UK Student-Athletes
#00 Marcus Lee, F
On his leadership role with the team …
“I definitely feel like our team kind of looks at Alex (Poythress) and I for questions and answers. Whenever something happens, they just look towards us. It’s kind of a great thing. It puts us on our toes and makes sure we are always doing the right thing.”
On guard play and the team being versatile …
“I have never been on a team where we can play three point guards. They all see things that we don’t and their minds are all going at the same time. It’s very different playing with three guards, but it’s also very fun.”
On the style of play for this team …
“We are definitely going to be a fast-paced team. That is something that our freshmen and underclassmen are starting to learn is that we don’t play very slow here, but they are learning the hard way. Our guards are learning that we can’t just walk the ball up the court. I love playing fast. I can’t deal with being slow.”
On the play of the post players this year …
“I think we can do just about anything with our bigs now since it’s just me, Skal (Labissiere) and Isaac (Humphries). We are trying to figure out if we can switch everything this year. Right now we are just trying to figure out pick-and-roll and play as a team.”
On the lack of 40-0 talk this season …
“With it being my third year, I see it as an expectation now. From my freshman year, you see that as something to keep working hard for day-by-day and just to get better. We don’t really care what the media says. No offense, we love you guys. It’s your job to write about it and it’s our job to go out and play. We don’t really care how we get it done as long as we get it done and that’s our only job.”
On making an impact on the team…
“We have worked on a lot of things together to make more of an impact on the game and in practice. Coach Cal wants me to make more of an impact and that’s something we have always talked about how I make a bigger impact in practice or in our daily lives. That is something we are trying to work on.”
On the style of play for this year’s team …
“This is my third year and my third team. We are going to play very different just as we did the last two years.”
#1, Skal Labissiere, F
On what practice has been like …
“It’s been very competitive. We’re getting better every single day. It’s been very challenging everyday going at it with Coach Cal pushing us to the max. It’s been pretty fun.”
On Coach Cal being the toughest on him …
“He is tougher on me than any other player. That’s what I came here for. He’s pushing me every day and I feel like I am getting better.”
On who the toughest guy for him to defend at practice is …
“Isaac (Humphries) is really skilled because he can shoot really well from the outside and he has a really nice touch on the inside too with his hook shot. He’s very skilled so I would say that he is the toughest guy to guard.”
On how his personal skills have changed since arriving at UK …
“My skills are getting better. I’m getting more reps in every day and trying to learn how to play more physical. I’m learning to be more physical on the court and be more of a leader on the court as well.”
On what Coach Cal’s position-less basketball style means to him …
“It means a lot. I feel like every day I get better at something. He teaches versatility here. He wants me to do a lot more and not just sitting in the post or blocking shots. He wants me to defend on the perimeter and on offense, do a little bit more from the elbow, drive to the basket and pass. He teaches us how to play basketball, not just be in a certain spot at a certain time.”
On whether or not he likes Coach Cal’s basketball style as a versatile player himself …
“I love it. It helps me show my skills and it’s not just about me but for the rest of the guys, too. We all can do different things so it makes us better as a team and more dangerous as a team.”
On Charles Matthews’ skill level …
“Charles has always been really good. I always thought he was underrated coming out of high school. He’s really good, really athletic and very skilled. He’s always in the practice gym working. During the summer he was my workout partner. We were always in here the practice gym working together late at night. I think he deserves more credit than he has been getting. He can score the ball. He’s a stopper. He’s versatile and I think he has a chance to make a big impact on the team.”
On where he thinks this team is going …
“We still have a lot to work on like Coach Cal said. We still have to learn how to play with each other and I think once we figure that out, we have a chance to be really good. But for right now we’re still going to practice every day and figure out how to play with each other and learn each other’s ways so we can feel more comfortable.”
#3, Tyler Ulis, G
On getting better despite his height …
“That’s an accurate statement. I’m not going to grow. I’m the player I’m going to be. I make good decisions and I can shoot the ball, but there are always things that you can do to polish your game and get better. That’s the player I’m going to be.”
On how he anticipates this team being different from last year’s, especially with more guards …
“Anybody can see this team is going to be different. Last year we had an unbelievable team. We had seven guys go to the NBA and four were in the lottery. We have three point guards this year. Last year it was just Andrew (Harrison) and I. We have Charles (Matthews) too. It’s more guard-oriented this year. Last year we had Willie (Cauley-Stein) and Karl (Towns) that we could just throw lobs to and it ran through them. We just have to figure out what we’re going to do. It was different. I understand that and so does Cal.”
On Isaiah Briscoe and Jamal Murray …
“They’re completely different players. Jamal can score the ball anytime he wants. When he gets hot, he’s hot. He can score the ball really well. Isaiah is a finisher at the rim and uses his body really well. He passes the ball a lot better than I thought. We’re all going to play well together. We played together a couple times in open gym and I felt like it was a scary sight to see. We love playing with each other and we’re close on and off the court.”
