UK Notes and Quotes
From UK ATHLETICS:
Kentucky Head Coach Billy Gillispie
“It’s always fun to win. We’ve got a long way to go, obviously, but winning is a lot better than losing. We’re just making too many mental mistakes. Even though it’s only our third contest, we shouldn’t be making those kinds of mistakes. We have to have more effort and we have to have more thoughtful play.”
On senior Joe Crawford seeing limited playing time in the first half of the game …
“Whoever earns it, gets it. That’s the way we work. I want all of them to compete like crazy and I want all of them to rebound it. I want all of them to defend and carry out all of their responsibilities. That’s not Joe in particular, that’s all of them.”
On Crawford’s improved second-half play …
“Joe’s going out there and Joe’s getting in better shape. There’s no question that he’s a great player. He’s got to learn that we are going to play very, very competitively. Sometimes you have to look around and see what you have as partners. I think the best players look around and say ‘This is really what my team needs me to do.’ You have to take on greater responsibility and I think he’ll do that in time.”
On the post presence after Patrick Patterson was limited with two fouls…
“I thought Mike [Williams] played great. I thought he played fantastic, especially for his first time out. He made some mistakes, but I thought he played fairly smart for a freshman. I thought he played extremely hard and he’ll get better with playing experience. We’re going to throw it in there, no matter who’s in there. The dominant post player for us in our first two games has been Mark [Coury].”
#32 Joe Crawford
On adjusting to a new coach…
“Coach Gillispie has a way and we have to buy into his way. At first it took some adjusting but I buy into his way. His way works. His past teams never underachieved and if we want to be as good as them then we have to buy into his way.”
On playing against Central Arkansas…
“It felt good coming and having a positive influence on the game. I have to show some leadership capabilities. I have to work hard in practice so my teammates will gain confidence in me.”
On Gillispie’s defense…
“The defense is different from last year. His style is more of a full-court pressure and it’s a little harder for me personally because I’ve never played that way before. It takes time to adjust.”
#42 Mark Coury
On getting confidence…
“I began to get more confidence in the 120-plus pickup games we played since this summer. The more confidence I gained the easier it got for me to go out and play. I got better because the team made me better and that helped also. I always had confidence in myself but I have just been trying to earn more playing time one day at a time. I came to Kentucky because I wanted to play basketball and make a difference while having fun.”
On Coach Gillispie…
“Coach Gillispie told everyone from day one that we were all starting at the same time at the same place. All along he has said that hard work in practice will equal playing time so in preseason I set out to work as hard as I can and I began to get more respect from my peers. That respect led to me being able to help the team out by being a leader and being tough.”
On his play…
“I feel excited for the next game to get out and play again. The waiting time is going to kill me. I want to come out tomorrow night and play with the same intensity. Getting to New York will be a great experience for me and the whole team. I was surprised to play 36 minutes tonight. I think anyone would have been surprised to see me play that much, but it was fun to go out and help out like that.”
#3 Ramel Bradley
On the defensive play of Joe Crawford…
“Joe has really picked it up lately on defense, and it’s showing from how hard he works in practice. He is learning a lot more and getting into the passing lanes on defense.”
On learning Coach Gillispie’s system…
“It is still a learning experience for everyone. At times we may fall back into an old mindset because everything happens so quick out there.”
On the play of Mark Coury…
“Mark is definitely playing well right now. He’s got a lot of confidence, and he is knocking down shots. I think he will continue to play well throughout the season.”
#1 Alex Legion
On exhibition play...
"Everyone we play we take it the same. It doesn't matter who it is we come with the same intensity every game."
On improving in practice...
"I feel like I improve everyday in practice. It doesn't matter if it's the day before the game, or even game day, coach has us going at it hard every practice."
On who he can go to for advice...
"Ramel and Joe are great leaders and I think everyone on the team can go to them, and they will help you out, whether it's basketball or not."
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