On Isaiah Briscoe’s leadership …

“Isaiah, here is a seasoned veteran who knows what going on the road in the SEC is like, who knows what it’s like to be on the big stage that is Kentucky basketball. Nothing fazes him. Coach Cal doesn’t faze him. He’s embraced everything that is the day-to-day grind of Kentucky basketball. I think the thing that we’re proud of is he has been the guy that is the first guy talking and is the last guy talking — whether it’s on offense, whether it’s on defense, whether it’s in timeouts – he’s the guy that you can say is the straw that stirs the drink with this group. I’m happy for him that other people are recognizing him because when you’re with him every day – when you’re in the gym with him, when you’re in the huddles with him – you see how valuable he is.”

On Coach Cal saying the team is a month away from being at their best and what that entails …

“I think its day-to-day improvement. I think it’s collective togetherness. All of those things that we’ve been talking about since day one. So it’s doing what these guys are doing in the weight room, it’s doing what they’re doing in the training room, it’s doing what they’re doing before practice, after practice and really in the unseen hours. Whether that’s individually, whether that’s collectively it’s all of the above. I think that anytime you’re building a team, you’re always hoping that down the road you’re going to be better than you are currently.” 

On Coach Cal not fazing Isaiah Briscoe …

“I wouldn’t say that any of our young guys are necessarily fazed by it. I think I would say that Isaiah embraces it. He does it with a smile. Cal’s a guy that you have to know that — Cal is doing this so that you become your best version. And Isaiah knew that in the recruiting process, and now that he’s here, he’s living it. I think that the best thing. Personally I believe the thing that he does the best is he drags us. He’s a gatherer of guys that gets us to where we want to go.” 

On if a coach wants to faze their players …

“I’m not the head coach so I don’t know what that would feel like I guess. As a player you want to be your best. As an assistant coach here and as someone who sells our head coach – who’s a Hall of Fame coach, who’s the absolute best at what he does and who is undisputedly, unapologetically NBA prep and getting guys to where they want to go – I don’t know that how they feel now is going to be how they feel hopefully the first weekend in April, and ultimately the walking across that stage.”

On Bam Adebayo’s potential …

“He’s got tons. I think any time we talk about Bam, I don’t believe, and I don’t expect, that anyone here is going to see Bam’s best basketball. I think hopefully we can get him to be his best version right now before he leaves us – whenever that time is. Bam is a guy that comes in every day and just has a tremendous desire and thirst to be the best he can be, and then also have others around him be at their best.”

On what Mychal Mulder is adding to the team ..

“Mychal had a tremendous Camp Cal. Over the break Mychal was more competitive. He was one of the most competitive guys in practice during that time, and it’s paying off. I believe that Mike is playing maybe a little desperate with his career coming to an end here in the next couple months. I’m happy for him, personally, with what he’s done. You see him putting in time. You see him getting to practice a little earlier, staying a little later. And by Mychal being better he’s making our team better.”

On Mississippi State …

“I think they’re a team that plays extremely hard on both ends of the floor. They’re a group that puts pressure on you. It’s going to be a hostile environment. I think our guys are excited for the challenge. It’s going to be a big Tuesday night in the SEC on the road. We’ve had now opportunities to be on the road and test our youth. For us every time you step out you want to see where you are. We’ll see where we are on January 17. We hope we’re in a better place than we were a week ago when we were on the road.”

On Hamidou Diallo’s first week on campus …

“A little bit of everything. I had asked him before – you know, sometimes kids are able to come to a game, whether it’s an unofficial or an official visit, before they get here. He’d been in Rupp Arena, but it was not for a game. For him to be in there, he was excited. That’s what I asked him. He had been to other college basketball games — been to great atmospheres. So I think for him it was neat to see it. Obviously I’m speaking maybe for him in that. But just in the short conversation that I had with him pregame, he was excited. You know, he’s here for the right reasons: to become his best version. He knows that it’s a process and you can’t skip steps. And sitting, watching and learning is a big part of that. Hami’s an extremely bright, inquisitive young man. I think these next couple of months are going to be critical for his development and being the best he can be.”