On having more responsibility on his shoulders this season …
“I understand the things I have to do. (Coach Calipari) isn’t asking me to lead the country. He’s just asking me to run a basketball team. It’s really not that hard. I just have to lead us to win.”
#4 Charles Matthews
On his results from the combine he’s received …
“I haven’t really gotten any feedback from the combine. I just try to stay focused and have tunnel vision and keep my eyes on the prize. It is nice to know that I’m getting some positive results from it, though. I’m happy to hear that.”
On where he fits in on this team …
“I just try to make an impact wherever I am on the floor. I do what I have to do during games to earn playing time. I want us to be successful and help the team win as many games as possible. I’m trying to become more consistent these days and have more confidence in my shot and I’ll continue to work hard.”
On the attention that Kentucky players get …
“This is a different stage than most 18 year-old 19 year-olds. I’m an 18-year-old kid. Going to Kentucky, you are basically just thrown to the wolves here. It’s kind of easy to get far ahead of yourself, based off the pressure that is put on you here and you are under the spotlight. I just try to stay humble and be thankful for it and everything I get each and every day.”
On if he felt underrated coming into the season …
“Definitely. I definitely did, but at the end of the day I just worry about things I can control. I can just come in and work hard every day.”
On what part of his game has evolved …
“After practices have started, I feel like my decision-making has improved. My knowledge of the game is continuing to grow and continuing to expand. Coach Cal has been teaching me a lot.”
On how well the team is coming together…
“Honestly we are jelling pretty well right now. I don’t see any flaws in this team as far as chemistry-wise. We all hang out with one another. It’s a great group of guys. We have that comradery with one another.”
On his confidence …
“I don’t build confidence built off the praise of somebody, nor criticism from somebody. I develop my confidence from my work ethic. Being in the gym consistently, seeing myself get better, and seeing shots go in – that’s how I continue to build my confidence.”
#10, Jonny David, G
On what he thinks of UK so far …
“It’s been really busy trying to balance basketball and school. I have been doing that my whole life, but college is a little different. It’s always something every day.”
On why he chose to come to UK …
“It’s Kentucky basketball. I know what I signed up for, but it speaks for itself. No other program in the country can compare to playing at the University of Kentucky.”
On if he grew up watching UK …
“I started out as a Pitt fan, but then I started watching Kentucky and I have been a UK fan ever since.”
On his expectations for Big Blue Madness …
“It is nuts. I have been to Big Blue Madness the last two years, but being able to be a part of it will be crazy. Coming out and playing in front of all those people will be something that I will remember for the rest of my life.”
On the Big Blue campout for madness tickets …
“It’s crazy that they’re out there for that many days. It’s nice to get to talk to them and get to know the fans. I really enjoyed that.”
On what he has seen from Skal (Labissiere) so far …
“He has been playing great during these last few practices. Everyone is working really hard and improving every day.”
On Tyler Ulis being a “floor general” …
“Tyler has total control. He is a great player and anytime he says something it makes people listen because you want to be on the same page as him. Everyone knows what to do and has great basketball IQ. Tyler is a great floor general.”
# 11 Mychal Mulder, G
On if he feels that his shooting will earn him playing time …
“I feel like shooting 3-pointers consistently is something that is important to every basketball team, and that is something that I can provide.”
On Cal saying that he will choose seven or eight players and if he feels the pressure to make that group …
“I feel pressure to be the best version of myself. That seven or eight is just the best group for the time. There are players for every situation. I feel like everybody has an opportunity to play if you prove yourself.”
On if the other players are worrying about playing time …
“I don’t think that is something that anybody is worried about right now. We are just focused on being the best team that we can be. Individual goals fall behind the team goals right now.”
On his expectations of Big Blue Madness …
“I’m expecting madness. It’s going to be crazy. I didn’t get the chance to come down here last year during it, but I expect a lot out of it and think that it is going to be great.”
On if he was tempted to go somewhere else in order to get more playing time …
“I never have been the guy who is about being promised minutes. All the best things that have happened to me in my career so far have come from hard work and being able to be around guys who want to work hard. This decision wasn’t based on minutes, but it was about who has the same goals as me, and who is going to work hard to be a national champion. This is the best place to be.”
On how he feels like he can develop alongside Tyler Ulis …
“Tyler is a great point guard. Being able to watch him last year and how he handles the ball really made me excited to come here. He is definitely one of the better point guards we have ever had. Arguably he’s one of the best in the country, and I believe he is the best point guard in the country. We have a lot of faith in him. He’s a great distributer, a great scorer, and a great kid overall.”
