Kentucky Opens Season With Guardians Classic / Preview / Press Conference /TeamQuotes

[WMR]

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.”

[zombie-a-go-go]

Somewhere there's a UK messageboard missing a member...

[WVRed]

There is a chance Kentucky could play Texas in the championship. I think im pulling for a Kentucky-WVU matchup so I can have bragging rights here in the state.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- Sophomore point guard Rajon Rondo had 17 points and a career-high 12 rebounds to lead No. 9 Kentucky past South Dakota State 71-54 on Sunday night in the first round of the Guardians Classic.

Rekalin Sims added 11 points for the Wildcats (1-0), who will play Lipscomb -- a 72-60 winner over Northern Colorado -- on Monday night in the second round. The winner will advance to the tournament's semifinals Nov. 21 in Kansas City, Mo.

The Kentucky-South Dakota State game never quite turned into the mismatch it seemed it might become: the Wildcats with their seven national titles and annual Final Four hopes at home in Rupp Arena against a team starting its second season in NCAA Division I.

Kentucky entered the game with a lot of confidence. Early Sunday afternoon, a tournament bracket on the school's athletic Web site already had the Wildcats scheduled to play the 8 p.m. game on Monday -- the game in which the two first-round winners were to play.

Then the Wildcats took the floor and missed their first eight shots, including air balls by Rondo and Joe Crawford. But South Dakota State (0-1), given an opportunity to open a wide lead, committed four turnovers and went 1-of-4 from the field during that early stretch.

By the 11:54 mark, the Jackrabbits had missed 16 of 17 shots and trailed 14-2.

Kentucky pushed its lead to 28-12 before an 8-2 run pulled the Jackrabbits within 30-21 late in the half. Rondo and Sheray Thomas hit 3-pointers to increase the lead to 37-24 at halftime.

South Dakota State got no closer after that, but the Jackrabbits didn't exactly go away, either. Kentucky's largest lead, 51-30, came with 16:02 left, but an 8-2 South Dakota State spurt cut the margin to 15 points and the Wildcats never led by more than 19 after that.

Junior forward Ben Beran, South Dakota State's leading scorer last season, led the Jackrabbits with 25 points on 11-of-17 shooting. The rest of the Jackrabbits combined to shoot 13-of-48 from the field.

The 6-foot-1 Rondo finished 7-of-13 from the field and added six assists and six steals. His previous career high for rebounds was seven, and he missed his career high for points by one.

Crawford added 10 points for Kentucky after an embarrassing moment immediately before the game. Public address announcer Doug Bruce, apparently unaware that Crawford was starting, announced another player, Sims, in Crawford's spot. Crawford remained on the bench as the team's other starters were introduced before Bruce realized his mistake.

Kentucky is 88-15 all-time in home openers -- with nine of those losses coming before Adolph Rupp began coaching the Wildcats in 1930. Since then, Kentucky is 69-6, including 27-3 in Rupp Arena.

[Blimpie]

The way the Cats played last night, I wouldn't be looking ahead to Texas if I were a UK fan. Tubby (doing his best Lou Holtz impression) basically called them dogs after the game and said he thinks Lipscomb might outrebound the Cats tonight.

On another note, Rajon Rondo is absolutely sick. He has 1st team All-American written all over his game...but you'll never see it happen.

[WMR]

Originally Posted by Blimpie

The way the Cats played last night, I wouldn't be looking ahead to Texas if I were a UK fan. Tubby (doing his best Lou Holtz impression) basically called them dogs after the game and said he thinks Lipscomb might outrebound the Cats tonight.

On another note, Rajon Rondo is absolutely sick. He has 1st team All-American written all over his game...but you'll never see it happen.

Blimpie, think there's any chance Rajon sticks around after this year? His game is soooo smooth; he looks much, much improved over last year, and it's only the 1st game.

How maddening was it watch Wu last night? The dude played like a dog. He should NOT be starting; that's crazy IMO. I say start Rekalin & Shagari; if the tempo is too quick for Shagari, I guess Sheray, but, honestly, from what I've seen so far, I'd prefer Perry out there over Sheray.

Jared Carter looked decent in limited action.

[WMR]

Originally Posted by zombie-a-go-go

Somewhere there's a UK messageboard missing a member...

HAHAHA! I prefer intelligent UK discourse; the mindless chest-beating of ... well ... just about every sports-oriented message board is maddening.

[Blimpie]

Originally Posted by WilyMoROCKS

Blimpie, think there's any chance Rajon sticks around after this year? His game is soooo smooth; he looks much, much improved over last year, and it's only the 1st game.

How maddening was it watch Wu last night? The dude played like a dog. He should NOT be starting; that's crazy IMO. I say start Rekalin & Shagari; if the tempo is too quick for Shagari, I guess Sheray, but, honestly, from what I've seen so far, I'd prefer Perry out there over Sheray.

Jared Carter looked decent in limited action.

Doubtful. Actually, Rondo seriously pondered turning pro after last year--but thought better of it. I know one thing, I enjoy watching his defense more than I do his offense. He is the most disruptive defensive force I have ever seen to wear a UK uniform...Think Cliff Hawkins on crystal meth.

As far as Orbzut is concerned, I don't expect much out of either he or Allene this year. Their job descriptions are simple: Eat space, disrupt shots, don't foul out until the second half

[WMR]

Really? His perimeter J looked pretty smooth last night.

[Blimpie]

Originally Posted by WilyMoROCKS

Really? His perimeter J looked pretty smooth last night.

Rondo?

[WMR]

Yeah but when you're committing defensive lapses like Orbzut was last night, REALLY simple stuff, fundamental stuff, you shouldn't be on the court

[WMR]

Originally Posted by Blimpie

Rondo?

Yup. He shot 2 for 4. Last year he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, not even factoring in that they're playing a foot further back than they will otherwise this year w/ the experimental rules in affect for the early games.

[Blimpie]

It's kinda hard to judge team or individual performances against this caliber opponent. I am eagerly awaiting next weekend's other potential matchups in this tourney: Iowa and West Virginia/Texas

[TeamSelig]

Rondo is amazing. I wish we had 3 of him.

[Blimpie]

Originally Posted by WilyMoROCKS

Yup. He shot 2 for 4. Last year he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, not even factoring in that they're playing a foot further back than they will otherwise this year w/ the experimental rules in affect for the early games.

The way Rajon felt last night, who could've played blindfolded. The word is he spent all off-season working on improving his free throw shooting. I'll have to believe that when I see it. Hopefully, it's true because he'll definitely be a point guard in the NBA and those cats have GOT to knock down their freebies...

[WMR]

Yeah, like you said, from what we saw on the boards last night, Texas could be a nightmare