March 29, 2011

Connecticut Players Quotes

Kemba Walker

On the atmosphere around campus since they got back: “It hasn’t been as crazy as I expected. It’s been fun actually. I’ve been walking around and people have been saying good job and all that. Ya know, people screaming out their cars.”

On having a break between rounds: “It can be a positive and negative. It’s good to have a break because we’ve been playing so much lately. It can be a negative also though because there’s a chance that our momentum could stop. But I think it’s best that we get this break. We definitely need it to get our legs back. It will be a good time for us to regroup and get the full effect of this Final Four.”

On what it says about the tournament having such lower seeds involved than normal: “It just goes to show you that anyone can win on any night. It makes you realize the talent level of . Nobody expected these four teams to be in the Final Four. It just shows that you gotta come to play every night.”

On his relationship with coach over the years: “Our relationship has kind of been the same since freshman year. We’ve always had a great relationship. It’s just that people didn’t get a chance to see it. People are seeing it now because we’ve been winning so much. Especially my freshman year, people didn’t see it because we had A.J. (Price) still. He had a great relationship with A.J. too. I had a lot of great players ahead of me so people just didn’t really see our relationship. But from last season, it was tough, but we still had a great relationship.

Do you look at him as almost a family member? “Definitely. I knew that from the start. I knew that before I even got here that I’d have a great relationship from the time he recruited me. He’s somebody sort of like me. He gets mad, but he gets mad for all the right reasons. He gets mad because he wants us to play harder and he knows what we’re capable of doing. He’s just so passionate about the game. He just wants to win. He’s sort of like me.”

On being basically an assistant coach on the floor: “It’s a role I’ve seen over the years. A.J. (Price) was great at that. Taking over huddles and coach asking what’s working – A.J. would just tell him and coach would listen. I just learned from A.J. about how to be a vocal leader.”

On hearing from A.J. Price: “He just told me to keep it going. He actually told me what he thought the teams would be doing against us and he was right. He told me San Diego State would throw big 6’6 defenders at me and they did. He told me to use my quickness on the big guys and get that win.”

On him and Donnell Beverly talking to the younger guys about the Final Four: “Not yet. I think we’re gonna wait till we get out there to talk to those guys. Tell ‘em that it’s just going to be so much when we get out there. We’re gonna have to do a lot of media. It’s gonna be a lot. We want everybody to keep their heads and stay mentally tough.”

On the fact that he’s already been there and is more prepared for the Final Four: “I’m definitely more prepared for it. My freshmen year, it was tough. I’m not gonna lie, it was tough. It was just so much for me and the team overall. By the time the game came, I was exhausted. That’s something I’ll definitely be thinking about going into the game.”

This is a whole different ball game being the Final Four. Do you worry about the freshmen with what you went through? “That’s the problem right there. I think guys go into the game thinking it’s a whole different ball game when they shouldn’t. We should go into the game thinking it’s a regular game. We know what the stakes are, but we have to go in with the same mindset that got us there. I’ll definitely preach that to my team.”

On ’s ability to run the point helping his own game: “Oh he helped me big time. I understand what he’s done for this team. He brings a lot of energy to this team. He brings that extra playmaking ability to the team. There’s times when I’m not able to be on the ball the whole game because maybe I’m a little fatigued. Guys will want to ball pressure me, and he gives me that extra edge.”

On the freshmen being more confident than ever before: “Right now, I don’t think anybody could tell them anything right now. They’re on top of the world right now. They’re playing great basketball, each and every one of them. We’re gonna need those guys to be big time for us. They got us where we are now so hopefully they can keep that up.”

Shabazz Napier

On Kentucky “Watching them play against North Carolina, I was like “wow, they’re good.” They’re a way different team than from Maui.”

How is Kentucky different from the team UConn beat in Maui “Brandon Knight is a better [than he was in November]. He’s a better shooter now. …….[Josh] Harrelson he’s tough now. You see how well he played against [of Ohio State]. [DeAndre] Liggins and [Darius] Miller they’re all stepping-up now, the veteran guys. It’s more of a team.”