On what he’s seen from Diallo in practice …

“At this point with where we are it’s been very little just because of what he’s been able to be a part of, which is some breakdown drills here and there. I think as we get into these next couple of weeks where he starts to feel a little bit more familiar with the system and what we’re wanting from him, I think we’ll start to see a little bit more of what he is and what he can’t do.”

On how much Quinndary Weatherspoon is the straw that stirs the drink for MSU …

“He’s a tremendous player. He’s obviously in a little bit of the same role as maybe as what we were just talking about with Isaiah, with a group of inexperienced players. He’s a guy that is able to provide maybe some stability for that group with (IJ) ready coming off the bench. You have a little bit of that with our seniors. So I would say that they’re a team that’s very similar to us. I would say he’s a guy who is a big part of their success and having that burden of success and failure is a big burden for college basketball players, especially at a young age. He seems to be handling it quite well.” 

On him tweeting out four burger emojis last night (in reference to the McDonald’s All-American Game) and how many more burgers he wants …

“I’m not sure. I was just hungry last night. [Laughter] I hadn’t eat all day. We practiced and I was out of town for a little bit. I had a cup of coffee and a doughnut so I was hungry.”

On if he feels like the “heart and soul of the team,” as Mississippi State head coach Ben Howland called him …

“Yeah, I do. I think everybody feeds off my energy and things like that. When I’m vocal on defense other guys start to talk on defense and everybody starts to feel more comfortable out there on the court. Yeah, I believe that.”

On Coach Cal saying they’re still a month away from where they need to be and what they need to work on to get there …

“Being more disciplined. As he says, play winning basketball. If we’re not at our best right now I’m fine with that because I think we’re pretty good with where we’re at. But like I said earlier, the sky’s the limit for me and these guys. If he says we can get better that’s just scary.”

On if Calipari is putting pressure on him to call more plays …

“I don’t believe in pressure. Me, I’m just out there playing basketball and doing what I love to do. All that pressure stuff and everything like that, that’s not going through my mind. I’m just out there trying to win.”

On if he likes being the guy who sets the tone for the team …

“Who wouldn’t? I think I deserve it. I’ve put the work in for it. I’ve put the time in here. I have a lot of experience out on that court, but not only that, I’m in here every day before practice, after practice working out, in practice giving 110 percent every day. It’s not just like that was given. I’m in here and I’m working like I’m not getting all this stuff. It’s just a mental thing with me. I’m just trying to get better every day.”

On if he ever feels pressure …

“No. I know how hard I work. Things might not always go my way, but at the end of the day, I know what I can do, I know how hard I work and I love playing the game of basketball.”

On if he feels like his old self after hitting some big shots, similar to how he did in high school …

“Yeah, and also it was us running a play and it swings to me and Coach always tells me to be in attack mode, especially when they’re playing zone. He likes to get me into those gaps. With the play we run, when (De’Aaron) Fox is coming around the guard has to go in, so as soon as the ball is thrown to me I’m attacking. Malik is in the corner so you can’t help off him. That just opens the lane up for me, and it was there time and (time) again. It was just there. Coach just kept running the same play and I was able to get open looks.”

On being comfortable shooting 3-pointers …

“I mean, it feels good. Like I said, I’m in here working for it. I’m in here busting my butt. So, good things happen when you work hard.”

On Howland saying Briscoe’s contributions are underappreciated …

“I appreciate it, but I’m just trying to win. I’m trying to do whatever my team needs me to do to win. That’s the most important thing.”

On if he feels like the team is still a month away, as Coach Cal said …

“Yeah, I think so and I hope so. I don’t think this team has a ceiling. Each of us come in here and we get better every day. Him saying we’re a month away, I’m excited to see us in a month and see how good we actually are.”

