Matthew Mitchell Press Conference

Kentucky Head Coach Matthew Mitchell

Opening statement…
“Well, thanks for coming today. We really appreciate it and we are fired up for the 2019-20 season. We’re through 20 practices and a scrimmage so far, and we know a few things about our team and we really like the possibilities we have this season. I think this is a team that has tremendous capability to have a special season. We have some versatility, we have some depth, we have some great attitudes working right now. So, the key for us is to really come together as a team and stay focused on that throughout the entirety of the season. Every single practice that we can show up and really think about bringing out the best of each individual player and kind of melding that all together will lead us to success, so it’s a high character group. A lot of fun to be around, and we’re looking forward to what we believe to be a great season for the Wildcats.”
 

On players stepping into a leadership role…
“Well, we’ve had several players do that over the course of the summer, the preseason and now we’re into our practices. The team has filled leadership roles and everyone’s done that in a little bit different way. We’ve got some really intelligent seniors that are motivated to win and so you have some great senior leadership out of that class, they’re doing a good job. In the junior class, KeKe McKinney’s real vocal and I’ve been so proud of her growth as a, just as a person since she’s arrived on campus and now going into her junior year she seems like she’s really come into her own and understands what we’re trying to accomplish. Really all phases of our program, she’s done a good job. You know, Rhyne Howard is going to play such a huge part of our team and is such a good player that you know, we’ve talked to her that she’s got to bring some leadership from her role and I’ve seen a willingness from all of our returners to step in and fill those leadership responsibilities and that’s sort of the nature and the rhythm of life of a college basketball program, you’re always sad to see players like Taylor (Murray) and Maci (Morris) go, but it creates opportunities for other players and opportunities to grow. So, I think we’re seeing some really good leadership with our team. It’ll be important that we maintain that all season.”
 
On Saturday’s concert adding to an already-busy preseason schedule…
“No, no it’s not. I’m such a trained professional in that area that I need very little. I’ve been doing that for a long time, I won’t need a lot of rehearsal. In fact, we won’t have any rehearsal, we’ll just show up Saturday and you’ll be entertained. So, it is pulling nothing away from basketball preparation whatsoever.”
 
On how the concert came about…
“Well, we’re just very excited for the football game and we’re going to have a bunch of eager Wildcat fans down there and so we just felt like celebrating with some songs and music and of course dancing, we all know that’s a big part of it too, so we want everybody to come out and have a great time. This week we’re trying to get the word out too, that we’re so appreciative of the over 3,000 people that have gotten season tickets and so we want to provide them with an event to thank them and then also want to let everybody know of our drive for 5,000 season tickets, so these next few weeks are important to try to get the word out so that plays a part.”
 
On the difference in the team from last year to this year…
“Well, last year we had some players on campus, some transfers who were in practice every day but really couldn’t provide any depth in the game for us because they couldn’t play the game so now they’re going to be available and I think everybody of the returners has worked really hard to improve. So, you have some people who can do more than they could last year because they’ve committed to improvement. Then you add the transfers, Sabrina (Haines), Nae Nae (Cole) and Chasity (Patterson) who were on campus working hard and have a feel for the program. And then a really intelligent, smart freshman in Emma King who is catching on quickly. She seems to be a little ahead of the game mentally as far as being able to absorb things, she still will have to make an adjustment to college, but just gives you some, I think by the end of the season, you’re going to see her able to do some things for us, that are contributing to our success, so that infusion of the newcomers along with improvement by people like Rhyne Howard and Blair Green and KeKe McKinney and, you know, a lot of those returners have really taken steps forward in their game so I think that allows us to be versatile and also to have some depth and we will need that, this is going to be the kind of team we’re going to need to have everybody show up and put their best foot forward each and every day in practice and each and every game to make it work.”
 
