MEDIA DAY
MEMORIAL COLISEUM – LEXINGTON, KY.
OCT. 20, 2021
UK Assistant Coaches
UK Assistant Coaches
Orlando Antigua, Associate Coach
On coming back to Kentucky …
“It’s like good shoes that you’ve worn, and you know and you’re familiar with and it’s been great. It’s great to be back and seeing friends and family and just the acceptance that everyone has shown myself and my family has been tremendous.”
On the fanbase and the excitement this season …
“Yeah, it’s exciting, it’s exciting. To feel the energy amongst the fan base and to feel the energy with the staff and with Cal and with our players you can feel how excited we are about the upcoming season. We’ve had that energy throughout the summer and earlyfall. Knowing that this year was going to be a great challenge for us and looking forward to doing those challenges and in front of this fan base is really motivating for our guys.”
On the team …
“Our guys have been working extremely hard to try to improve and push each other. That feeling amongst them has really created a chemistry that has been a bond, it’s been really, really, special to see this early on with a team. What I can say, what has been perfect has been the synergy and the chemistry, the togetherness that you try to build with a team, that you need time to build. We’ve been fortunate that the chemistry has been that good early on that we’ve been able to speed, and advance some of that quickly.”
On the Blue-White game …
“I’m looking to see guys competing. I’m just seeing what we see every day, guys pushing each other, executing a little bit cleaner. Now that we start trying to prepare for going up against live bodies and other bodies, so there will be some mistakes. There’ll be some film for us to watch the following days to try to improve as we start to get closer to real live games”
Ronald “Chin” Coleman, Assistant Coach
On the toughness of Chicago athletes and the pipeline to Kentucky…
“I think a lot of it has to come from what we call ‘Chicago toughness,’ the way the game is played and how you have to survive in terms of being tough mentally and physically. It’s how the game is played and how you have to survive, there’s no other way, there’s that four-letter word that no one wants to be called coming from Chicago. You represent those people that you are talked about with Anthony Davis, Antoine Walker, NazrMohammad, Tyler Ulis, all of those kids that have come here and been successful. They all had that in their pedigree. It comes from the playground, it comes from the gyms, and all of these other off-brand places where everybody plays at, you build that, and it becomes a part of you. So, the Chicago toughness is definitely something that is real.”
On if the coaching staff at Illinois was heartbroken when Bryce Hopkins committed to Louisville …
“I was very heartbroken. It’s crazy because I kind of recruited Bryce twice and I recruited TyTy (Washington) three times. I recruited TyTy once at Illinois, then when he de-committed from Creighton, again at Illinois and then here at Kentucky as well. So, I guess the third time is a charm with TyTy, but Bryce had already committed to Kentucky before my whole situation was even thought about. Very heartbroken, both of them are really, really,good players. I guess you could say I kind of knew something, in order to identify them and recruit really good players, they are both great kids and really good players.”
On if recruiting Chicago is a priority to this program or personally…
“No not at all, it’s not a priority at all. I’ve always been a national recruiter. Even at Illinois we had recruited guys from all over the place. I think that at a place like this its wherever the talent is and wherever that takes you, in the Midwest, East Coast, overseas, and in Europe. I think that we all have relationships that reach far outside of what people may think our wheelhouse is. I’m from Chicago, I obviously know the terrain there, I know the powerful courts there but I don’t own that real estate. I will go wherever my relationships take me.”
James “Bruiser” Flint, Associate to the Head Coach
On what the differences he’s seen from last year than this year …
“We’ll play a lot faster. I think our ball handling is a lot better. Our shooting, when your 9-16, there’s a lot of things to improve on. But I think the things that people will see is how much faster were playing and how much better we are with the ball. I think that will be the two major things that will be different from last year.”
On how the experienced players are helping the freshmentransition …
“I think the experienced players are about business, so show the younger players this is how you do it. Come to work every day, you come in and you’re ready to practice so they – you know Cal’s not used to having teams that way, but he has a team this year that the older guys have been good about how they work, work ethic, and how they come every day. And now as a freshman, you have to follow suit, or you stick out like a sore thumb. So, I think that’sthe biggest thing, they brought a certain work ethic that comes every day, which comes through the experience because you know what to expect and you’ve been through some things through your career and I think just passed it down to the younger guys.”
On if because there’s an older group the team can do differentthings ...
“I think you probably don’t hit on things as long because even the guys who weren’t here, there are some concepts they have an understanding of what they need to do a little bit. When you have a young team, it’s all about teach, teach, teach, teach, teach. You have to because you’re pretty much starting at ‘A.’ These guys have a little bit better idea of it. Coming to work every day, so we’re going to hit on this. We are going to do it quick then we are going to move on. You can do that with an older group. You’re not necessarily doing that with a younger group. I think that’s one of the things that’s been pretty good this year.”
On if the team looks different than last year …
“The team does look different so hopefully we can translate it into more wins this year. But you know I think we’ve had some great practices, guys have looked good, So I think the dynamics of our team have changed a little bit. We play a little bit faster. I think our ball handling is going to be a lot different, hopefully. But the dynamics of the team have changed and we have a little bit more balance too.”
Jai Lucas, Assistant Coach
On the players’ roles on the team …
“We give them the opportunity to wake up and compete every day. If you start or don’t start, you are going to have a big effect on this team.”
On the likelihood of using three guard lineups …
“We have looked at three guard lineups, four guard lineups. We are still experimenting on how we want to play and what we want to do. We have a lot of ways that we can go.”
On who he expects to be the team’s leading scorers this year …
“Through the first couple weeks of practice, TyTy Washington has done a really good job, as well as Kellan Grady. Another one you can see that would score is Davion Mintz. Oscar Tshiebwe, Keion Brooks and Sahvir Wheeler as well.
On the probability of seeing Sahvir Wheeler and TyTy Washington on the court at the same time …
“With TyTy’s ability to shoot and score with the ball and a guy like Sahvir with his speed to push and give people shots, it could definitely work.”
On the team’s ability to shoot the ball …
“They are doing a good job at shooting the ball right now in practice, but it is always different when the lights come on and the game starts. The big difference from last year to this year is the shots that are actually being made in practice.”