#13, Isaiah Briscoe, G
On playing with Tyler Ulis …
“We just want to be the best and push each other to be great. He’s a great player. Just last night Jamal (Murray), Charles (Matthews), he, and I were in here last night. We want to have a great season and be good. We strive to be the best.”
On the biggest difference from high school to collegiate basketball …
“Just playing hard on the court – 110 percent every play and trip. It’s tough, but I had to get used to it. I had to take away some bad habits that I had in high school. I think I’m coming along pretty well.”
On Tyler Ulis as a leader and the other guards on the team …
“He’s a leader on and off the court. On the court, he’s been showing me how to be a point guard and staying poised in certain situations. We work out together all the time. Competing in practice is fun. I enjoy that. We have Jamal, Tyler, Charles, and Dominique (Hawkins). I just enjoy competing.”
On Coach Calipari saying he’s not scared to coach them and doesn’t give easy passes …
“He’s definitely not scared to coach any of us. He tells you how it is. He demands things of us and that’s fine with me. He knows what’s best for us. I’m all open ears with anything that he says to me. He’s going to coach us.”
#15, Isaac Humphries, F
On what the older guys have told him to expect on Big Blue Madness night …
“That it’s crazy. It’s a fun night, there’s a lot of people and to expect a lot of love from the fans. Kentucky fans are crazy and they are the best fans ever. For them to come out just to watch us practice is ridiculous, in a good way.”
On how he felt about the positive feedback from scouts at open practice …
“It was cool. We don’t have that sort of stuff in Australia. There is no way that would never happen back home. I’m happy that I did well because I’m so young they probably weren’t even watching me. It’s good that they can see a base of what I am at such a young age. They can hopefully see some potential and improvement in me. I don’t know how it works but I just played hard and did OK.”
On culture shock after arriving in America, specifically the Kentucky basketball environment …
“I’m definitely accustomed to the American culture of the love of basketball. At Kentucky, it’s just a different place. It was expected, but in terms of culture shock it’s a little bit more than I expected. The tent city stuff was something I had never experienced and it proved how loyal how our fans are.”
On first media day experience and if he was nervous …
“Not really. I just like to be myself and have fun with it. We get a little training but it’s really up to us to create our own media experience.”
On post moves Coach Cal hopes to use with him …
“It’s good to know he has a plan for me. To hear what he wants me to do is good for me because now I can go and work on that and do exactly what he wants.”
On what he brings to the team …
“From playing in Australia, we’re a lot more physical. The referring is different. We’re allowed different fouls. Once I came here, I realized it’s not as aggressive. But I still try to be aggressive in the post and I think the post is somewhere you need to be aggressive. I played rugby for a very good portion of my life so that kind of translates a little bit into being tougher than my teammates. I’m not crazy though. I’m not one of those people that tackle people in the post. I just like to make it tough for them.”
#22, Alex Poythress, F
On how close he is to being back at 100 percent …
“I’m pretty close. I’m practicing full contact and everything is going well. I’m making strides every day. I am full-go in all drills.”
On his explosiveness coming back from the knee injury …
“It comes and goes. Sometimes I try to make a move and I jump sometimes? But it’s coming and every day I’m just getting better with it.”
On being one of the X-factors on this team …
“It’s good. Being one of the leaders of this team, I have to step up. Myself, Tyler (Ulis), and Marcus (Lee), we have to lead the team by example and by voice, so we just need to lead the team and come in prepared for games.”
On younger players’ skills and abilities to impress …
“Everybody has impressed me. We have a lot of guys on this team. I’m impressed with everybody.”
On the lack of 40-0 talk leading up to this season …
“We don’t even think about it anymore. People are always going to have that 40-0 talk. We just try to win games. Every team in the country is trying to go 40-0. We just try to win games and win that final game. That’s what we’re really trying to do.”
On how he sees his skill set this year…
“Playing to my strengths is really what is going to get me to the next level. Playing to my strengths and staying away from the weaknesses, and just highlighting what I can do. That’s what gets you to the next level. Whatever I do, whatever I’m successful with doing, that’s what I’m trying to do on the court.”
#23, Jamal Murray, G
On what he’s learned from Tyler Ulis so far …
“He’s very crafty. He uses the pick-and-roll very well. We guard each other in pick-and-roll, so it’s fun to go against someone of that size and that quickness.”
On what he thinks he needs to do in order to get a starting position …
“Play the way that Coach Cal wants me to play. Lots of shots, limited turnovers, good defense and just learn from Cal.”
On his expectations of Big Blue Madness …
“I wasn’t expecting that many people to be waiting outside of the lodge to get tickets. It will be a lot of fun to go out there and show the fans what we’ve got and have a lot of fun doing it.”
On what it was like going to see Coach Cal inducted into the Hall of Fame …
“That was so cool. I got to see a lot of legends from all different teams. It was a great experience for our whole team and it was awesome to see a lot of Kentucky players come back.”
