Kentucky Opens Season With Guardians Classic
11/11/2005
2005 Guardians Classic
Official Guardians Classic Web Site
Guardians Classic Bracket (PDF)
Guardians Classic Schedule - Rupp Arena - Lexington, Ky.
Date Teams Time (ET) TV Coverage Audio Live Stats
Nov. 13 Lipscomb vs. Northern Colorado 6:00 p.m. None None Live Stats
Nov. 13 Kentucky vs. S. Dakota State 8:00 p.m. ESPNU (BBSN-D)* Audio Live Stats
Nov. 14 S. Dakota State vs. TBA 6:00 p.m. ESPNU None Live Stats
Nov. 14 Kentucky vs. TBA 8:00 p.m. ESPNU (BBSN-D)# Audio Live Stats
* Also delayed on FSN South and DirecTV channel 639; Dish Network channel 448
# Also delayed on FSN South and DirecTV channel 646; Dish Network channel 447
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Game Notes in PDF Format
Press Conference Quotes - Nov. 11 | Watch the Press Conference Quotes
Delayed video on Extreme Access
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Kentucky opens its 103rd season of basketball by hosting the first two rounds of the Guardians Classic. UK squares off against South Dakota State in Sunday’s first round, while Lipscomb battles Northern Colorado. The first-round winners and losers match up Monday night, with the winners competing for a trip to Kansas City, Mo., for the Guardians Classic semifinals.
The Wildcats return three starters from its 28-6 campaign in 2004-05, including the nation’s top backcourt. Senior Patrick Sparks and sophomore Rajon Rondo are joined by returnees Ramel Bradley, Ravi Moss, Preston LeMaster and Brandon Stockton.
For the first time in school history, Kentucky’s roster boasts three seven-footers, including juniors Lukasz Obrzut and Shagari Alleyne and newcomer Jared Carter. Joining the big men in the front court are junior forwards Sheray Thomas and Bobby Perry and junior college transfer Rekalin Sims.
UK is celebrating its 30th season of play at Rupp Arena in 2005-06 and each game will reflect on a “Top Rupp Moment.” Sunday’s game looks back at fifth-ranked Kentucky’s 69-58 upset win over No. 1 Indiana on December 15, 1979.
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Press Conference Quotes - Nov. 11
Head Coach Tubby Smith
Opening statement…
“We got all the paper work in on Derrick Jasper, Michael Porter, Jodie Meeks, and Perry Stevenson. They are four outstanding student-athletes that we think satisfy our needs. When you look at the guys leaving our program after this year we obviously needed some perimeter help. I think in guys like Porter, whose dad coached Chuck Hayes, Meeks, from Georgia were we have success recruiting in the past, and Derrick Jasper, we have guys who can play the wing. Jasper also can be used as a combo guard and play the point. In Stevenson, we have an inside guy who is very mobile and can do a lot of different things. We’re happy to have all four of those young men a part of the program and I know they are excited to join the Wildcats.
"As far as the game against South Dakota State, everyone is excited about playing their first game of the year. It’s the first time we’ve played in one these tournaments that play back-to-back in a while. I know a lot has been made a big deal of us playing against teams that aren’t considered top Division I programs, but I know Coach Nagy will have his team ready to play. He is one of the bright young coaches in the business. When you take a team from Division II into Division, I you know its going to take time to build the program. I think they are building their teams the right way and they are going to come in here and compete as every athlete does. I’m sure they are preparing their team as hard for us as they would anyone else.
"I don’t think we’re settled on who is going to start right now. The team we started the other night did a good job for us. When start to get into the regular-season, we’re going to go with the best individuals who will make the best team. That’s still being developed. SDSU has got a great player named Steve Holdren and I know from watching him on tape that I’ve been impressed with how he plays. They got some good returning players and they have signed some good junior college players. I like the kind of stuff they do. They push the ball up the court and they look to take the first good shot they have. They’ll play a lot like Georgetown. They’ attack us, try to deny us the lane and try to pressure us out of our offense. Georgetown was a big help and I’d like to thank Coach Osborne, his staff and his players because they exposed some things we need to get better at like handling pressure and boxing out. Those are things we have been working on the last couple days as we’ve prepared for these back to back games.”
On being done recruiting…
‘I’m never done recruiting. I don’t know if we’ll bring someone in during the spring, but we’re never done recruiting. We could bring somebody in, but we might not. I like the people we’ve signed so far.”
On preparing for the Guardians Classic…
“We’re going to continue to prepare the way we have so far. We are going pretty hard and that is what makes guys better, when they are competing. That’s the way to get better is to have someone behind you that is just as good. We continue to work on the things we’ll be doing on the court.”
On scouting the opposition in the Guardians Classic…
“We’ve assigned our coaches to teams. Hopefully the things we do in practice will take of anything we could see from different teams. We try to teach how to guard every type of screen. I don’t think will see much different. We hadn’t done much in terms of handling half court traps, so that’s why we looked shaky against Georgetown.”
On recruiting guys who might leave early…
“I don’t think about that possibility much unless somebody brings it up. I usually expect the guys to be here the whole time unless somebody is good enough to go pro. I think guys come here because they want help to develop.”
On Michael Porter….
