Kentucky-Georgia State Postgame Quotes
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY MEN’S BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE
November 29, 2024
Lexington, Kentucky, USA
Coach Mark Pope
Press Conference
Kentucky 105, Georgia State 76
MARK POPE: It was a great night for, I thought it was a great night of basketball. All of the saltiness and the whole deal. A really physical team, a good team. Jonas is a terrific coach. He’s going to be a star in this business. I’ve known him for a long time. It was, you know, Georgia State’s, this is their third game in four nights, so it was a really commendable effort for them. I thought our guys responded great. I thought our guys, as things got a little more intense, I thought our guys pulled together. And that’s such a, so beautiful to see that as a coach. I was really proud of the guys for that. I will take any questions.
Q Mark. I’m sure you don’t want to see all the pushing and shoving and all that, what does that tell you about your team the way they responded in the immediate aftermath of that incident?
MARK POPE: We had four kills in the first half and we had zero kills up to that point in the second half, and then we had 4 kills after that. I thought our guys did an unbelievable job, you know, as an athlete and performer is really what you are, right? The way we play, which is so mentally demanding. You can’t get too carried away emotionally and you got to keep taking all the emotion and funneling it back to focus. And I thought our guys did a spectacular job of doing that and at the same time meeting the physicality of the game. I was really proud of our guys and it felt good. It felt nice. Our guys, you know, when things got salty, our guys leaned into each other and looked into each other and making eye contact with each other and talking to each other and were backing each other up. That’s what you want from a team. Our guys felt it too. They talked about it in the locker room after. Some of the guys made that comment, man, it felt good to know that we were all in this together. And so, all of those were good signs, I was proud of our guys and I was proud they kept a lid on it too, like it never became distracting, it became focusing. And that’s the difference between winning and losing it. If we can take all the emotion and keep it in a focus place and not a distract place, it’s really great.
Q Coach, you talked about what Kerr Kriisa does for this team. You said some nights he’s gonna get 12 assists and zero turnovers, and you said one night would be a night where he will get 20. But tonight it seemed like after that little incident, he kind of really focused in there for a minute and even was getting really excited and trying to get the crowd into it. And then at the end he was kind of throwing up some shots. Where is the line and how do you use that energy but then also keep it controlled to where you can funnel it?
MARK POPE: Yep, Listen, I’m telling you guys, we talked about this altogether, probably when Kerr first came here. He’s a one of one. I’m telling you, I love coaching him so much. Our guys love him as a teammate so much and he was spectacular tonight. At one point he was our leading plus minus. He was +16 and we were only up six, and he’s a +16 at that point in the game. And he took a couple of charges tonight and it was super salty and was super animated and he brings so much energy and so much pace and so much moxie and fearlessness. And then I will tell you the best tribute to Kerr, is that with one minute 30 seconds left, Lamont comes up to me and I just subbed the guys back in and Lamont said, hey coach, Kerr is only three points away from 1000 and we got to give him a shot. So the whole bench was like, Kerr, you got to shoot it, we got to get to 1000. Gotta get to 1000. One of the beautiful things about Kerr is he’s never going to shy away from the moment. Even that part, Kerr has done such a, I’m telling you, he’s done such a beautiful, he’s been such a piece of galvanizing our team. I just think BBN is going to continue to love watching what he does. There’s going to be some moments where Kerr crosses the line. I’m going to ask Kerr to do something and he’s going to say no, I’m going to do the other thing, I’m like, ok, I love you and you bring some salt to our team. He’s super special. I’m so grateful he’s here, he’s helping transform this team into something special. He’s brilliant.
Q Mark, over here. When you were hired, there was so much excitement with the fan base. 35 three-point attempts a game running. All of that stuff. I had some old-timers who grew up with the game that said well, what happens on those nights where they go seven of 26? Is this your answer? And have you have a team that can do both at this kind of level?
MARK POPE: I was really proud of our guys. Probably led by Amari. I mean, Andrew Carr was unbelievable too. Andrew Carr was so stubborn as second pivot guy, like being relentless to the rim. If you think about Georgia state, Georgia State is a team that was built and function to like punish you and they are a double duck team and there’s just not a lot of teams that play double duck basketball anymore. From the 80s, right, it works. And actually everyone has gone so far away from it that it’s kind of interesting to bring that style back and see where it works because it’s not something that you see every night. They are built physical and tough and scored inside and just be relentless. They are driving into two, four bodies, two guys ducking and driving into it. But what I’m super proud of is on a night where we didn’t shoot the ball great, we outscored them in the paint 62 to 24. That’s super cool. And that’s a lot of things. One, Lamont Butler was like, my gosh, every time I turn my guys hips and get to the rim, there is nobody there. Right? That’s a tribute to our guys shooting the ball so well and being so dangerous and cutting so hard. Amari was unbelievable, just taking up space in the middle. I love it. I think we went a different way against Western Kentucky. I think we went a different way tonight. I think we have a team that can meet the moment. We’ll always strive towards being the character of what we are. When the game just doesn’t play that way, I think we find other ways to win it and that’s going to be really important for us to be a great team and a great team to do that can win in different ways. The 62 points in the paint was super exciting to me.