On opposing teams trapping Rhyne Howard this season and what you’ve told her to help her deal with that…
“Well the thing that I think is going to make that, you know, I agree with you. I think that she will clearly be the focus of the post in defense. The trouble people will have is that she is so versatile. And a lot of times you know when you’re thinking of maybe shutting down the score, there may be a great post player who they’re going to run double teams at, or there may be a great shooter that people are going to try to face guard or deny and take the ball from. She just can influence the game in really every area, she just doesn’t have many weaknesses. Great ball handler, big, strong, athletic, so I think if you try to face guard her she’s athletic enough that we can find a way to get her the ball and then, she is just one of the best passers on the team, one of the best shooters on the team and, and then can really make an impact on the boards and defensively. So, we all have to do a good job, coaches and players and Rhyne alike, of handling those challenges that our opponents give us and they’ll be substantial, we’ve got a really tough schedule and some really smart coaches, so you know, Rhyne just has to show up every day, what we’ve stressed with her is showing up as the best Rhyne Howard she can be and everything else will take care of itself so she, I think has done a good job with that. I do think that early on, maybe there was some pressure on her that she really had to do something kind of otherworldly and I’ve told her, if she’ll come to work every day, just practice really hard, stay in the gym and make sure she sharp and prepared, I think it’s the other teams that have something to worry about you know because she’s just that, that versatile and gifted and talented and tremendously competitive, wants to win badly, but we’ll just have to work our way through all those challenges that the opponent sends our way and I think she’ll be equipped to handle him.”
 
On where you challenged her the most during the off season…
“Well, first of all, was just her mindset of, I think that, you know, Maci (Morris) was a very confident player and really progressed through her career of being a vocal player of letting people know what they needed to hear, you know, and I think had a had a commanding presence in our locker room and Taylor (Murray) also was such an impact player on the court, not always the most talkative, but individually would get around to people and really boost them up and help everybody, and so they clearly were our leaders and so I thought Rhyne was able to kind of, she wasn’t under the radar because she ended up being our leading scorer and rebounder and so everybody knew she was a good player but I think that was a security blanket for her. And so now we just talked about her understanding that when you are the kind of player that she is, some people are looking at you and there’s some responsibility there to carry yourself in the right way. And she has no trouble carrying herself with great class and kindness to her teammates and so that that’s really good. What I want to do is show up from the tip with a very competitive streak about her that you know that I need to do certain things on the floor and I can’t wait till I kind of fill out the game. I’ve always thought she was sort of, let’s see what’s going on and what’s required tonight and then I’ll give it to you, and more so showing up and understanding I need to bring my most competitive attitude and presence that I can bring. So, it’s a mindset first of all that we’re talking to her about, and then really the thing that I wanted to work on in her game was I didn’t think she was able to finish around the basket at a high enough level that can really take her game to another level and she’s really worked on that this summer and she’s looked much better. And so if we can keep progressing there she’s really going to round out her game because she’s still shooting the ball, just a great shooter, really can shoot the ball, ball goes in the basket and has been really tough around the rim so far through our practices so that that was important in offense and then defensively just understanding how special she can be she really be special on defense. Great athlete, big, strong tough, quick, fast, you know all those things that matter in basketball so I’ve been real pleased with that too. You know sometimes you see offensive players that think I’ve gotta score so I’m going to save it on the defensive end but she’s been really good on the defensive end too.”
 
On playing in the Southeastern Conference…
“Yeah, I think it’ll be a really tough and competitive league. I stay so focused on our team throughout the summer and during the preseason that I can’t tell you as much as I will be able to tell you once we start looking at the tape and seeing how the teams are developing, but just knowing the coaches in the room and knowing some of the players that are coming back, it’ll be a big and great league.”
 
