March 8, 2010
Opening comment heading into the SEC Tournament:
"Well it should be an exciting week of basketball. Obviously it's that time of the year and there's a lot of excitement in the air when you look at all the conference tournaments going on now. I know with the tournament being in Nashville this year and when you look at the way the SEC has played out over the course of the season, I think it certainly should be a great tournament.
"We're looking forward to getting started on Thursday with another game against South Carolina. Obviously for us we just played them less than a week ago, so it will be two teams that are very familiar with each other. We've got a lot of respect for their team. Devan Downey, in my opinion, I've said this before, I think he is one of the elite players in all of college basketball, not just the SEC. Certainly they're coming off a great win, great momentum for their team, as well as ours with our two wins this week heading into the tournament."
On what JaMychal Green's role will be in the SEC Tournament:
"I thought for JaMychal (Green) there was certainly a lot that he had to deal with last week. He didn't practice really all week leading up to the game. In the game I thought he came out and played with some good aggressiveness, but obviously the flow was not there for him. This will be an opportunity for him this week to get back on the practice floor, to get back into the rhythm of things. I don't see any reason why he would not be able to be a big factor for us as we head into the tournament."
On the amount of carryover in preparation for South Carolina:
"I think there will be a level of familiarity because we have played them within a week, but I think what will happen is that both teams will look at our game and there will be adjustments made. Obviously for us they got off to a great start, really got us a hole, so we're going to look and see what it was that they were doing that allowed them to have success. We had success in probably the last five minutes of the game with the things that we did, so I'm sure there will be adjustments that will be going on both ways as a result of our most recent game."
On approaching the SEC Tournament knowing that winning it may be the only chance at an NCAA Tournament berth:
"We always deal with the present. For us right now the present is we've got a very good team in South Carolina that we need to prepare to win against. We always take it one day at a time, so our complete focus will be on preparing for the game that's in front of us."
On if Kentucky is the clear team to beat in the tournament field:
"I think when you look at the success they've had, they're 14-2 in the league and outright champions, the obvious answer is yes. But at the same time I do think this league is very competitive. When you look at it, they (Kentucky) got beat twice during the course of the year. I think everyone in the league would say we have several teams that are capable when this week ends of being the champion. Anything can happen and obviously you've got to prepare as best you can."
On Tony Mitchell being named SEC Freshman of the Week:
"I think Tony has had to deal with a variety of things this year. Obviously he's played a couple of positions for us. He's played in the front court at the power forward position. He's played his natural position at the small forward. It's been a learning process for him as a freshman, but I think with every game and every week as the season has gone on he's gotten more comfortable. I think he's had a very good freshman year when you look at the numbers he's put up in terms of his rebounding with consistency, especially here at the end with his scoring. You want your freshman at this time of the year to really become sophomores in terms of their understanding and experience, and I think he's a guy that's really blossoming and I think he's got a very bright future in this league."
On finishing the season by holding on to leads at the end of games:
"I think poise is probably a good word for it, but the word that comes to my mind is determination. I think our guys have been hungry for wins. Sometimes I talk to our guys in terms of sometimes you have to be scarred to understand the value and importance of doing the things that affect winning at the end of games. We certainly have had our share of scars this year, and I've talked about when do we learn? When does it kick in? I think the last couple of games our guys have played to win. There have been times I've made comments that we played not to lose. To me I think there's such a difference there and I think the last couple of games we've gone out and played to win. Maybe that's the experience we've gotten through some of those tough losses we've experienced over the course of the year.
"I really won't begin to say that we've figured anything out. Obviously we've been in position where we've had opportunities to win and we've taken advantage of those opportunities. Every game brings different challenges. Sometimes as a team what you need is to have success to know that you're capable of doing it. Hopefully we've had those successes; we've certainly had our share of disappointments. The mental part is so important. The guys have to believe that they can be successful and believe that they can win. My hope would be that these experiences, this last week, have maybe increased our confidence and our trust in each other knowing that we can make the plays at the end of games that ultimately will affect winning."
On Charvez Davis' shooting of late:
"I think Charvez is playing with a lot of confidence. I think that's the biggest thing. As a shooter, you have to be confident and you have to feel like when you get a look the ball is going to go in. I feel like he's shooting the ball with confidence and our team is really looking for him when he's open and making sure that he gets opportunities to do what he does best. It's certainly needed by our team. He hit some big shots here this past week for us that really made a difference in the game. I think it's a good time for us that he is starting to get himself into a groove. He's doing a variety of things. I think with that confidence he's also done a good job for us on the defensive end in our press by bringing energy. It's good to see. It's much needed."
On performing well in last week's games despite turning the ball over more than usual:
"It's interesting you say that it's been a positive week because of the fact that we've won two games, but certainly there has been a lot that our team has had to deal with over the week. To me the thing that I'm probably most pleased with is that we've dealt with it. We've handled the distractions, we've handled the adversity and we've been able to stay focused and do what we needed to do to win.
"In the last two games we have turned the ball over at a very high clip. I think that's something that comes with, I mentioned after the game I didn't feel like we had a flow. Early in the South Carolina game with their aggressiveness I think in the first 10 minutes of the game we had 10 turnovers. After the half we cut it down. I think we had four in the second half. Here the other day (against Auburn), again in the first half, we turned the ball over a lot. I thought a lot of that just had to do with the emotion of the game. We had some turnovers that were unforced turnovers there in the first half where we just tried to do too much. I thought we settled down in the second half.
"I think the thing for us is just being able to get to the practice floor and being able to work on our continuity. We'll have a week here, three days, to prepare for what South Carolina is going to do from a defensive standpoint. We talk all the time that it's very important for our basketball to do a very good job offensively of taking care of the basketball and making sure we get good shots. Our guys understand that impacts winning for us so that's certainly something we'll address."
On scoring 70 or more points in five of the last six games:
"I think we have guys that are shooting the ball better. Our defense has created some opportunities for us to get out in transition a little bit more. I think just the maturity as team and understanding a little bit better what they can and can't do."
On how his team is playing now versus earlier in the season:
"That's probably something I'll reflect on after the year. As a coach you'd like to believe there are areas that you have improved in. I think a lot of things for us the improvement may not necessarily be in Xs and Os. The game is so mental. I think for us there are things just from a discipline standpoint, an accountability standpoint and a trust standpoint that all those things really go into really learning how to win and what I call the process of learning how to win.
"I think that we have made improvements in those areas, and I think once you get there you've got a chance to really improve when it comes down to the basketball in the things. I would separate it into mental and physical improvement. Hopefully we've made strides in the right direction."
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