Full Press Conference
On the 2004 recruiting class?
?It?s a really exciting time for us. We just landed our first official recruiting class as a new staff and it was ranked eighth nationally on paper. We are really excited about the class that we signed. Collectively, it is certainly a top-10 class. I couldn?t be more excited. With losing six seniors, when I took this job, I thought that this first year was going to be crucial in recruiting and fortunately this was a very talented year for recruits. It was loaded with a lot of talent.?
On Sarah Elliott?
?Sarah Elliott is 6-6 and can just be a dominating force in the inside. She is very potent offensively, very strong, very mobile for a big girl and she is an in-state player from just down the road, so hopefully that will generate more fan interest as well.?
On Sade Buley?
?Sade Buley is one of the most explosive guards in the country. We?re very fortunate to go into Knoxville, Tenn., and get her right out of Tennessee?s backyard. She is quite a player and somebody that I am really looking forward to coaching.?
On Samantha Mahoney?
?Samantha Mahoney was ranked as the top player in the state of Michigan. She is just a solid all-around guard. She can play the one, two, or even three if we need her. I look for her to play at the one and the two next year. She can shoot the three-pointer, take it off the dribble and is very solid fundamentally.?
On Chante Bowman and Eleia Roddy?
?Chante Bowman is very athletic, runs the floor, jumps well ? she is quick and really loves to play defense. I think she is just going to add a lot of energy ? she is a high energy player and rebounds the ball well. I think she has got a great upside, along with Eleia Roddy, another big kid that we signed from Columbus, Ohio. She is 6-3 and is probably the most improved player that I saw all summer. I saw her at the beginning of July and she caught my eye. Then I would see her the next week and she would catch my eye again, and by the end of the summer she had a lot of people knocking on her door. I think she will improve greatly and has a great upside as well. She?s very athletic inside ? she can pound the boards and is kind of a banger on the inside.?
On the added pressure of being labeled as a recruiter?
?There is always pressure but I had some agonizing days and nights back in August. We were in that limbo period when you don?t have a commitment but you think you?re in pretty good shape with a couple of kids but you just don?t know how it?s going to go. I would go from, ?Are we going to sign anybody? to ?What are we going to do with all of these players??? As a head coach you kind of hit the panic button every once in awhile, so I didn?t know how it was going to turn out. Was there pressure? Sure, because we are losing six players. Now it?s done and I am excited about what we have coming in.?
On how this class sets a precedent for future recruiting efforts?
?I certainly hope it makes a statement. We?ve worked extremely hard to make this happen. I hope it sets a standard ? I hope every year we are ranked in the top-10 in recruiting. We need to be to get this program turned around. I am really proud of what we have done, but it is just one small step in building this program. Each year we?ve got to build on it. Success breeds success. The success we have this year is certainly going to help our recruiting efforts next year.?
On how important it is to sign players from Kentucky?
?When we first got here in April we zeroed in on the players in the state, and certainly Sarah Elliott was one of them. A lot of the players in Kentucky had eliminated UK from their list, so we had to start from ground zero and overcome some things. I think Sarah was one that knew a lot of us individually and bought into the staff. We are excited about that. Our efforts started right here in Kentucky, and next year it is going to be the same way.?
On landing the top player from Michigan?
?I think it makes a huge statement for Kentucky to get the top player out of the state of Michigan. We certainly have plans in the future to get back into Michigan and I think that is just going to open the door for us there. The very first player I signed 18 years ago at Tennessee was Tonya Edwards, the top player out of Michigan. She was MVP of the Final Four the next year as a freshman. It?s kind of ironic that my first year at Kentucky we get the top player out of Michigan. So maybe she will be the MVP of the Final Four next year.?
On when the new class will be able to make an impact?
?It is hard to predict how quick freshman can come in and make that transition from high school to college. I know that they will all make a difference next year ? I know they will. But as far as us proving our worth as being eighth in the country, it is hard to say.?
On if the newcomers will have a chance to be in the starting lineup?
?It wouldn?t surprise me at all, but it is going to be very competitive. Looking at who we are losing, SeSe Helm and Shambrica Jones, that is going to be a big void on the front line. The front line people are going to have a quicker opportunity to step in and see some early playing time or possibly even starting. The point position is still up for grabs. It will be whoever gets the job done. It didn?t matter if you are a senior or a freshman. It is who will get the job done.?
On how important it is to recruit players from Kentucky?
?We want to protect what we have in our own state. We?ve got to get that loyalty back from the kids. We are making a commitment right up from that we are coming after the Kentucky players. They are our priority.?
