Thread: Kentucky Player Quotes after Blue/White Game

Kentucky Men’s Basketball
Blue-White Game
Postgame Quotes
Rupp Arena – Lexington, Ky.
October 26, 2011

Kentucky Players

#1, Darius Miller, F

On the performance of the freshmen …
“I think they did a great job for their first time out. It was more of a realistic game. In Big Blue Madness nobody really played. They did a great job for their first time performing in front of a lot of people.”

On the benefits of Terrance Jones and Doron Lamb returning for their sophomore seasons …
“Every other year it seems like we were mixing a lot of people. Now that we have people that are familiar with the offense and everything that is going on around here, it helps a lot more.”

On stepping up defensively …
“We know we are going to have to pick it up defensively. We didn’t play a lot of defense tonight. That is going to have to be one of our key points. We feel like we can be one of the best defensive teams in the country.”

On what the team did well tonight …
“I think we played together as a team. A lot of players had a lot of points. We did a great job of shooting the ball, finding each other and giving each other different looks.”

On the difference in Terrence Jones tonight than last year …
“It seems like he is way more focused, way more dedicated. He has put in a lot of work and he’s on a mission, so it’s going to be tough for anyone to stop him.”

On the freshmen getting to play to Rupp for the first time …
“Yeah, they were excited about it. I think they did a great job for their first time out, playing a more realistic game, because you know for Big Blue Madness no one really played. They did a great job coming out for their first time, being out here in front of a lot of people and they performed.”

On blending with the young guys …
“It can be tough at times. I think we did a great job of getting it started early this year. We have really good team chemistry. Like I said, we have a lot of fun together. We all spend a lot of time together, so it’s been a lot of fun so far.”

#3, Terrence Jones, F

On his confidence now compared to a year ago …
“I’m a lot more comfortable. I’m more experienced. I’ve been here before. I’ve been to the Final Four and played in front of thousands (of fans). It’s nothing new, I’m just trying to take that next step with this team and hopefully we should be able to do it.”

On his role on the team this year…
“I don’t know, Coach Calipari changes the roles and offenses whenever he feels it can be better. I’m just going to listen to him and do what I can to help us win.”

On his game compared to last year…
“I’m a lot stronger and I feel a lot more comfortable driving both ways. I shoot the ball better and I feel like me being stronger has helped me and the young guys a lot, since they are new to the lifting in college.”

On Anthony Davis and Kyle Wiltjer…
“We have a lot of players with size that do different things that they are great at. I can’t block shots like Anthony (Davis) and I know Kyle (Wiltjer) can’t either. I know we can’t shoot 3s like Kyle. We do a lot of different things that I feel help us to be a better team.”

#5, Jarrod Polson, G

On Terrence Jones improving …
“Terrence is a new guy. Coach Cal always says he is a new player. He really came in even in the summer and worked harder than I have ever seen him work before. Obviously it showed off tonight and it will show off this season.”

On what he wants to improve on this season…
“Just in offense, I am not going to be a scorer this year but if I can get in there and play good defense and control the offense, that’s what I am trying to do.”

On how far he sees UK going this year…
“Obviously our goal is to get to the national championship and I honestly see it. We were just talking about how we just have so many different players and so many good players that are good on our team and it is going to be exciting to see.”

#14, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, F

On playing a game in Rupp for the first time, and if he was a little nervous …
“It’s finally here, we just want to win. We are going to do what we have to do.”

On if they feel pretty comfortable playing together …
“I mean of course, we just work hard together every day in practice.”

On how he thought he did tonight …
“I was going for a triple double, but I am just happy for Terrance (Jones). He had like 50 points? That’s crazy!”

#20, Doron Lamb, G

On what kind of player Terrence Jones will be this year …
“He’s going to be a great player. If he keeps playing like he did tonight, great things can happen for us this year.”

On what he plans on working on before the first game of the season …
“Conditioning, my body, and ball handling.”

On how they played for the first time out…
“We have a lot of exciting players on this team. We have a lot of scorers and a lot of passers. We just have to show it every time on the court.”

On Coach Cal picking on the players’ games…
“It’s still early. We still have a lot of time to go for our first game. We have to keep working hard in practice and keep learning a lot from Coach Cal.”

On Terrence Jones’s game…
“He was hot the whole game. I have never seen him play like that. I hope he keeps doing that the rest of the season. He goes hard every time on the court this year. We just have to wait and see if he does the same thing. It would be great for us.”

#23, Anthony Davis, F

On how he thought he played…
“I think I played pretty well. I’ve got to knock down my jump shots when they leave me open, but a lot of them went in and out. I’ve got to concentrate and hit those when they leave me open during the season.”

On what Coach Calipari said after the game…
“He told us that we have to be more physical. We’ll be playing against bigger guys and we’ll have to be more physical to stop them.”

On Terrence Jones’ 52 points…
“Terrence played well. He had a lot today and went hard. He showed us how we should be playing.”

On playing in Rupp Arena…
“It was crazy. I know it wasn’t packed, but just from my experience today it was crazy. Maybe it will get crazier and even louder (when the arena is full).”

#30, Eloy Vargas, F

On if the freshmen look up to him…
“We kind of all are the leader. Everybody’s a leader and we help each other on the court and off the court.”

On if Coach Calipari spoke to him before the press conference…
“No, he told me I am doing good on rebounding and being more physical. And I am getting better.”

On the one thing he would like to improve upon…
“When I get an offensive rebound, I need to come back up and finish it.”

#44, Kyle Wiltjer, F

On if he got an elbow to the eye in the second half …
“Yeah, after I went after a loose ball. It’s part of the game.”

On if he is comfortable playing in Rupp Arena …
“Yeah, getting to come here a little early today and get some shoots in. It got me a little more comfortable with the rim, so I thought I shot the ball better.”

On the play of Terrence Jones …
“Yes, he’s such a tremendous player. He can hurt you in so many ways. It’s a great opportunity to play with a player like that.”

Vargas looked good! He was definitely pulling down his share of boards. I don't think second looks are going to be a problem for this team. And Jones is right about Davis, you could plug anybody's name in there because I haven't seen a shot blocker like Davis at the college level in a LONG time.