Notes and Quotes from the Calipari and the Players
UK Head Coach John Calipari
On moving to No. 2 in both major polls …
“We have a long way to go but I am happy. Rick Barnes and I talked last night. You know what I said? I said that I remember in 1977 I was a camper at the University of Pittsburgh, Tim Gergeriche’s camp, and I was sleeping in the training room because it was a day camp, but they let some of us stay overnight up there because it was a long drive back. One of the coaches that week was a guy named Rick Barnes, who had long hair and had a Volkswagen Beatle and a toss back in the back of it from North Carolina and he traveled around and did camps. I said, ‘Could you imagine you are now No. 1 and the dude sleeping in the training room is now No. 2?’ He started laughing and said, ‘We have come a long way Cal.’”
On the environment that he expects to play in tomorrow at Florida …
“I’ve been down there and they tell me that it is a great environment for college basketball and they will be mean and vicious and say stuff and have signs. They are not going to do what I say to do which is just cheer for the teams. They are going to go after us and that is OK. That is part of that environment and that is fine. We are going to find out where we are. That is why you do this. We went to Indiana and got down really fast and were down 12 and about to get blown out and we just had to chip away and get back in the game and end up beating them. Now, this will be a team that will be even better and a tougher environment than Indiana. We will see if we are ready for it.”
On if some of the older guys could tell some of the younger guys about this environment …
“Some of the guys might; I asked them if it was a tough place to play and they all nodded yes. They said it was a great environment.”
On Florida’s team and what impresses him the most about them …
“Their guard play, their athleticism, their length and press. They play a great zone and are very active. They have played a great schedule in the teams that they have played. They have gone on the road and played teams at home. Syracuse is a top-five team and the game that I just got done watching, the N.C. State game, it was amazing. That one there was (great.) Billy (Donovan) even jumped for that. It is like Georgia, it doesn’t matter how they have played to this point, when they play us it will be one of their best games of the year and we expect it. That is how it is when you put on this uniform and play at this program. That is what you have to expect because that is what is going to happen.”
On Kenny Boynton …
“He is very good. I recruited him. I spent a lot of time recruiting him. He is a very good player who can score and can handle it. He is really tough. He has that sort of toughness that I like.”
On if he is still thinking about starting DeAndre Liggins …
“I am not going to do it because I think that we will need him coming off the bench. But he and Daniel (Orton) will be the first two subs. When you talk about seven now, he has worked his way into that seven. I will then go from there.”
On Daniel Orton and his play so far this season …
“He is doing fine. He and I watched his film together. I am going to start taking more of a personal interest in his stuff and he will watch the tape with me. It was really simple stuff.
“The tape doesn’t lie. There are things like that we have to shore up. We have a long way to go and this is a great challenge to play against a great coach. (UF coach) Billy (Donovan) is a great coach and a good friend. His program has been there and done that. It will be an environment that will be outrageous and it should be. We are playing four freshman and two sophomores now in our top-seven.”
Kentucky Players
#5, Ramon Harris, Sr., G
On the advice he has given his teammates about the atmosphere at the Stephen O’Connell Center …
“We tell them that it is crazy, but I am sure they have seen a little bit of what it is like on TV. It’s definitely something you have to experience for yourself.”
On the atmosphere at Florida …
“Loud. Intense. The floor may be shaking a little bit. But, it’s going to be fun and I’m looking forward to it.”
On playing and being successful on the road …
“It’s something you come play college basketball to do. You want to go on the road and play in a loud gym and a loud environment. That’s something we’re going to get to experience tomorrow.”
On the potential of UK overlooking Florida because they lost to Vanderbilt …
“No, especially not with this being a home game for them (Florida). They are a very hard team to play at home. It is going to be a fun game.”
On the biggest challenges UK will face against Florida …
“They have a good team from top-to-bottom. They are just like us. They are a very good team. They play hard at every position. We expect them to play extra-hard tomorrow, especially with them being at home.”
#33, Daniel Orton, Fr., F
On Florida’s Kenny Boynton…
“He can handle the ball really well. He can shoot the ball; he is just a really good point guard, with lots of good attributes.”
On playing in a road environment at Florida Tuesday night …
“Coach Cal has asked some of the older guys to talk to us a little bit about this away game, since we haven’t had that many away games. There is a lot of pressure on us to do well and compete and see how we do on the road. That is one of the things we are focusing on right now, just seeing how we can do on the road.”
On playing Florida Tuesday …
“Hopefully we can play our own game, but I think we will do pretty well, because of the fact that we have a great team with great leadership. Everyone is just going to come together, get our minds right and just play well.”
On if the close win over Georgia is a wake-up call …
“It isn’t that big of a wake-up call because we had that a little bit early in the season. I wouldn’t call it a wake-up call; I would call it a good game, which is going to happen now and again.”
On improving his game …
“Right now, I am doing pretty well as a defensive player. I am trying to bring my offensive game up a little bit, something I have been working on. My teammates, as coach Cal said, are lacking confidence in me in the low post because early on I didn’t show that much aggressiveness. I am just trying to get their confidence and show that I can score the ball in the low post.”
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