Kentucky Players
#12, Keion Brooks Jr., Fr., F
On how important that he, Kahlil Whitney and EJ Montgomery are to this team …
“We definitely have to step up to help this team reach its full potential. If we’re not playing well or we’re not giving it everything we’ve got, our team is capped and that’s not a good thing. All three of us are going to pick it up, we’re going to continue to push through and eventually, that light bulb will go on for us and we’ll be clicking on all cylinders.”
On how well he knows Georgia’s Anthony Edwards …
“I’ve been playing against Anthony since about third or fourth grade, so I’m very familiar with him. Great player. We’ve just got to do everything we can to make it hard on him and limit his open looks. He’s just a great all-around player. He can score on all three levels of the floor, very good with the ball, a good shooter, so we’ve just got to make sure we’re making it tough on him, limit his open looks and when he does get one, just make sure we’re there contesting.”
On playing in the first true road game of the season on Tuesday …
“Yeah, we’re definitely looking forward to it, to see how we are in a different environment besides playing neutral or playing at Rupp. See what our team is really made of, playing somewhere else besides home, so we’re really happy and eager to go play somewhere else.”
On how hard it is to be patient as a freshman …
“I wouldn’t say it’s hard to be patient. For me personally, I’m able to self-analyze and look at myself in the mirror and say, ‘if I’m doing the right things on the floor, obviously, I would get more playing time and if not, I would be selfish to think I should be playing more.’ So, it’s not difficult for me at all to be able to look in the mirror and see what’s going on.”
On how he grades himself …
“As long as I can look in the mirror at the end of the game and say that I gave it everything I got, I was locked in and played with a lot of energy. That’s all I really care about at the end of the day. Sometimes just being out there, playing hard and having energy, you’ll be able to fill up the box score because you have energy, playing hard, but some nights it’s not like that. But as long as you’re going out there, playing hard and just trying to make the right play every time, I can live with that.”
On if he’s able to replicate his mindset to a game where he played well …
“You definitely try to look back and replicate what your mindset was that game, to get back to that, to be able to play free and not worry about what’s going on on offesnse and not put so much pressure on yourself to score the ball or anything like that. Like that game (against Georgia Tech), I was just focused on playing hard, playing defense and rebounding the ball. And because of that, I was able to score a little bit more than I usually do. So that’s a game I look back at all the time.”
On what his biggest hurdle has been so far this season …
“Just the everyday grind of it. Cal is not letting up. He’s pushing you to get better every single day and sometimes that’s hard. Just the grind of everything, every day, repetitively. But that’s what I came here for, so I’m not going to sit here and complain about it.”
On what the adjustment is to the quick turnaround in SEC play …
“It’s just being ready, mentally focused. You don’t have as much time to lock in on one particular team because you’re not just having one game a week now. But I think it’s good for us. I think we have a smart team, an intelligent team, so as long as we’re locked in and listening to Cal, we should be fine.”
#5, Immanuel Quickley, So., G
On Ashton Hagans’ status and whether he has practiced …
“We haven’t practiced since (he got hurt), so I guess we’ll find out today. Other than what y’all saw, that’s all I really know.”
On the void that Hagans would leave if he can’t play at Georgia …
“It would definitely be a big position for us to fill. What he gives our team, what he brings, his energy, his leadership, his defensive ability, his toughness. All stuff that’s hard to replace, but we would just have to try to do it as a collective team.”
On what Hagans has said about his ankle …
“He said he felt fine, but you never know until you get out on the floor, try to cut and move stuff like that. So, I guess we’ll see.”
On Anthony Edwards …
“I haven’t seen too much. I just know from watching McDonald’s All-American Games and stuff like that he’s pretty good. They got a really good team. Georgia’s well coached. Tom Crean’s done a great job the past couple years, so Georgia will definitely be a good test for us, especially on the road. We got a lot of young guys, so we’re just going to have to try to come together and get a win.”
On potentially playing more on the ball in Hagans’ absence …
“It honestly doesn’t matter to me whether I’m playing on or off. Me and Tyrese (Maxey) can play on or off the ball. If Ashton’s able to go, he can even play off the ball. Honestly, when we’re playing three guards or two guards, it doesn’t really matter. We’re pretty much comfortable whichever way.”
On what makes Edwards dangerous …
“He’s like 6-6, really strong, athletic, can shoot, can create his own shot, which in turn makes his teammates better because you’re spending so much attention guarding him. We’ll have a tough task guarding him tomorrow.”
On what makes him effective on defense …
“I got really long arms. I think my wingspan’s like 6-9 or 6-10, so really long arms. I can get deflections, contest. I think I’m pretty quick defensively, so just being able to use my tools effectively and get stops and make stuff hard for the offensive players is key.”
On what he remembers about going on the road in SEC play …
“Every game’s tough. Most teams’ student sections are right on the floor, so they’re screaming and yelling and saying stuff. Just gottatry to be composed and for a freshman that can be tough, but I’ve seen it before so probably won’t be too rattled, too nervous or anything like that. Just gotta try to stay composed and try to help out the young guys.”