On Emma King during preseason…
“Well, there were a few things that really drew me to Emma early on in her career that she’s still doing here, so I don’t know if surprised is the right word just real pleased that she is bringing her best qualities to the table. So, you know, she was, when you looked at her as maybe a freshman or sophomore, she wasn’t physically mature at the time, but I just loved her tenacity, she was always on the attack. She just played with a fearless attitude and wouldn’t matter whether the players were bigger, you know, and they get out on the club circuit during the summer and it wouldn’t matter what player was ranked or how big they were, she just was on the attack and that’s what we pride ourselves on being here at Kentucky is that we really want to be an attacking team offensively and defensively, so she had that quality about her. She committed to us early on, and she and her family asked me what she needed to do and I said well she’s, with her she is a good athlete and has plenty of athleticism to play, but she really needed to be a great shooter to fulfill her potential, and I can’t count how many times she and her dad would send me a picture of how many shots they made that night, are they really committed to that. So, I knew she was a worker and so she’s shown up with a real fearless attitude, she handles making a mistake with a tremendous ability to just figure out how, how does that lead me to getting better. She doesn’t stay down on a mistake very long at all, just let’s that roll off her back and looks at it as a learning opportunity so that’s why I say she’s ahead of the curve as far as being able to figure some things out. The pace of the game is still real quick for her, she has to get better with that, she’s got to get better with understanding her defensive responsibilities and all the things that come along with playing at this level, making that transition from high school to college, but she is highly intelligent, highly competitive, great teammate, very coachable and shooting the ball really well, and you can see, you know, her teammates get excited in practice, or when we show film, and she can do some things, you know she can get behind the screen, shoot from deep range, she’s not one dimensional shooter, she can put the ball on the floor, she can attack and so you know she’s, she’s had a good start and we need her to continue to do all those things I just told you she’s doing because she could really help us this year if she can continue to develop.”
 
On Sabrina Haines…
“Well, she’s highly, highly competitive and wants to win. And, and that’s key, and that’s important. Offensively a great shooter and has one of the most beautiful shots on our team, it just looks great leaving her hands. She makes a bunch of shots. She is very strong, hard to keep out of the paint, can get to the basket, can finish with contact, has a mid-range jumper, so she can score at all three levels there in the offense, three-point line mid-range and at the basket, so that’s valuable. She’s a good ball handler, and has really worked hard to improve on the defensive end, so I think she’s a player that could be a double-digit scorer for us, that’s the kind of skill she possesses, we’ll have to figure out her and all these players have to just keep going. We’re not where we want to be but that’s just the nature of this time of year but what I believe she can be is a very good scorer for us and tough competitor and you know this being her senior year I know she wants it to be an awesome season to finish up on, so I think Sabrina Haines playing well this year is a big part of our formula for being special.”
 
On Jaida Roper…
“Yeah, Jaida coming in as a freshman and watching her grow and develop and really become such an important part of this program has been a real joy, and it motivates you as a coach to put everything you can into completing that opportunity or completing the time that we have to help her development, to really round out. She has just grown in every single way you can grow, she’s grown as a person, she’s changed her body physically she’s increased her skill level. And she’s made big plays for us, you know she made really big plays last year for us. A real spark off the bench. And so just won’t hurt to, she has a great attitude, great energy about her, she’s really smart, as I said of a bunch of players we’ve got an intelligent team. So, just want her to bring her enthusiasm and her ability to really infect the team with great energy, she’s just an energy player and I think she sees the court great for us to distribute the basketball, and she has worked hard on her scoring moves this summer and spring and fall, and so she, she looks. I think she’ll have a great senior season.”
 
On having somewhat of a veteran team…
“Well it’s helped us progress. We were counting on a lot of freshmen two years ago and we didn’t quite know, you know, and I think one of my faults that year is that just, we really never got an identity, and we were constantly trying to figure out what we could do and rely on a lot of freshmen and so things kind of went slow. Last year we committed to a style of play and stuck with it all throughout the season. I think that really helped us and so now having a great veteran nucleus has helped us move in a positive direction a little bit more quickly because there was in year two of our reboot in pressure defense and up-tempo play, things are much more familiar for the players after having a year that under their belt. And so it’s helped us a lot. We’ve been able to make some progress in our half-court offense, we’ve done some different things and have added some new looks, and they’ve picked up on those really well and quickly and I think there’s just an overall better understanding and knowledge of what we’re trying to accomplish, it doesn’t mean we always get that done, we just have to continue to fight for improvement every day. We must get better today and every day leading up to the completion of our season, but the experience has definitely been helpful and has made the first 20 practices, we’ve been able to practice really hard because we’re not really slowing them down to learn a bunch of new stuff it’s, it’s been it’s been good to see.”
 