“Michael was the quarterback of his high school football team. He is a hard-nosed kid that comes with a lot of character and a lot of class. He played under his dad so he understands everything that goes on in the coaching ranks. He’s a very talented player.”
On Jodie Meeks…
“Jodie Meeks is another physical player who played football at one time. He has a great body on him. He can shoot with range and is a very good defender. I think he fits the style of play we have.”
On Derrick Jasper….
“He is a very strong big guard. We aren’t very big in our backcourt when you look at Patrick Sparks, Ramel Bradley and Rajon Rondo. We do have size in Joe Crawford and Ravi Moss, but these guys will be bigger and more physical and that’s what we wanted to do.”
On Perry Stevenson…
“Perry has got excellent shot-blocking ability, which is something we have really lacked. He has got Tayshuan Prince type shot-blocking ability. He is long and quick off the floor. In Shagari, we have a guy who can block shots close to the basket and in Perry we have a guy who can go out on the perimeter. His athleticism and speed for a guy his size will make him a very integral part of our defense.”
On Joe Crawford’s play…
“Joe has looked good. He has shot the ball well. I’d like to see him get on the offensive boards more. We all struggled defensively so that’s something we have been working on the past couple days. He was pretty solid the other night. If he can duplicate that every night I’ll take it. We want him to be an all-around player. He needs to take it the basket and mix it up. I think he did that against Georgetown. He just has to take what the defense gives him. He’s a talented enough player to attack the rim when the opportunity presents itself. I think he has good balance and that’s why he is a good player. He needs to drive and draw fouls on a regular basis.”
On the difference in Crawford from last year…
“I think all players go through a period of adjustment when they are freshmen. They are going from being the highlight reel at their high schools and that’s not the case here. He’s a lot more mature about handling any situation. I don’t think he was any different then any other freshman.”
On characteristics of Tubby Smith players…
“I hope they’re winners on and off the floor. I look for guys that are coachable and have the most talent. I don’t know if there are exactly Tubby Smith players, we try to recruit the same players other coaches are trying to get.”
On Rekalin Sims…
“Rekalin plays with a lot of maturity and he should because he has played like 70 games. Making three three-point baskets in a row kind of surprised me and I think that kind of surprised him, but he is capable of making that shot.”
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Kentucky Players
#21 Shagari Alleyne
On starting the 2005-06 season…
“Everybody is really ready to start the season. So far it has been a long pre-season and we’re ready to get it going.”
On the lineup for Sunday’s game with South Dakota State…
“I have no idea what the lineup will be. Whether we go with a small lineup or a big lineup, it’s ultimately up to Coach [Tubby] Smith and we just want to do what we can in order to help the team.”
“I thought that I played decent. I didn’t play really well, but I thought I had a decent game. There are some factors of my game that I still need to practice and improve on.”
On freshman post Jared Carter…
“He’s a pretty tough player. We knew that he was going to be a good player coming in. It helps us to have an extra 7-footer in there, especially one of Jared’s caliber. It helps make me and Lukasz [Obrzut] become better players.”
#42 Rekalin Sims
On the difference between playing in junior college and at Kentucky…
“Just because I was able to put up a lot of shots before it was all about helping my team. All my life I have been a team player. It’s less about me and all about the team. If I can go out there and not put up a shot and we still win, that’s okay.”
On starting the season on Sunday…
“We need to start getting focused right now for Sunday’s game. This is going to be a big tournament and we are just going to have to bring our ‘A’ games. Every game from here on out is a big game.”
On Wednesday’s game with Georgetown…
“Georgetown is a great NAIA team. They have a lot of Division-I caliber players. They played us pretty tough and that gave us an opportunity to see what we need to work on.”
On the team’s emphasis on rebounding…
“If we are able to improve our rebounding then we really will be a solid team. We need to cut down on our turnovers. That’s what wins games – rebounding and playing solid defense.”
#13 Bobby Perry
On the team’s defensive performance Wednesday vs. Georgetown…
“We definitely have to be more patient on the defensive end. We try to have a man on the ball, but we can’t force the steal. We try to reach and play up the floor too much and sometimes you take a gamble on the steal. That allowed Georgetown to get down the floor and make easy lay-ups. That’s what they did Wednesday night – they were able to dribble past us and get to the basket.”
On how the team feels heading into the season…
“We feel pretty good. We have a lot to improve on and work to do in practice. We’re pretty pleased with where we are and we’re looking forward to South Dakota State on Sunday night. They will be a great test for us.”
On the balanced team effort…
“Our team is so balanced that anybody really can have a big night.”
#32 Joe Crawford
On Wednesday’s game with Georgetown…
“It helped me build my confidence. I thought that I played aggressively and I just want to continue playing that way.”
On his tendency to drive to the basket…
“I think that when I go to the basket that it opens up so much of my game. I really like going to the basket and when I am able to get that first shot in, that helps my confidence.”
#22 Patrick Sparks
On the team’s starting lineup vs. South Dakota State…
“The lineup is the coaches’ decision. It doesn’t really matter who starts, we just do what Coach [Tubby] Smith wants us to do and hopefully that allows us to help the team.”
On his summer playing experience overseas…
“It was a good experience and I was able to get to play with a lot of great players from around the country. They play differently and it’s nice to be able to see and experience that.”
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