On win in Maui over Kentucky “We’re just leaving that game behind. I’ll tell you right now, it’s not going to be a 17- point game again. We’re not going to win by 17, and hopefully we don’t lose by 17. It’s going to be a hard fought game. It’s going to be one of the toughest games of the season.”

“We’re just out there and we’re having fun. Before [winning nine in a row] we weren’t but now we are. You win more games when you have fun.”

Alex Oriakhi

On returning to campus after the victory “The students have been great; telling us “congrats” and how proud they are of us. That definitely feels great but I still know we’ve got more work to do. We’re happy we made the Final Four but we want to bring a National Championship back to Storrs so they can really be proud of something.”

On Brandon Knight choosing to attend Kentucky over UConn “I do actually remember Brandon Knight coming on his visit [to UConn]. I guess this just wasn’t the school for him. But Coach says he wouldn’t trade Shabazz or for anybody. I completely agree. I think everything happens for a reason. You know, he chose Kentucky and it’s worked out for him.”

How much different are both teams after their meeting in Maui “Oh, I think we’re both completely different teams. That game, I think we beat them pretty well. They’re definitely going to want revenge. That’s going to be in the back of their minds. They definitely have gotten way better as a team. [Forward Josh Harrelson] is playing with so much confidence. He’s definitely playing really well.”

On continuing his solid performance “I don’t remember any bad games. I’m just looking at the positives. I started the season and I told myself I’m going to finish it. I’m just going to go out there and play as hard as I can. You know, I definitely can’t go wrong with that.”

Niels Giffey

On what it’s like for him and his family during this experience:. “A lot of people I haven’t talked to in a long time, I’ve talked to now. They heard I’m going to the Final Four. It’s kind of funny, because they’re experiencing the same thing I am.”

On his old coach winning a national championship in Germany: “We’ve talked a lot the last two weeks. He told me that he played all over the world and it was the most exciting thing he’s ever experienced. He told me to enjoy every second and appreciate everything I’ll experience in the next week.”

Have Kemba (Walker) and Donnell (Beverly) told the younger guys anything about the Final Four: “Yea, they told us how at this point of the season, we’ve worked so hard already that this part of the season should be fun too because it can only get better.”

On watching Kentucky beat North Carolina in the Elite Eight: “They played a much faster game than they did in Maui. I think different guys have stepped up over the season. It’s a different team now.”

Did you envision anything like this when you started in October? “Not like this, no. I came here without big expectations. It was a big adventure for me. I can’t believe we’ve gone this far into the championship.”

Did you know about the Final Four in Germany? Is it a big deal? “I knew about it, but it’s not a big deal. I watched the Final Four last year though.”

Jeremy Lamb

Is your dad rooting for you or VCU this weekend? “He should be rooting for me, but I don’t know really.”

On growing up throughout the year: “Earlier in the year I was a freshman, but now I don’t think I’m one. We’ve grown up so much. I’m not a freshman anymore.”

On his confidence as a freshman and people’s thoughts on it: “I guess I laugh at it a little bit. It doesn’t bother me. I’m just real chill. I can’t really change my personality. People say you gotta change your personality on the court but when I’m hitting shots, people don’t say that.”

Have you surprised yourself with how much you’ve improved? “Yeah I actually have. Earlier in the year I was having problems and I didn’t know where I would be at this time. At one point, I was just thinking I’d be a lot better next year and I’d be good this summer. I surprised myself and I think I surprised my teammates too.”

How much of the success of this team has been gaining confidence? “Confidence is a huge part. If you don’t have confidence, then some of the things you usually do, you’ll second guess. You can really mess your game up like that. Confidence is a huge part. I think it’s taken us to the next level because you know Kemba’s (Walker) gonna go out and get 30 points, but if he doesn’t have help then we can’t win games. Now I think I’ve been hitting big shots, Shabazz (Napier) has been hitting big shots, so has Roscoe (Smith). That just adds on to what Kemba does. It makes us a hard team to guard.”