On if the style of play will change from last season with new talent on the team…
“Well, I think it’s a little too early to say exactly how we’ll go about it but, you know, the first thing that we want everybody to understand in our style of plays is, you know, offensively and defensively, we just, we want to be known for great hustle, and we want to be that team that the opponent knows, listen this is going to be 40 minutes of all out get after it and they’re going to hustle their way through the 40 minutes. So, that’s very important for everybody to understand. And then once, if you can get there, the scheme doesn’t matter as much to me. So, whether we are full-court man to man, whether we, you know, have more of a zone look in our press. You know, those things don’t particularly matter to me as long as everyone’s hustling and on the defensive end, we’re on the attack and we’re disruptive. So you can do that in a variety of ways. It doesn’t have to just be one way. And so we’re still trying to learn what this group’s gift will be but I definitely know they’re capable of that hustle, I’ve seen that from them. So we’ll defensively try to be disruptive and stay on the attack and I would think just visiting with you today, my best prognostication I could give you today would be, it’s going to be a mixture of man-to-man and zone and I think we’ve got a lot of versatile lineups that maybe a zone defense will suit that particular lineup a little bit better than man-to-man and vice versa. So, I like that about the team. Then offensively, again, attacking and being versatile to a spot where, you know, if you don’t come out and guard us we’re gonna be able to do some things and I think that this team has a great ability to shoot the basketball and that needs to be something that happens for us offensively because if we can do that, then our athleticism can really shine through. People have to come out and guard you and, you know, can’t sit back and just let you shoot or you’re going to make a bunch of shots on them. So, I think if we keep that one key of just being the team that hustles more than anybody else, all the other details will reveal themselves to us as we progress in practice.”
 
On how Blair Green has improved…
“Well, she’s improved her body, she got stronger last season, she’s more athletic, she’s quicker, stronger and is just a better athlete, and she has great athleticism, she has great length and athleticism, and she really works at shooting the ball, she’s in the gym constantly shooting the ball. We’re trying to transition her from playing the four to a little bit more on the wing. Although you start to look at this team and a four-guard lineup may be the best thing that’s happening for us, so she and Rhyne Howard both know that that there’s times where they may be the fourth guard on the court and running that, but just working on her guard skills, handling the ball more, working harder on her ball handling and she has really developed some of her scoring moves. It’s just like I told her, when I was recruiting her she’d say what do I need to do and one thing was developing her left hand, she has had some great finishes with her left hand, she’s been working hard on that. So, Blair is a hard worker and someone who can really shoot the ball and score. And so we hope that she can continue to develop that ability and be one of those real offensive weapons for us on that end of the floor and then a tough defender, with her length and athleticism she ought to be a really great defender for us.”
 
On recruiting visits during Big Blue Madness…
“Well, Big Blue Madness is so unique and I just think we do a great job, our athletic department, putting the resources into making it a special night. I think our marketing department works really hard to make it a fun, and what’s really become, you know, a celebration and, you know, pep rally of sorts to get excited about basketball season. So, I think for recruiting what it indicates to a young person and her parents or his parents on the men’s side, is just the enthusiasm and the passion there is for basketball at Kentucky. And, you know, there’s just not many places like this, and many events like that. And so, you know, there’s a lot of enthusiasm in the building on that night and so I think that’s valuable for a young person to see and you can get in Rupp Arena and see what that atmosphere is like and kind of the personality of our program, we try to show that through the introductions and then through the competitions and, and in our scrimmage. I think you saw the players really showing great personality and great competition and our shooting drills and then they had a good scrimmage, so I think that is great for a young person to see. And then just that one-on-one time that we have around the event and allow them to stay over and come to practice the next day, and so I think for us if we can get people to come to campus and really see what we’re about as people, and feel the energy that’s here, I think that’s great value for us. And we, as far as how we go about it, we want people who are enthusiastic about Kentucky to come and see us on one of our most enthusiastic nights.”
 