Q Mark, right here. Going back to the scuffle real quick, you got on the floor and helped break it up. Kinda two things. One, what was going through your mind when that was going on? And number two, how do you grade your own physicality on that play and how you got in there?
MARK POPE: I was a little slow out there. I was a little nervous about pulling a hammy, but if I’m being clear, I probably shouldn’t be so transparent. I raced out there and, you know, you are always trying to just remove people from the fray. I grabbed one of the Georgia state players that was kind of jumping in late and my next reaction was where is Lee Anne. I’m telling you, at one point she could be running on the floor knocking someone out and I’m like, I cannot have that. That was actually my second thing. I got this thing taken care of. Make sure Lee Anne is under control over there. This was – was it your favorite game so far? Lee Anne loves it when it gets salty. It’s like get em, all right, I’ll stop.
Q Mark, you mentioned Lamont earlier. I think 17 points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals. Can you just talk about what he’s giving you right now?
MARK POPE: My goodness, he was good today, wasn’t he? He was so under control and didn’t look like he could reproduce every single one of the plays he made every single night? There was no hope in any of those plays. I’m so proud of him. Like how he’s transitioned now to going from a guy who, it was funny, we were sitting at Thanksgiving dinner yesterday and – what do they call it. It was something, you weren’t there. You guys have to ask Lamont after. It was something about downhill Butler, just racing to the rim. He will tell you the phrase. But the savvy he is playing with now. His maturity in the game and the fact he’s not blindly racing downhill. He’s a prober now and he’s manipulating all the pieces on the court is what allows him to be a seven for 10 guy tonight and probably a seven for 10 guy the next night and next night and I’m telling you, he’s growing so fast in his game right now. He’s been awesome, he’s been terrific tonight. I thought he was brilliant on the court.
Q Mark, we kind of think of you as a forward thinking person. We’ve got a couple of important games coming up this week. I know it’s not even December yet. How important are those games in terms of preparing for March?
MARK POPE: Well, we are trying to learn from every game. The two games this week. This week somewhere, I can’t remember what day it is. The last two games have been great learning games for us. Like, great, the data we are bringing in is so good and our guys are experiencing things together so good. You know, next week is our first true road game. Really, it’s going to be essentially our first true road games against elite level talent. Both insanely physical teams. Clemson incredibly physical. Gonzaga, I know Gonzaga well. We been messing with them for a long time and coach Hughes is probably the best in college basketball or close to it, I don’t know how to rate them. Gonzaga is always insanely physical and part of their team that people miss sometimes. It’s something, we are going into a combat week where it’s going to be a massively physical game. Tuesday and whenever, Saturday or Friday or whatever it is. We are excited about it. We will learn more about our team. You know, our job is to go win. And so, these guys will go home and get some rest tonight and as a staff we will jump on this hard tonight and get as much in we can tomorrow. It’s awesome, this is what you love about college basketball is you can turn it around in 72 hours and go again. Good week. So, Big week.
Q Hey coach, your team is doing good in transition going off turnovers. Can you talk a little bit more about for your team to be able to do that?
MARK POPE: I’m really proud of our transition numbers. I don’t know, I don’t think our transition has been as high as normal. We have been at 25% almost at 1.4 points per possession in transition which is insanely good. Our guys are capable. We have guys that can, you know, we are not a massive turnover forcing team but we have guys that can get live ball steals. Lamont can drive grab live ball steals and Otega can grab live ball steals. And we have guys that can go up and grab a rebound and push our fives and fours and get pushed in transition and all of those things really help. It’s an important part of who we are. Our pace was not at an elite level tonight but it’s still good and an important part of the game for us.
Q Mark, I know you love playing here but going back to those two games coming up. What kind of bonds can be formed with a team like this. Especially, I know you been together a few months but new guys when you go out on the road and into those environments. What do you see happening?
MARK POPE: It’s good times and hard times and all the times that bring teams together. It’s where our guys focus is, right? Tonight was brilliant because our guys kept leaning into each other. As long as we do that, wins are going to bring us closer together. Tough times are going to bring us closer together. Fights are going to bring us closer together. Huge massive scoring runs are going to bring us closer together. It’s how we deal with those situations and our guys are doing a great job leaning into each other. It’s fun and it makes the locker room really fun. These guys are working hard. You’ve got some guys that are sick and some guys that are hurt and a couple guys out. The guys are still fighting to lean into each other and bring joy for each other. It’s really every day. You and I talk about, we just don’t have enough time. We want to put as many, squeeze as many moments in as we can where we can lean on each other through all the stuff because that’s actually where we get close. I will leave with a little comment on the referees. Okay? Really disturbing. My cufflink broke. I love wearing cufflinks, it makes me feel nostalgic, like New York in the 60s, I don’t know. To me it’s like you have big eyes, where is he talking about, where’s it going. My cufflink broke, I didn’t know it, okay? The referee is running down the court and he said coach, your cufflink broke and it’s on the floor. These guys see everything. Kudos to the referees for seeing everything. They’ve got a really, really hard job but they do it well. Thanks, guys.
