University of Georgia Athletics
SEC Head Coaches' Teleconference Quotes
January 08, 2007 | Men's Basketball
(On the upcoming game against Tennessee)
“Well we took one on the chin over the weekend. Auburn shot very well at the arc. With no disrespect to Auburn, Tennessee is probably a better shooting team, and we’re going to have to improve our defense. Tennessee is playing very good basketball right now and it’s going to be a tough game.”
(On Vanderbilt’s loss to Auburn)
“They guarded us pretty well. I wouldn’t say they did anything different from what we’ve seen. They played a little zone, but mostly it was man-to-man. We had 12 lay-ups that we missed. We had the opportunities, we just didn’t convert those opportunities.”
Florida Head Coach Billy Donovan
(On Florida’s opponents)
“I think that teams have been playing very well against us. I wouldn’t expect anything else. We’re getting everyone’s best shot because there’s a lot of motivation because of what happened last year. I wouldn’t say that teams are playing harder, because every team we’ve seen plays very hard. There’s a difference between playing hard and playing well, and when you do both of those things, that’s when you’re playing your best basketball team. Everyone in our league plays hard in every game.” (On the upcoming game against Arkansas)
“They’re a very impressive team. I think everyone thought they were going to be very young because of who they lost from last year. To me, they’re a better team this year, because that’s what they are; they’re a team. They’re very unselfish. They’re very impressive this year.”
South Carolina Head Coach Dave Odom
(On the upcoming game against Georgia)
“We’re coming off a very difficult game against Kansas yesterday. We weren’t able to execute yesterday, which was disappointing when you’re playing a team at that level. All we have left is teams at that same level, and to not be able to execute is difficult. All the teams in the SEC are high-caliber and we’ve got some difficult games ahead of us. This game against Georgia is the first conference game of the season. This is going to be a challenging game for us. I’ve said from the outset that Georgia will be the most improved team in this league, and they’ve proved that. They’ve played some very difficult opponents this year, and they’ve played very well.”
Georgia Head Coach Dennis Felton
(On the upcoming game against South Carolina)
“I think a lot of South Carolina. I think they’ve accomplished a lot more than people thought they would, especially with some of the conditions they’ve been though. They mix things up a lot and we’re looking forward to playing them.”
(On the recent loss to Florida)
“I really believe they’re truly the best team in America, because they’re so talented, so athletic and so skilled. They’ve got a lot of experience, not only that but championship experience. They’ve also got a lot of experience playing with each other. They’re certainly more athletic than us and they’re very deep. They’ve got a lot of talent and experience on they’re bench. Its very tough to handle them because they’re so talented and athletic and skill. That combination is very, very difficult to play against.
(On Georgia’s schedule this season)
“It can’t get much better. We’ve played some many games against nationally ranked teams or teams that were recently nationally ranked. A lot of those games were on the road and against teams that are ranked third and fourth in the country. One of those games is against Florida, who I think is the best team in the country. It’s been good for us though, and we knew when we were putting our schedule together that it would be difficult.”
LSU Head Coach John Brady
(On the status of Glen “Big Baby” Davis)
“I guess you all know that after the game against Connecticut on Saturday night, which was a late tip off. After he did his interviews and everything, he went to get something to eat and on his way to his apartment, someone ran a stop sign and hit him. I got a call from his dad at around 12:15 and he told me they were taking him to the hospital. My wife and I got up and went down there and Butch (Pierre) and his wife went down there as well. Pretty soon word got out and the team started showing. We were very afraid that he had broken some ribs or had some serious damage, and we’re very fortunate that he wasn’t hurt too badly. He’s a little sore, but other than that, he should be fine to play, and we expect him to play against Alabama.”
(On Alabama’s recent loss to Arkansas)
“That game doesn’t have much bearing on our preparations for this game. Not to take anything away from Arkansas, but I know that Alabama is a much better team than what they showed the other night. They’re a very talented and very well coached team. Arkansas certainly didn’t do us any favors, since we have to face them now. I’m sure they’ve made some adjustments, and we’ve just got to do what we can to get ready for this game.”
Kentucky Head Coach Tubby Smith
(On the upcoming game against Auburn)
“Auburn is a very improved team. Coach Lebo has done a very good job with them and getting the team prepared for this season. I’ve been very impressed with what I’ve seen. They’re very quick and coach Lebo has several different line-ups that he can show us. That makes them very difficult to prepare for them because there are so many different people that you will see in game.”
