UK ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
KENTUCKY WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
KENTUCKY VS. WESTERN CAROLINA
DEC. 18, 2018
MEMORIAL COLISEUM – LEXINGTON, KY.
UK Head Coach Matthew Mitchell
Opening Statement …
“Proud of the team tonight. We came out with outstanding energy and effort. Western Carolina is so banged up right now. I have a lot of respect for how hard they played and competed, and we sure wish them well this season. I hope they can get healthy. They had a lot of players missing tonight, and I thought they gave a valiant effort and really battled. I was proud of our team for just playing hard and trying to come into the game focused, disciplined, consistent effort. We have certain areas where we can get better, but just proud of them coming out and hustling tonight. I thought everybody on the team that played had some good moments, and of course, everybody has room for improvement, so we’ll keep working at it, but proud of the team’s effort tonight.”
On Tatyana Wyatt’s performance tonight …
“She’s really active. We worked real hard yesterday. Just one day of preparation, but we worked really hard on reading our defenses better, and I thought she had some nice plays tonight where they were switching screens, and she had some nice slips to the baskets and the guards found her, so I thought she was really engaged mentally tonight. I thought her confidence continued to build. She is a really good shooter, good player, but sometimes thinks a little too much, wants to do a little too well at times, and I thought tonight she was really relaxed, played hard, but was not tense. That’s a tough balance to find sometimes. I thought she really played sharp, focused basketball, but played with some freedom and was able to make some reads that got her some good shots tonight, was ready to shoot when she caught it. She just got in a great rhythm, and we need her. It’s real important that we have her play up to her capabilities, so we can be the best team we can be. Really happy for her. Obviously, good night for her.”
On what you take from a game like tonight when the other team is so banged up …
“You have to stay focused on your fundamentals, and you can’t get sloppy. You might be able to make some plays not doing things the right way, so you really focus in. We have a lot of respect for Western Carolina. They’re going through a tough time with injuries. Going into the game, I just wanted our players focused on our fundamentals and trying to get better. We have a lot of room for improvement, but was happy with the overall energy. I thought the energy was high, on the bench, on the floor. I thought everybody was trying to work together to play a good game tonight. We had some lapses where we didn’t play our best against Louisville that really cost us. Then, we had an outstanding first half against MTSU and then really relaxed in the second half and didn’t play very well from an energy standpoint. We wanted 40 minutes of good energy tonight, and I thought we got that.”
On not having anyone play more than 30 minutes tonight …
“We like to get the rotation as deep as possible. Tonight, there was a lot of opportunity for people to play, but we would love a deep roster. It gives you the ability to push pace, and people can play at a little higher level with less minutes, play harder for a shorter period of time, be more productive. Right now, it’s a time where we are really trying to improve as a team, and we’re trying to practice hard and improve as a team. People certainly have opportunity every single day to earn minutes in the game, and that’s really what we’ve always done here and had good success with. The practice floor is what tells the tale. We need to keep a sharp focus here during the break from classes and put everything we can into our practice and our preparation.”
On the success of the bench so far this season …
“They’ve been very instrumental. We’ve had some great contributions from our bench. It’s so important for those players to contribute. I thought we shot the ball great tonight. I’m so proud of the team. They’re working hard at it. We’ve really committed to shooting, and the assistant coaches have done a great job with our in-practice shooting, and then, people are coming early and staying late, and I thought it really showed up tonight. You saw Jaida (Roper) and Amanda (Paschal) both came off the bench and were able to make some shots. Ogechi (Anyagaligbo) came off the bench and scored for us. Blair (Green) was able to come off and score. Kameron (Roach) had a bucket. Anytime you can get that contribution from the entire team, it certainly strengthens your chances of victory.”
On where the team is at after 12 games …
“I’m grateful for where they are right now and where we are record wise. I’m really grateful for the commitment that they’ve made to try and be a good team. As you look at the nonconference schedule before the season and you’re trying to prepare yourself, you certainly look at some games that are going to be tough. We’ve been able to really take care of business, 11-1 right now with a tough loss on the road to Louisville. I’m really proud. I don’t know if I’ve ever gone into a season quite certain of what the record is going to be. I thought we would be better off this time last year than we were, and this year, we are really in fantastic shape from a record standpoint. So, you’re grateful for that, but I think we have a really good sense of where we are as a team, and we certainly have many, many areas where we believe we can improve. That’s the focus for us right now. The one thing I do know about our team is they’re high-character people, and they want to win, and they work hard to win and even on those days when we’re not at our best, they have the ability to bounce back and come back the next day and try to improve. We’ll just stick with that. All coaches will tell you, you just got to try and get better each day, but I’m real grateful for where the team is right now.”
On how the non-conference schedule will prepare the team for conference play …
“I think that you play some games, like tonight, where we had more talent and more resources and more depth, and you’re a heavy favorite going into the game. Those are opportunities where you really have to hold yourself to a high standard, and you have to work really hard so there’s value in that, just doing your best each and every day. You feel nothing but respect for Western Carolina, and I talked to coach before the game, and she said, ‘They’re getting back and getting healthy.’ So, we hope they have a great year once they get healthy.”
UK Student-Athletes
#14, Tatyana Wyatt, So., F
On her play in the first quarter…
“The first quarter was pretty good. I felt good about it when I saw my first layup go through. I gained more confidence. I’ve been working every day after practice with Coach (Amber) Smith, Blair (Green) and KeKe (McKinney). I felt good today.”
On her foot injury and how she feels about her game…
“I feel fine. I am still working through that. It’s not really a setback, it’s more like progress.”
On her season-high points scored tonight and how it will translate into the rest of the season …
“I sure hope it gets better from here. I’m going to keep working so hopefully it does.”
On if the bigs are stepping it up the last few games…
“I do. I feel like we have been putting in a lot of work after practice and before practice because our teammates need us and we realize that so I do feel like we are contributing more.”
On the importance for everyone playing for each other on the team right now…
“I feel like everyone is an important part of the team. It is a team sport so it’s not really dependent upon one class.”
#32, Jaida Roper, Jr., G
On how important the bench play is with SEC games coming up…
“It’s really important for us to get that experience to help contribute and relieve the pressure off the starters. They play really hard so just to come in and give that extra spark so they don’t feel like there is a letdown is important. The bench players have been trying to step it up and help them out.”
On what coach says to them when the other team is struggling…
“Well coach always emphasizes how the game is really based on us. We have to play our hardest no matter who we are playing. No matter what, our focus is to get better every game and that was our one chance to get better today. I feel like we took advantage of working on the things we need to work on to get better.”
On the importance for everyone playing for each other on the team right now…
“I think everyone works well together and we have learned how to get leadership and everyone learns from Maci (Morris) and Taylor (Murray) on how to speak volumes so we have just passed it on through the team.”
On her shot this year compared to last year…
“Taylor, Coach Amber and I stayed in the gym after practice almost every practice working on shots and different layup packages and all that. Just working on it, I got a lot more confident with it. I’m finally letting the ball fly.”
