Question: How do you keep the momentum going from last year?Matthew Mitchell: We don’t focus a lot on last year, is the way. We just have to make certain there are certain fundamentals that we know we have to be able to execute. So that’s what we’re trying to keep our mind on, and I’m keenly aware that the externals are going to be different, but we have to focus on the internals is the way I’ve talked to the team. The internals are the focus because it’s about to start happening – the comparison to last year is inevitable. We would like for it not to be that, but that’s not reality. It’s something they have to deal with. It’s a big, big pitfall that we could encounter if we spend much time, if any, focused on last year. I’m real proud of that team, where they will stay in the history of the program and where they’ll stay in my heart will always be a real, real special place. But this is a brand new team. Everybody’s changed since last year. It really is a whole new ball game for us. I think the best way to answer your question and follow up last year is to try to see if this group will come together as a team similar to that group last year, then we’ll be fine and I’ll think we’ll have a very good season.

Question: Is the up-tempo style and in-your-face defense something you’re going to have as a signature the rest of your career now?Mitchell: You’ve seen that happen and I’ve thought a lot about that. I was visiting with Sherri Coale this summer, who beat us to go to the Final Four, and she said she had success (with it). I think they’ve been to three Final Fours and all had been different styles and all different teams. I think it really depends on your players. What we are doing is we’ve been very fortunate that the kids that have wanted to come to Kentucky are very athletic, quick and can move. So this team, if they’ll pay the price, can absolutely play pressure, in-your-face up-tempo. That’s what we were trying to do and I think it can be a very fun way to play for a number of years. I’m just not sure. We’ll see if that develops.

Question: Have they been willing to play that way in individuals?Mitchell: They have been. This group has been willing to go hard. The thing we’ll have to find out is are they willing to do that day after day because right now it’s just a couple times a week or three times a week. For instance, today we’ll go 90 minutes, so it will be the closest thing to a practice that the newcomers have gone through. I expect them to do OK today. It’s when you’re in the fourth day in a row of it, that’s what remains to be seen. I’ve said this many times: There’s a really high price tag on what we’re trying to end up with and they will have to pay that every single day. 

Question: What does it cost to a player?Mitchell: It’s giving up every individual motivation that you may have, every piece of desire you might have for a certain point average or minute average or anything. That’s just wrong. You have to give all that up. That’s just so natural to kids. It’s just sort of how any of us that’s played, the first stat your look at is the points you scored. That was just sort of what defined the player, so it’s unusual from that standpoint. You know your identity. The price is you have to become very in-tuned on the defensive end of the floor and get in the best shape of your life and you have to do it every day and not grow weary of the fundamentals. It’s very different than a lot of people do.

Question: Why do you think the up-tempo style was so successful last year and why don’t more teams in the women’s game use it?Mitchell: Ours, we did it out of necessity. It was just necessary we had to play that way. Then we got into it and the kids bought into it and enjoyed playing that way and you could see the confidence it instilled in them. We just happened upon it. The only plan we had last year was we just wanted players in the program that wanted to be at Kentucky and thought that was a special deal. We ended up with a lot of short players that didn’t have any size and wanted to be here and could play so that’s how the style developed. It wasn’t any grandmaster scheme. It just felt that was the only way to be successful, but as you look at the personnel coming back, now it’s clearly built to play that way, so I don’t know why other people don’t play that way. I’ll tell you this: If you don’t have a group of kids that want to sacrifice for each other, you look silly playing that way. There’s a lot of teams that press at the end of games and it doesn’t work very well unless the other team screws up. It’s hard day after day to do it but it’s worked for us so far.

Question: Depth wise, you’re better suited to run the up-tempo this game, right? Mitchell: I think we’re deeper. Well, we have the potential to be deeper.  This is preseason and I’m kind of guessing. From what I’ve seen, we’re deeper at guard and that’s what really fuels you to be able to get people to get up and pressure the ball. We’re awfully deep in the backcourt and we have some kids in the backcourt that can swing in the frontcourt that are very versatile players. I think the depth is good and have the potential to build a faster more athletic team.