Associate Head Coach Kenny Payne
On if De’Aaron Fox will practice today …
“Don’t know yet. I think he’s day-to-day. Waiting to hear. That’s all I’ve got on him.”
On what Fox means to the team …
“A lot. I think you saw a little bit of the adjustment that we had to make. We went through a spell where, without him, we were a little confused and discombobulated, but we got it together, which is a great sign of a good team that – with any missing piece – can win games.”
On what made him recommend playing Dominique Hawkins at the point guard position to Coach Calipari …
“I think the fact that he doesn’t turn the ball over. I think Isaiah (Briscoe) has done a great job, but I also think that he can play both on and off the ball. If turnovers are the issue, which – in spells – has been an issue, we go through a four- or five-minute stretch where we’re turning the ball over and give it to somebody that doesn’t turn it over. It stabilizes us.”
On how Hawkins has always found a way to be ready when he is needed …
“He’s been really, really steady and the most important thing that he does for this team is put pressure on the ball. That’s where we need him the most. He’s been good for us. I’d like to see him get more shots and be a more aggressive offensive player. He’s done a really good job.”
On how Isaiah Briscoe has helped in the absence of Fox …
“I can’t begin to tell you guys – I don’t know how much of this you know – but from last year to this year, Isaiah Briscoe is not the same basketball player. Not mentally, not physically. He’s at peace with his self. He’s playing the best that he has ever played. It’s not talked about a lot, but he should be really commended on what he’s done this year.
On what he means when he says Briscoe is at peace with himself …
“(He’s) playing within his self and being confident and assured of who he is and what he is as a player. Some people will look at him and say, ‘He’s not a point guard.’ I would say to you, ‘Do your homework.’ He is a point guard, but he can guard four positions out there on the court. (He’s) invaluable to this team.”
On what he means when he says Briscoe is at peace with himself …
“(He’s) playing within his self and being confident and assured of who he is and what he is as a player. Some people will look at him and say, ‘He’s not a point guard.’ I would say to you, ‘Do your homework.’ He is a point guard, but he can guard four positions out there on the court. (He’s) invaluable to this team.”
On Isaac Humphries and how he has been playing lately …
“I think Isaac has been playing with more energy, more toughness. (He’s) rebounding the ball and giving us consistent, steady minutes when Bam (Adebayo) is off the floor. He’s been good.”
On Briscoe not getting the same attention as Monk and Fox …
“I think it’s easier to talk about Malik (Monk) and De’Aaron (Fox) because they’re so athletic, they’re so fast, they’re so dynamic -- along with being really young. Again, Isaiah Briscoe stabilizes this basketball team. He’s been great for us. He’s been a leader on and off the floor. He’s done everything that we could ask him to do. I think when the season ended last year, and you look at his free-throw percentage and 3-point percentage, all of that stuff has (gone up). At times he surprises his self because he’s bragging about what he’s been shooting from three.”
On Wenyen Gabriel improving his game …
“I can’t begin to tell you what Wenyen and Derek (Willis) from that four spot has meant. The way they played the last couple of games, the last three games or so. We’ve been in battles. (I am) proud of both, really proud of Wenyen because when Wenyen was struggling his effort wasn’t struggling, it was just production. Now he’s knocking down shots, now he’s playing more confident, now he feels more reassured in what he is doing and you are seeing the real him. That is who he is.”
On the dramatic change in Gabriel’s game …
“For a high school player to walk into college basketball, there is nothing to equate to what we do. High school kids come in and they think, ‘I can play like I played in high school.’ Not at Kentucky, not here. Wenyen had to come in and the one thing that he has never changed was his effort, his energy and his effort. Now he’s learning to be an offensive player that takes open shots which Coach Cal is on him about and he’s rebounding the ball better. He’s playing excellent defense. He’s helping off the ball. He’s doing everything that we ask him to do.”