On if you had more recruits at Big Blue Madness this year than normal…
“We usually have a big crowd, we had a lot of really good people and generally do, so I don’t know that we had any more than normal.”
 
On a challenging schedule…
“It’s tough right off the bat, you know, I think we’ve put together a good non-conference schedule. There’s some good games that we will have here at home and three tough road contests that I think are good for you to have that experience in the non conference to go on the road and play and see how your team handles that. And then the conference, it’s an interesting year in the conference, if you really think about the last six or seven years you had, you know, the top team really had an inside presence, you know A’ja Wilson was just a really big physical presence and I mean they had a great team (South Carolina), but she was hard to deal with. And then the last two years with Teaira McCowan at Mississippi State, really unusual size and strength, and just hard to match up with. And so it’ll be interesting to see what players emerge that you have to deal with in the conference you know, there’s certainly some good players and we’ve got a tough schedule from top to bottom, from non conference to conference, and hopefully we can just continue to work and get better and have a really great season because I think if we can have success with our schedule, it sets us up for success in the postseason.”
 
On your expectations for Chasity Patterson…
“Well chastity is very high energy and so I’m hoping that she will keep doing what she’s been doing for us in practice last semester and this semester before anybody gets to see her play. Just push the tempo, she’s very fast, very quick, really good ball handler, can go both ways with the basketball, right or left hand, great passer. We set a lot on-ball screens, she’s really good in the pick and roll, can deliver some passes that set her teammates up to score. And then she can score, she can really score, she can put the ball in the basket in a variety of ways that that’s really dynamic, so she’s not that tall but she’s got great explosive speed and length, and so she can really finish around the basket and has a knack for that. She’s a good three-point shooter. I’d love for her to use that speed and quickness to really bother an opposing point guard on the defensive end, I really would love for her to just be able to harass the basketball and start our defense when she’s on the floor and really be disruptive and so I see her growing in that area. She liked so many of our players and we’ve been fortunate, she’s very coachable and has shown great attitude and is competitive and wants to win she wants to make this a special season for her and her teammates, so I think she can be a real weapon for us this year.
 
On being the second-longest tenured coach in the league…
“It has been a blessing. It’s been a blessing from God Almighty that I could get to a place that I’ve connected with early on. It may sound a bit contrived but it’s not, it’s so sincere that the moment I stepped on this campus as an assistant coach in 2003 it was just very, very different. For me it was a different feeling, it was an instant connection. And, you know, at that time I could have only dreamed of being the head coach here. And, and to have that opportunity at a young age to be at a place that you love and be at a place where you just have zero desire to ever go anywhere else as I sit here and talk to you today I just can’t imagine coaching anywhere else. That’s how much I love the place, it’s nothing other than a blessing. So, what it has provided me as a coach is a place where I could grow and become better and certainly hope that, I’m going to get better this season and continue to improve as a coach and as a person and if you want to coach basketball, and be a basketball coach, I just can’t think of a better place than to be at than the University of Kentucky. And then this city has just embraced our family and has been so kind and generous to us and so we really love it here and it’s been an amazing place to pursue my calling and my passion and it’s an awesome place.”
 
On 13 seasons as head coach at Kentucky…
“It’s kind of funny, and you know it’s both ways. It’s gone by quickly and then it seems like a long time all at the same time. It’s kind of crazy I guess to say, but it’s true. There’s so many people who’ve come through here. They’ve given so much to the program and have allowed us to be successful and I’m grateful for them, and I’m very excited about this season because I think this is one of those seasons that could be very special if we can all pull together and put it together, I think this can be a lot of fun.”
 