On UK assistant coach Joel Justus saying Calipari doesn’t “faze” Briscoe …

“Me and Cal just have an understanding of what I have to do, what he wants me to and what the team needs me to do. It happens. Sometimes I get out of that focus of what the team needs me to do and he’ll get on me and everything like that. But the play is over and the next play, give him a tap on the butt and …”

On if some players are afraid of Coach Cal …

“Oh, no. Coach is cool.”

On what Bam Adebayo gives this team this year that perhaps wasn’t there last year …

“I’m not going to say that wasn’t there last year, because our bigs last year did what they did and they all went on to play in the NBA. They were good last year. But this year, Bam just gives us a consistent inside presence. That’s big for us. Every team double teams him, which lets the lane be open for us guards. I think Bam playing the way he is, is going to take us far. We just need his confidence to keep growing. We’re starting to feed him the ball and he’s doing what he do.”

On Justus saying Adebayo is meaner than he thought he would be …

“It’s with this team I think you have to be mean on the court. It starts in practice. Like Coach said, we’re in there competing with each other. We’re acting like we don’t know each other, just for the love of the game and just to get each other better. Nobody on this team can really be soft. It starts in practice. If you’re soft in practice you’re going to see us every day. You just gotta have a different attitude coming into practice every day. And like you said, Bam is Bam. He’s big. He dunks on people. He’s gotta be mean. That’s just something that he’s gotta do. People respect that and when they see it he scares people. People are scared of that. It’s a good thing he’s on our team.”

On what the scouting report of him would say …

“I don’t think there’s really anything you can say because I’m not one-dimensional. If I’m not scoring in a game – if they say don’t let him score, well, OK, I’m going to get my teammates involved. I’m going to start transition, get rebounds, do that. If they’re trying to take Malik away or something and say, ‘Let Briscoe score,’ I can go and I can have a big night. I don’t know what you can say because I’m just playing basketball, always making the right plays. Stats don’t really matter to me. It’s just about winning. So, I don’t really know what you could say.”

On Coach Cal being excited that Briscoe got the team ready for a morning practice last week …

“Yeah, because he was late. He actually was late. He was worried about us having an early practice and the guys wouldn’t be up. I got the guys up. Everybody was in there yelling, clapping. Then when Coach got in there everybody was just like, ‘Yeahh!’ just letting him know that we were up and ready and we ended up having a good practice and he got to do what he had to do, so it was a good day.”

On embracing the leadership role …

“Yeah, it’s cool. That’s what he needs me to do for this team and that’s what I gotta do.”

On hearing, ‘overrated’ chants on the road against Vanderbilt …

“I heard that a lot when I committed here from Arkansas, so I was used to it.”

On dishing out six assists last game vs. Auburn …

“I think it was the other team keying on me, and then me just being able to make plays to get my teammates the ball.”

On a Twitter poll comparing the over-the-head pass to Hawkins vs. your baseline dunk…

“The dunk on the baseline was basic, so I think it was better when I threw it to Dom.” 

 

On Mychal Mulder’s growth …

“I saw him a little bit last year, but this year he’s much more comfortable. He is much more efficient with his shot and his ball handling has improved. His confidence is very high. We go at it against each other in practice every day. I go at him with my heart every time, so he’s getting better defensively.”

On cleaning up foul trouble …

“We have to keep our hands up. They’re calling the foul every time we drop our hands, so we just have to keep our hands up.”

On Bam Adebayo giving this team an intimidating edge …

“Every team is scared of him when they see him, I think. Especially when he comes out to defend guards on the perimeter. Bam is a great player and I’m glad to have him on this team. He brings a lot of energy too so we feed off of that.” 

On his defensive progression so far this year …

“A lot. I never played defense before I got here. Cal told me if I didn’t play defense, I wasn’t going to play here, so I just had to focus in on it and do what he says.”

On Isaiah Briscoe being a leader for this team …

“He’s been through it before. He’s been with a great leader like Tyler Ulis and that rubs off on him, so he’s just helping us with it.”