On the change from high school play to college play for Gabriel …
“I just think the competition wasn’t the same. What he played against -- I just think that in high school you can get away with being a volume shooter because there is no other player on your team besides yourself. Then when you talk about coming to college, it’s important for young people to know you gotta share. To be on a great team and play with other great players, you have to share and Wenyen has done that and embraced that, but it’s an adjustment. It’s a major adjustment from going from a high school player where I can take 30 shots to I’m going to get five, six, eight shots.”
On demanding Bam Adebayo gets more touches in the post …
“No question. I think that is the finished product of what we are trying to do as a team. If we get Bam to be more aggressive without a play being called -- meaning he sprints the floor, the ball is on the left side of the floor, he sprints the right side, he sprints over to the post, demands the ball. It’s not a play. We don’t have to force feed you, when you can get it within the flow. If he figures that part out, I mean it changes the whole dynamic of what we are.”
On Adebayo being too unselfish in demanding more touches …
“I think so. I think he is too nice and too unselfish. I really do. I think that if he had a little bit of DeMarcus Cousins’ mentality, he changes the dynamics of this team. Every game I’m telling him, ‘Take over the game for us. Dominate the game for us. Don’t sit back and let the game -- and five, six minutes, you don’t touch the ball. Say a word. That’s not who you are. That’s not how good you are. You’re a special basketball player. Go and dominate the game.’ ”
On Adebayo beginning to develop that mentality…
“No question about it. No question about it. But, again it is an adjustment. It’s an adjustment.”
On how often he has seen someone improve like Briscoe …
“Very rare. Very rare. Some people will say you are what you are. I’ll say to you that for a kid to not believe the ball is going in the hole, a year ago, from the free throw line, from the 3-point line. To going from that to, ‘You can leave me if you want to. I’m going to shoot it and I’m shooting it with confidence.’ Whether the ball goes in the hole or not, he believes that it is going in. The reason that he believes is because he put in the work.”
On Isaiah Briscoe’s 3-point shooting …
“He takes pride in I’m not going to be the weak link from the 3-point line. The pressure is on him to continue to get better shooting it. We know that the scouting report from other teams is going to be. You’ve got to back off of somebody, let it be Briscoe. I encourage it. I think it’s good for him to prove to people that you’re not going to play defense like that against him.”
On Wenyen Gabriel and gaining confidence …
“No question. He is a good offensive player. He’s always been. The problem is between his ears. When you go out and play, you play with confidence and you live with the results. Do it within the concepts of what your coaches and what your team needs and do it with confidence and you’re good.”
On Mychal Mulder’s possible return …
“Mychal is still sick. Hopefully we get him back soon. We need him. He’s been playing well and we need him. We need him.”
On the mindset going into the Tennessee game tomorrow …
“I think a couple of things. I think one, Tennessee can beat us. Regardless of what their record is, we’re playing them at Tennessee and they’re going to be hungry and aggressive against us. We’ve got to go out and play well to beat them. It is what it is. They’re a good team. They’re a tough, scrappy team. We’ve got to defend and rebound and play Kentucky basketball and be efficient.”
On how this game compares to playing Kansas on Saturday …
“Not with us. Every time we step out on the floor you can see it. They’re coming with their best game whether it was Mississippi State, whether it is Tennessee. We can’t afford to look ahead to anybody. We know that we can be beat by anybody.”
On a learning experience for new players …
“I think it’s a little bit a lack of focus making easy plays. It’s more the turnovers that’s disturbing. But, we just gotta continue to be solid – get through those spells and limit them. And go out and play well.”
On there being no such thing as a trap game …
“No. Not with us. I don’t think so. I mean if you look at everybody that we played, especially on the road – the crowd is there. It’s going to be a dog fight. We’re expecting it.”
On the younger guys dealing with a trap game …
“Coach Cal has talked about how they beat us last year, how scrappy they are, and how physical and hard they’re going to play against us. They’re very well coached and have a great coach in Rick Barnes. They’re going to be ready for us.”
On how you feel about a 9 p.m. start …
On how you feel about a 9 p.m. start …
“I think as adults we worry about it. I think as kids they could care less. They probably have more energy at 9 p.m. than we will.”
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