Coach Mitchell and his UK Hoops team take on Arkansas Pine-Bluff in Memorial Coliseum tomorrow night at 7:00pm. The Wildcats look to extend their 22-game home winning streak against an Arkansas team looking for their first win of the season. The Wildcats should win this in a walk, but you can never overlook a hungry team looking to get their first W.
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Here is what Coach Mitchell had to say today during his pre-game press conference.
[B]Opening Statement …[/B]
“Arkansas Pine-Bluff has played just a murderous schedule against a lot of really tough teams on the road, including Alabama, Mississippi State and SMU – just some really difficult road games for them. I am sure this is going to be a team that has been up against some really tough competition. As I look at them on film, a couple of kids that stand out are (LaQuisha) Slaten and (Jasmine) Abrums. They are double-digit scorers and have some athleticism that could give us some problems. The main thing that I really like to see tomorrow night is just a tremendous commitment to the defense end by our team and working as hard as we can to have our best outing yet as far as from a pressure standpoint. That was the focus in practice today. We had a good practice and good preparation and we will be looking to really work hard tomorrow night to earn a victory.”
[B]On if the team has been giving him what the wants defensively in practice and in games …[/B]
“I thought that in practice this past week it wasn’t where we needed it to be. They did a much better job in the game Saturday and that gives me some optimism about tomorrow night. I just think every game is an opportunity to improve and I just know as we are preparing, and it is starting to get close to conference play, that our commitment to defense has to be there. I don’t think that is something that you just turn on because SEC time is here. Tomorrow night, I will be measuring our commitment level. Whoever the opponent may be you have to mentally and emotionally get yourself ready to get out and give it all you have. That is something that the team hasn’t done to my satisfaction yet. That is why we are so keyed in to see if we can get that done tomorrow night.”
[B]On if it is tough to get the players focused given Christmas is here and they are out of school …[/B]
“I think that it is from their standpoint, certainly from the coach’s point of view we are not looking at it that way. We have to be aware of that. I didn’t talk about or plant anything in their mind about the holidays because it is there. I am trying to make certain (that the players know) that there is only an finite number of opportunities to play at Kentucky. Whether you are going home for the holidays or be here for three more weeks you need to take that seriously. I just think that anytime we let an opportunity slip by then they won’t enjoy the holidays nearly as much as if they go out and really do a great job for themselves tomorrow night and prove that we are a team that can get mentally prepared and commit to playing hard. I know that they will feel much better about themselves if they give their best.”
[B]On UCONN’s record-breaking winning streak …[/B]
“We have won three in a row and I am pretty happy about that. It would be difficult for me to even fathom 88 in a row. It is just remarkable. It is remarkable and a lot of different kids have been a part of that and different coaches on that staff. I haven’t paid that close of attention to it so I don’t know how long that is but it is a lot of different people having risen to the occasion every single time and it is unbelievable. I absolutely respect their ability to get that done.”
[B]On what it does for women’s basketball in general …[/B]
“I think that it is wonderful if anyone that has not seen our game has now been exposed to it, because I think that it is an interesting sport. I think if people were exposed to it more they would enjoy it. We are very fortunate to have an event like that and we need to try to capitalize on that. I have always said this that here in Lexington we have a really, really strong group of fans and the better that we play the more that fan base will grow. I think that people want to see a quality product, whether it is a good basketball team or a good baseball team or a good football team. I think that is tremendous for our sport for them to have done that. Some people would say otherwise but I respect excellence and they have been excellent.”
[B]On Brittany Henderson’s recent play …[/B]
“I was pleased with Brittany and her effort on Saturday. Brittany must play with an edge to her game and a chip on her shoulder. She must play with a physical, hard-nosed mindset. She also, with that, needs to bring along her skill set. We have been working hard with her to be a two-handed offensive player. Because of her size, she is going to play against a lot of post players that are bigger than her. When those two things come together then she can play in this league and be a factor at Kentucky because we value people that play hard and have a hard-nosed attitude. The thing that I am trying to talk to her about is when she doesn’t bring that she becomes pretty average. She needs to be building on that success she had Saturday but she doesn’t need for one second to feel like she has it all together now. Every day that Brittany Henderson comes to the gym she has to be thinking that she has to be the hardest working post player in this gym no matter where she is. When she does that, and I have seen her do that before, I have seen her have that kind of attitude over a long period of time. As a coach, I have to do a better job of reminding her that. She is not a kid that can get into a relax mode and go through the motions. She has to bring it every day. When she does that I really like her game and I think that is the key to it.”
[B]On if he initiated the conversation with Brittany Henderson…[/B]
“I just initiated it because I was not pleased watching her in practice and then going back to review the film. There are so many times where she is not what I just described and she doesn’t have a chance to be what she can be when those things happen. I think that I was telling someone earlier that I had my hands full with all these young players. Well, she is a young player, too, as a sophomore. On this team that makes you almost like a grandmother. I have done a poor job of communicating with her and I needed to have that direct communication with her. Whether that had anything to do with it I don’t know. I think a little kick in the pants is good for all of us sometimes when we are in a bit of a lull. She practiced well today and I will be expecting a good showing from her tomorrow but that will only happen if she approaches it from a correct mental standpoint.”
[B]On the one thing that makes Arkansas Pine-Bluff dangerous …[/B]
“I think that for a team like us that plays pressure defense, their offensive system can spread you out and they make really hard cuts. They have a lot of action going in the opposite direction. They will have a player cutting through the set and then a player coming to screen on the ball. It makes it difficult if they get you spread out and you are really not sharp with your fundamentals. I think that they have some size that if we are not really locked in they could hurt us on the boards. But just the way they spread the floor is probably what has me most concerned. If you are not totally focused against that kind of offensive system then it can make you look bad.”
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