KENTUCKY BASKETBALL POSTGAME QUOTES
KENTUCKY VS. GEORGIA ST.
November 29, 2024
UK Student-Athletes
#2, Jaxson Robinson, G
On the way they reacted/came together after the skirmish …
“I think it was pretty obvious that it got us going, so we have to play like that. I felt like we let up a little bit towards the beginning of the second half. But like I said, it got us going and we started making some shots.”
On Coach Pope running out…
“It shows the love and care he has for his players, so I mean, great coach.”
On what they are looking forward to on upcoming road games…
“It’s a test. We haven’t really had our first real road game yet, so I think everybody decided to get out to Clemson and just compete. We know they’re a tough, physical team, so we’re excited to get out there and hopefully win the ball game.”
#15, Ansley Almonor, F
On playing on a team with seven double figure scorers…
“It’s just great having teammates. We all make shots. We all work hard and we’re such a talented team, so it’s great to go out there.”
Thoughts on last two days…
“It’s been great. Yesterday, we celebrated Thanksgiving—a holiday to practice gratitude, and be thankful. And to see BBN show out like this, the day after Thanksgiving, they could be out shopping on Black Friday, and then coming out to pack this house just shows us how much they really love us. Made us want to go out there and fight for them.”
On the crowd’s energy during the skirmish…
“For sure. It turned us up a little bit. It’s like a little boost in your back. So, we definitely heard that.”
#1, Lamont Butler, G
On Kerr Kriisa being close to 1000 career points…
“I knew he needed three more. It was something we talked about. He said he needed twelve points before the game and, once he had nine, I was like, ‘coach he can get three more’. I wanted to see him get one, but he didn’t.”
On channeling the energy from the skirmish…
“I think they just woke us up a little bit at that point. It was a time when they went on a big run. We’re ready to go at that point, ready to fight back and just play hard.”
KENTUCKY BASKETBALL POSTGAME QUOTES
KENTUCKY VS. GEORGIA STATE
RUPP ARENA – LEXINGTON, KY.
NOVEMBER 29, 2024
Visitor Coach Quotes
Jonas Hayes
Opening Statement …
“I don’t know why y’all want to talk to me. We just got 30 balled. But I tell you what—Coach Pope and his historic Kentucky program—we are honored to have the opportunity to compete against these fellas. They have a hell of a team. And you know, what can I say? My guys fought. I thought we brought a competitive edge to us, but I tell you what—you know Big Blue Nation showed up today. But I’m proud of our guys. So, Georgia State showed its face today too.”
On when things started to get physical in the game …
“One of our calling cards is to play a physical brand of basketball, especially in our league. I think that that’s what carries ourselves in our league. That play was nothing. I don’t think anything sinister about; it was just a physical play. Clashes like that happen every day in practice, and so that’s nothing new. And if you’re not used to that, you can kind of get taken aback—not to say Kentucky wasn’t used to it—but we see that every single day. And again, from that point on, I think they made decisions and made shots and we couldn’t really counter that at the level that they were doing it. Kentucky was making shots. But again, I’m proud of the competitive fight that our guys brought to this game. And again, you can’t win them all, but I’m telling you what, you can compete. You can bring your fight every time you step in between those lines. And I’m so thankful our guys did that. That’s our identity.”
On how frustrating it is to defend Kentucky well from behind the line, but not win the game …
“Not frustrating at all, because our game plan was that Kentucky does a great job of shooting the three, and our chief goal was to not get burned on a three, and we held them to seven you know three pointers made. You have to tip your cap, because you know what? The shot we wanted them to take, they were making them and you know what? Sometimes it’s not your night, and we tip our caps to them. That’s a hell of a team, they have a really good team.”
On if being physical against Kentucky will become a strategy…
“They were just as physical as we were and they matched our physicality. The big fella [Amari Williams] is going to be a load. He’s going to be an absolute load. But, I thought they were physical. I thought they were physical from my vantage point at least.”
On coaching against Mark Fox tonight…
“I love that fella. He gave me my first high major opportunity—and to see him on the other side of the court—it was kind of weird there for a minute. But he’s a hell of a guy. [Kentucky] has a good one, you have no idea.”
On Kentucky’s offensive balance and the difficulty of defending them…
“They’re the number eight team in the country for a reason. They have a lot of guys. They have got a lot of guys who can put it in the hole many different ways. We tried to take away their three ball, and we kind of sort of did, but they found a way. And that’s what good teams do. And so again, I just have to tip my cap to them. We wanted to limit those three pointers, they shot 26 of them. They only made seven, but they still whipped us. That’s what good teams do. But again, I want to just highlight that my guys brought a level of intensity and urgency, attention to detail, and I think that’s going to be good for our team moving forward. This is an opportunity that we’re going to take from it and we’re going to learn from it.”