On the team’s attitude after the Notre Dame loss to end the regular season: “We were saying how we have to get back to what we usually do, we gotta have fun, we gotta work hard. We just gotta do what we love which is play basketball. So yea we really just wanted to get back to what we know to do. We really just wanted to get back to what we know to do. We came out and played with energy. We’ve been consistently doing that every night.”

Donnell Beverly

On Kentucky’s improvement since the Maui Invitational: “In my mind I think they just ran a lot of simple offenses. A lot of dribble-drives, just trying to have somebody make a play. Now I think they have a little more screening, and is stepping up and playing really well now. He is playing amazing, he is pretty much saving them really. A lot of people are saying that Brandon Knight just had an off night against us before, but I think it was our defense also. Shabazz and Kemba did a great job of putting pressure on him and things like that. Overall they have a really good team and I think they relied on just a couple guys in Maui, but now a lot of guys are stepping into their roles better.”

What kind of job as Coach Calhoun done this year in terms of keeping the team going forward? “I think coach is doing a great job of keeping everybody focused, even after a loss and the slumps in the BIG EAST. He just did a great job of keeping everyone focused and knowing that we have a task at hand and we need to finish it. That is one of the most difficult things from high school to college basketball is your focus. With a lot of freshmen and their focus, if we are all on the same page it is hard to beat us.”

Have you thought about these games being your final games? “Not really. I haven’t really thought about it like that. I would love to go out the right way, win a National Championship. A lot of people can’t say that they have done that. I just hope that I can be part of a legacy here.”

How proud are you of Kemba and yourself and the job that you did as leaders this year? “I think Kemba and I led by example and talking to the guys and speaking up. For me personally I don’t feel like it is a big deal, but the coaches are always saying that my value to the team is bigger than what I think it is even though I don’t play as much as other guys. It is what it is, but I will take that role and I am happy to be a captain and a leader of this team.”

Jamal Coombs-McDaniel

What has it been like preparing for the Final Four? “It has actually been really relaxed. There isn’t too much going on right now. We have just been focused and following the same routine that we have all year.”

Can you talk about your relationship with Alex and how you have grown up together? “We have been together since eighth or ninth grade, so we have known each other for a while. We roomed together in high school and our families are incredibly close. He is like a brother to me and I am happy to see the success that he is having. I hope he just continues to do what he is doing.”

Why are you two so close? “Probably because we play different positions and we haven’t had to compete much against each other. We also help each other and we both love basketball. We were just trying to get to the next level and trying to get better.”

Has it been nice to have somebody to talk to after the games here? “We have both have a lot of ups and downs and we talk after every game and try to pick each other up after the games. We came a long way together, from AAU in eighth grade to here and the Final Four. We won National Championships in high school and we are just trying to do that again.”

Tyler Olander

Do you think that everyone has their own role on the team now? “Yes, I feel like that is all just set in stone right now. Obviously we know that Kemba is the number one option and Jeremy is number two and the rest of us just contribute when we can and do the little things to help the team.”

How much has the freshman class grown up over the past three weeks? “I think we have definitely all improved. Mainly from a confidence standpoint and knowing that this is it and we have nothing to lose now. We are just going out there and competing against the best.”

How proud are you that you have brought the respect back to the program? “I am very proud , and I think we are all very proud just because nobody respected us at the beginning of the year. Coach reminded us after the Arizona game that at the beginning of the season we weren’t even in the top 68 teams that were supposed to make the tournament and now we are in the Final Four. It is really something to be proud of and everything that we have done since the BIG EAST tournament is really something to be proud of.”

What was the thought that went through your head when you knew you were going to be in the Final Four after watching the event for so many years? “It is just unreal. Think about all of the great players here that have made it to the Final Four. I am just happy that I did it with this team. Everyone really gets along with each other and it is just amazing.”