On the post presence…
“Well, we definitely have some players who can score around the basket. We’re returning Tatyana Wyatt who has made tremendous strides at scoring around the basket in her last 10 or 12 games of the season. She is highly skilled. Ogechi Anyagaligbo was so strong and physical, and she’s got a great knack of scoring around the basket. Nae Nae Cole has got a great skill set and can score in the paint. I hate that we lost Deasia Merrill. She was a very talented scorer that we will be excited for her to rehab her knee and be ready to go next year. But, the other thing is that we’ve also have some guards that we can have score around the basket. But we are not going to be a traditional low-post power game, that’s not going to be it, we will try to spread the floor, and our all of those players that I just talked about, along with KeKe (McKinney), Rhyne Howard and Blair Green, you got some real versatility, everybody can handle the ball, everybody can put the ball on the floor, everybody has ranged to at least 15 feet, so Ogechi and Nae Nae are at 15 feet, and the rest of them have ranged at the three-point line, so we will be on the move a lot in the post, we’ll be sitting on ball screens, pick and rolls, pick and pops, we’ll definitely set some cross screens to get the ball on the block. Right now, as we’ve analyzed the first 20 practices, our offense is much better when we get a paint touch by many percentage points. And so, you know, we definitely need to play an inside out game so it’s not just going to be jacking up a bunch of threes, although we’ll probably jack up a bunch of threes but we are very comfortable with our inside presence and their ability to get it done through skill, where they don’t have the size advantage.”
 
On the dedicated fans…
“Yeah, it’s really special to be in a place where people care and cheer for you and support you. And I think your adjective of them being ravid is so appropriate and describes them perfectly because we do have such a dedicated fan base, and every night we hit that door, walk down that tunnel and run into Memorial Coliseum, such a special place to play basketball in front of special fans, we’re very appreciative and we also understand what their impact is almost being a championship program. I mean the people who have already bought their tickets will be a huge part of creating this championship atmosphere in Memorial Coliseum and we just want a  few more to join that because they can have a direct impact with their energy and their enthusiasm and making it tough on the opponent. We’ve just had such great success in the Coliseum and we’re looking forward to another great year and I just want fans to understand how exciting I think this team is going to be, I think this is going to be one of those teams that people are just going to fall in love with and enjoy watching play this year. So, a fan can really have a direct impact on the success of the season by purchasing that season ticket and showing up and filling the Coliseum every night. I appreciate the people who’ve already done that and just want to urge everybody else to get involved.”
 
On who is shooting the ball well…
“Well, we have several players who are shooting at a high percentage rate. Blair (Green), Rhyne (Howard), Sabrina (Haines), and Amanda (Paschal), somebody who we really should talk about right now because she’s shown tremendous leadership and she’s shooting the three really well. She wasn’t feeling great last year with a nagging knee injury and she just looks like a different player, she’s changed her body and so she’s shooting the three really well. And so, so we have a lot of weapons there on the perimeter. Chasity Patterson is shooting the three well. We have a lot of weapons there on the three point strides and we just have to make sure that we’re committed to getting them in the right spot and using it as a tool to attack the opposing defense, but we have some good three-point shooting capability and we got to make sure we accentuate that this season,
 
On how hungry Sabrina Haines is to compete…
“She is very hungry. The key with Sabrina that I am talking to her about is there’s, you know, for all of us there’s a fine line between our strength and our weakness and so she’s so hungry sometimes that she’s too hard on herself when she makes a mistake and so just trying to get her to let those go and to move on to the next play. And once she does that, that hunger and that competitive drive really moves her toward a positive place but you think about it, she missed a lot two seasons ago because of the injury to her knee, she missed last season because of the transfer. So, you know, our last scrimmage was the first time she’s really played in game-type action in almost two years so she’s very hungry and very excited and I think she’ll have a great year.”