JAN. 9, 2021
EXACTECH ARENA at STEPHEN C. O’CONNELL CENTER – Gainesville, Fla.
Kentucky Student-Athletes
Kentucky Student-Athletes
#12, Keion Brooks Jr., So., F
On if he surpassed his own expectations on Saturday …
“I’ve always believed in my ability to come back and play well. I was constantly working out, staying in great shape. I have to give a huge shout out to our strength coach Rob Harris. I don’t even like to call him a strength coach, he’s way more than that. Not only did he do a great job of keeping me in shape but I spent a lot of time with him so he was always in my ear, making sure I was staying positive. The conversations we had, he really helped me get through what I was going through.”
On if the “reboot” shows what this team can be moving forward …
“I could always tell, slowly but surely, we were heading in the right direction. Especially with the new year, people make resolutions to reset their minds and regroup themselves. And I give this whole team credit, everybody came in with a new mindset to continue to push through, play together, make the right plays and trust our coaching staff that they will put us in a position to win every night.”
On Isaiah Jackson’s play of late …
“It’s the first time I’ve actually been on the floor with a lot of these guys. What surprised me about Isaiah was, I knew, but it’s different when you’re out there on the floor, how high of a basketball IQ he has. Great passer, just watching how he protects the rim as a shot blocker. He just gives us a different element as far as being able to pass the ball out of the post. When he catches it around the rim, he’s finishing. It felt really good to get out there and play with a bunch of guys that, quite frankly, I’ve never play with before.”
On the team diving for a lot of loose balls on Saturday …
“That’s something we prioritize. We do a drill, we dive on the ball every day. Earlier in the year, there were some guys who were a little hesitant, which is understandable, you’re not always asked to do things like that when you’re in high school. Here, we have a different standard that we’re going to win those 50/50 balls every single chance we get. We mixed it up a little bit and we got a couple of them.”
On what he brings to the team, including his leadership …
“You hit the nail on the head, my leadership. I just try to bring energy and hopefully my energy is infectious to my teammates. They also did a great job of sticking with me the whole time I was hurt. I didn’t want to go out there and let them down, not playing to their standard, not being as engaged as they are, not having as much energy as they would have. That works both ways. My leadership was really dependent on them and them allowing me to be a leader. It went well tonight.”
On if the team was trying to send a message to the country with its play on Saturday …
“A lot of people couldn’t wait for us to have a down year. We struggled early and a lot of people started to write us off but it was early. And we played a heck of a schedule for having a team with a whole bunch of guys who have never played for Cal before. Coach made sure we were ready, we kept fighting through. A lot of people tried to throw a lot of dirt on us and bury us, but we’re going to keep fighting, we’re not going to go away.”
#10, Davion Mintz, Gr., G
On the impact Keion Brooks Jr. had on Saturday’s game …
“You watched the game, you saw it. He gave us a whole different element to the game. Keion was amazing today. It was super fun. I’m speechless, really. It was amazing.
On what he had seen from Brooks in practice leading up to Saturday’s game …
”Yeah, Keion has been having good practices. He’s been easing in. But, not to discredit his practices, but it was nothing like the game. The game, he just turned it to a different switch. That was amazing. We were kind of just testing him, seeing what he could do. We knew he’d play well, but we didn’t know that he would come in and make the big impact that he did. So that’s just a credit to his work in the rehab and the guys that have been helping him throughout this stretch. (UK strength coach) Rob (Harris) has been doing a good job with him.”
On the team kneeling during the national anthem before the game …
“A lot of people see what’s going on right now, and it kind of speaks for itself. That was just our statement of what’s going on in America at this time.”
On how much Brooks can help the team as they gain more experience with each other …
“Tremendously. Kentucky prepared him. This is different. He spent his one year here. It’s not like he has pressure on him. He told me before the game ‘you know, I’m just going to go out there and have fun. I have nothing to lose, I’m so blessed to be playing right now.’ And once I saw that he had that attitude, I’m like, OK, good day for Keion. And he did. Honestly, he hasn’t even been able to practice with the first group and kind of get a feel but he just fell right in and he was rolling. Hopefully, we can keep that going. I’m super proud of him and I’m happy for him.”
On how the team has improved its assist numbers …
“Like I was preaching earlier, in the beginning of the year, just stay patient with us, just give us time and let us figure this thing out. And I kept using those same words because I knew it would all come together. That’s all it took. We got our war wounds and we went out battling in a couple of losses we had. But now, this is a new team. New year, new team. And we’re just going to keep battling and keep having fun out there.”
On what made the entire team play well on Saturday …
“I attribute it to the focus that the guys have had throughout practice. I attribute it to the game plan that the coaches have prepared for us. A lot of film, they’ve been keying in. And then, of course, Keion Brooks makes an impact on this team. And it was huge. With him being out there makes everything much easier. You do have another leader out there, someone who has been through knowing what they’re doing.”
On if the team making the decision to kneel united the team …
“Yeah, absolutely. That can attribute to it. Just talking, having those conversations. Any time you’re discussing things, it doesn’t matter if it’s basketball, if it’s personal stories, just getting together and hanging out, that’s building a bond for us and helping us to become more sensitive to each other and just understanding each other. So definitely, I think those conversations help and we’re going to continue having them because it’s working.”