(On Kentucky’s recent win over Ole Miss)
“I thought we really had to shoot the ball well. [Ole Miss Head Coach] Andy [Kennedy] has his team playing extremely well. We were very fortunate to get that win. I thought that we really stepped it up. We’ve been playing pretty solid defense now, and I was very happy with our shooting performance.”
Tennessee Head Coach Bruce Pearl
(On the upcoming game against Vanderbilt)
“Obviously playing in Memorial Gym is a unique experience because of the history there. Coaching down the baseline there only happens once a year. Both teams are playing very well right now and I’m looking forward to playing this game.”
(On Tennessee’s non-conference schedule preparing the team for SEC play)
“I feel like we’re prepared in the sense that we’ve been challenged. I’m really proud of the way our team has represented the conference in non-conference play. When you beat teams like Memphis or Oklahoma State, those are big wins not only for the team. I’m very happy that Tennessee has represented the SEC so well in the non-conference portion of the schedule. We’ve got a big game coming up against Ohio State and hopefully we’ll continue to play as well as we have so far.”
Arkansas Head Coach Stan Heath
(On the upcoming game at Florida)
“I was really proud of our team the other night. We got a very big win, but now we’ve got to get ready for a Florida team that I think is the best in the country. They’re a very exciting team to watch but we’ve got a lot to do to prepare for them. Of course its going to be tough playing the defending National Champions down in Gainesville but we’re hungry and we’re looking forward to seeing what we do against them.”
Alabama Head Coach Mark Gottfried
(On the upcoming game against LSU)
“We’re excited about an opportunity to play a great LSU basketball team. I think they’re one of the best teams in the nation and they showed it again on Saturday against Connecticut. I think our guys are really looking forward to this game.”
(On Arkansas)
“They were terrific. They had a tremendous amount of energy. The were quick on the ball and they hit every shot at the beginning. They came out with a lot of energy and we didn’t show it in the first part of our game. I’ve been singing Arkansas’s praises since the summer time. I think they’re a very talented team and they can play with anyone in this league.”
Auburn Head Coach Jeff Lebo
(On the upcoming game against Kentucky)
“Kentucky’s playing awfully well right now. That’s always a very tough place to play. I think Morris is a much-improved player for last year. Obviously that’s just a tough environment to play in.” (On Auburn’s young team playing at Kentucky)
“They’re going to have to play in that environment. That’s the only way to learn how to play in it. We’ve got a very young team this year, and we’re going to one of the premier places to play in the country. We’ve had guys who have played on the road before, but not at Kentucky, which is a different animal. Its one of the toughest places to play a game at.”
Ole Miss Head Coach Andy Kennedy
(On the upcoming game at Mississippi State)
“We’re a little bit like a wounded animal. We’ve lost two games where we’ve had the lead in the second half. We’re still learning how to close games. I was very impressed with Kentucky and I think they got a very good road win. Now we head to Mississippi State, who I think is still trying to find themselves as well. It’s going to be a difficult atmosphere to play in and we’re still trying to find ourselves and build this program.”
(On playing a rivalry game on the road)
“I’ve known Coach Stansbury and I probably won’t be very popular for saying that I have a lot of respect for him and his program. They’ve got a good team, even though they’ve had a difficult stretch recently. They’re going to be very difficult for us to match up against from a personnel standpoint. This is our first SEC road game, so it’s a very big game for us in addition to being a rivalry game.”
(On Mississippi State) “I think they’re really, really talented. I think they have exceptional length and athleticism across the board. Up front, they lead the league in blocked shots, which is a testament to they’re athleticism. They’re shooting very well from the perimeter, and they’re having more quality possessions now, which means they’re not turning the ball over as much. Top to bottom they are a very athletic team. I know they’re young in some areas, but they’re very talented and they’re improving.”
Mississippi State Head Coach Rick Stansbury
(On the upcoming game against Ole Miss)
“We’re coming off a hard-fought game yesterday at Tennessee. We have a quick turn-around to get ready for Ole Miss. They’re a very good team, and they’ve got a lot of experience. That’s certainly going to help them, especially on the road. We’re looking forward to this game, and we’re certainly excited to be back at home. It was a long road trip.”
(On preparing for a team with a new coach versus preparing for a team with an established coach)
“That’s not a huge difference. They’re playing different than they have in the past, but that’s every team. We don’t look at it any differently than any other team. The way they play is the way they play. They’ve got a very good basketball team, and Andy’s doing a great job with them. We’re going to have to be at our best when we see them.
