University of Tennessee Athletics
Postgame Quotes
January 08, 2003 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 8, 2003
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Kentucky vs. Tennessee
Thompson-Boling Arena
January 8, 2003
TENNESSEE HEAD COACH BUZZ PETERSON
"It was a well-played game, but the bottom line is you can't put Kentucky at the free-throw line 34 times. Too many of our players were in foul trouble. You need to be able to play defense without fouling. I was proud of our young men, the way they fought and scrapped all the way. Down the stretch, we tried to get shots set up for Ron Slay, but Kentucky locked in on him, and we couldn't get the ball to him.
"We've been hitting our free throws, but we missed an awful lot of them down the stretch. If Jon Higgins comes to play like this every night, and stays aggressive, that's something we've got to have. I hope his aggressiveness continues. On the last play of the game, other players were locked up, so John Winchester had to take the last 3-pointer. He had a good look, but it wouldn't go down.
I was pleased we got the momentum early. Jon Higgins hit a couple of big shots. We got stuck at 15, but then regained the momentum. C.J. Watson was frustrated a little bit, by his free-throw misses down the stretch, but I liked the way he ran the offense overall. Our other players have to get consistent, players like Brandon Crump. I think he was bothered by the fact that he was in foul trouble."
KENTUCKY HEAD COACH ORLANDO "TUBBY" SMITH
"It was a hard-fought game. Tennessee played well and shot well. We were very fortunate to get the win. I was pleased at our effort. It was gutsy and we made the plays. Jules Camara had good numbers; he made the clutch shots, and had a key defensive block. The key was getting to the free-throw line. Another key was getting Jon Higgins out of the game. It was a good team effort defensively. Keith Bogans responded the right way after being disciplined for being late. He did a good job. Jules Camara showed he could guard the perimeter player. Ron Slay is a tremendous player and athlete. You can't hold him down for long.
"We attacked the basket better. We were more aggressive. We were active when we handled the ball. Jules Camara is a very focused kid who enjoys the game; he's a team player. He'll do what we ask to help us win. I'm happy to see him respond. He stayed in the game mentally. I thought he rose to the challenge in the second half. Cliff Hawkins gave us some energy. There were three or four times we had chances to take charges and we didn't. I thought Keith Bogans set the tone on the glass tonight; nine rebounds may be a career high for him."