On why he decided to come to Kentucky …
“I think they talked about more of a focus than trying to persuade me. This was more, if you want to come here, you can come here. You get where you need to go, and you’re focused while doing it. It was a selling point for me and I think that I have the focus and passion to play at Kentucky. Every school is going to try and persuade me, but this was the place that I wanted to come and play with guys who I can play along with and compete with.”
On if having four international players on the team made the transition easier for him …
“I have been playing for Team Canada, so I played against Isaac (Humphries) when he was with Team Australia and I played against Skal (Labissiere) at the Hoop Summit, so I have played a lot of these guys before coming here.”
#24, EJ Floreal, G
On difference of this year’s team versus other years …
“There are a lot of similarities. There’s a lot of the same pieces. It’s just that we don’t have as much hype, and we don’t have as much height. Other than that, everyone competes and plays really hard.”
On preparing freshmen for Big Blue Madness …
“I said don’t really expect anything. Just let it happen. My freshman year I tried to plan my whole dance and plan how it was going to happen. Looking back, it looked pretty terrible. It was alright, but it could have been better. I just told them to go out and have fun. If you get nervous and freeze up, just wave and walk. If you want to dance, it’s not like they’re ever going to boo you. You can do any dance and they’re just going to cheer.”
On what he’s seen from the team so far …
“I’ve seen that we all play really hard. Of course, we’re a little behind from last year’s team, but last year’s team was a freak of nature. We’re still growing and we’re all going to be fine. We’re all really good kids and really good players.”
On Jamal Murray’s ability to shoot 3-pointers with both hands …
“He can shoot them extremely well, but his right hand 3-pointer is way better. His lefty 3-pointer is probably better than a lot of people’s regular 3s. It’s really good.”
On his pro day dunk …
“I was running. I saw Mych (Mychal Mulder). I saw a nice lane. I just started sprinting. It was like a kid in a candy store. I was like this is the lane I’ve been wanting for two years. I just jumped way farther than I thought I would. I was going to go off one. I went off two. I’m going to take another step. I didn’t take the step. Skal’s (Labissiere) going to jump. Skal didn’t jump. I just saw the opportunity and took it.”
#25, Dominique Hawkins, G
On Coach Calipari saying he was the best 3-point shooter …
“It’s been my best practices so far in my three years. I’m definitely feeling more confidence in myself. Every shot I put up I was thinking I’m going to make it. That’s what gave me motivation to play well.”
On his role as a veteran with this team …
“Basically, my role right now is to just be a leader and help people out. It’s harder to do it when you’re not playing with them, but basically I can help them with off-the-court situations like school work, fans and how to take care of all of that.”
On his progress with the hand injury …
“It’s coming along pretty good right now. Yesterday I just got into a shorter cast so I can start moving my fingers. It’s a start. Next week I get to go back to the doctor and see if I can get the cast off for good and be able to do some dribbling drills just to get my hand back to it’s strength.”
On advice that he gives to the freshmen …
“Basically I just tell the freshmen to be ready for a long practice. You never know how long Coach Cal is going to keep you. During the drills, he wants you to compete, so don’t slack off in the drills. Always be competitive. What I’ve learned the most is, you’re going to learn a way to fail fast. That is what Coach Cal says. He wants you to fail fast, so don’t be scared to fail as well.”
On how he injured his hand …
“It was basically a freak accident. I went in for a steal, and I don’t remember what happened, but people say my hand got caught on (Isaiah) Briscoe’s jersey, and it just pulled it back.”
#32, Dillon Pulliam , G
On being a part of this team …
“I am living my dream. Being a kid from Cynthiana, Ky., and being able to come to UK and be a part of this team is a dream come true.”
On last year’s team compared to this one …
“We are young but talented. Last year’s team had a ton of talent.”
#35, Derek Willis, F
On if he’ll be back from his injury before the season starts …
“I definitely hope so. This will work itself out. I’m not worried about it, but I should be back.”
On how he thought of his play before he had the injury …
“I thought I was doing really well. This is like a setback. You have to get back to how you were before this happened. I didn’t want it to happen it all, but I guess with it happening before the season is fine.”
On what he worked on over the summer …
“I worked on getting in shape and building a motor. If you want to keep playing this game professionally after here, then you need to get in shape. I think people are looking for defense mostly now. Can he get up and down? Can he guard? I’m capable of guarding a lot of positions.”
On if the opportunities, on this team, are in the post …
“I think so. The coaches want to see if I can guard out on the floor and stuff. I could be a mismatch at the three position. The opposing guards could have trouble guarding me, but it’s just one of those things that I’m working on.”
On what Skal Labiessere brings to the team …
“He can block shots on the floor and finish and be a monster around the basket. He picks things up really quickly. He’s improved and is doing fine.”
