once he got over his injury that he’d be back shooting the ball well, and that’s what he’s doing. He’s just recovering from his injury. He’s a little more energized, I can see. He’s playing with a real high energy level. He’s elevating on his shot better, and he’s rebounding and going to the boards hard; he’s doing a lot of things smoother.”
On Jules Camara accepting his role and what that shows the underclassmen…
“It shows them that you’re going to have opportunities to play if you keep the right attitude, and if you don’t, you won’t. You can be successful and you can be a productive citizen, get your education, get your degree, and do what you’re supposed to do. You’ll be better off because of it, and so will the team. That’s what Jules has shown. He’s stuck it out, he’s stayed to true to what he wanted to achieve, and what his goals were, as far as getting an education and playing at a Division I program when he came here to this country. It tells you that you can overcome a lot too. He came in this country without a family…and prospered. It shows other guys that have people around them, that have family that support them, how good they have it.”
On the expectations put on the team…
“I think we’ve responded the right way so far. I expect us to continue to, and stay focused on the task at hand, which is right now practice today, practice tomorrow, and then Georgia. As we’ve prepared, I think this team has shown that type of maturity, that they’re not easily distracted, and that they do have the ability to not forget what got them here. They constantly work on honing their skills and working as a team. A lot of it has to do with the competitiveness in our practices. That keeps you sharp because we have a very competitive practice day in and day out.”
On playing in hostile arenas…
“We’ve been a pretty good road team all year. I think part of that is consistently working and not looking at any game differently. Each game has the same importance. We always talk about how you measure yourself, and how you test yourself. I think this idea gives our players an understanding and an appreciation every time they do go on the road. I think it helps being in Rupp Arena; we have a big crowd. Crowds are not going to affect us because it’s hard for us to communicate in Rupp Arena. So when we’re on the road, it’s probably easier for us to communicate to our players.”
On Georgia’s style of play…
“They like to get the ball up and down the court. That’s their style of play. I don’t expect them to try and slow anything down. They mix their defenses well, they’ll pressure, try to trap you, they’ll 2-3 zone you, man-to-man you…they’ll do a lot of different things.”
On the stakes of the Georgia game…
“This is probably going to be a real test to see can we take that next step. We’re playing a team that’s ranked, that’s playing pretty good right now – a team that beat us twice last year, a team that we’re in the same division with that’s playing for the SEC Eastern Division Championship. There are a lot of things riding on this game.”
Keith Bogans
On Georgia’s off-the-court distractions…
“I think it can be very distracting. It takes a lot of focus off the game, but they still have a ball game to play, and I’m sure they’ll be ready to play. It affected us a lot last year. All we can do is wait until Sunday to see how they respond.”
On what he expects of Georgia Sunday…
“I expect them to come out full blast, ready to play full court. They’re the type of team where they’ve got a lot of good players that’s going to come out and play hard. They’re going to think about how we beat them here, but that’s going to be something for them to build on.”
Marquis Estill
On Georgia’s off-the-court distractions…
“It breaks the team down a little bit, so I think that it’s going to frustrate them some. It hasn’t really surprised me we haven’t had problems. We have a great group of guys here. The guys have matured a lot from last year, so it hasn’t really surprised me.”
On his leadership role with the seniors…
“I really think it’s shared. Guys look up to us a lot; they listen to what we have to say, and I think it’s been a great part of our success as a team. Guys listen to each other and take in what each other has to say.”
