No. 11 KENTUCKY vs. BELMONT
SUNDAY, NOVEMEBER 29, 2020
MEMORIAL COLISEUM – LEXINGTON, KY.
Interim Head Coach Kyra Elzy
On the defensive effort and intensity today…
“You know, I liked our defensive intensity and effort a lot more today. I thought we were very intentional about what we were trying to do. Trying to get the help side, trying to build a wall, make people score over us and finish with a box out. I thought we were pretty consistent on that tonight. Now, we can always get better, but I thought we di improve from our first game.”
On satisfaction with the energy level…
“Well, is a coach ever satisfied, a coach is never satisfied, but I am happy and very proud. I thought we took a big step forward tonight defensively. We worked on it in practice and I thought the players really bought in. Every game we look to improve.”
On if you expected the performance we saw out of Dre’una Edwards tonight…
“We’ve been seeing this from Dre. We knew how talented she is. She was the PAC-12 Freshman of the Year for a reason. We were just so excited that you all got to see her play this well. She is very smart, has a high basketball IQ, extremely versatile, as you all saw tonight, and she will cause a problem to the opposing team.”
On your depth…
“Well, we’re extremely talented. We have a lot of depth. You know, it was Dre (Dre’una Edwards) tonight, and it was Chas (Chasity Patterson) the first game, Blair (Green) shot the ball well the first night, but even tonight, Robyn (Benton) came in and did her job, 50 percent, scored nine points. So, everyone is a threat offensively, and that is what really makes us dangerous is that we can score in a variety of ways and at different positions.”
On the added dimension of physicality to this team…
“Well, I think with the addition of Olivia Owens, Dre (Dre’una Edwards) and even Nyah Leveretter, it gives us more depth, so we can play harder longer, and also, we’re just bigger. We can bring more athleticism. You know, Rhyne (Howard) is a great size guard, so just naturally talented and gifted in our size. Look at Treasure Hunt, she is a 6-1 guard, great frame, so depth and athleticism really help.”
On if the team has adjusted ok to Rhyne (Howard) not playing…
“Well, I wouldn’t necessarily call it a distraction. I mean, they knew what it was coming in. We have prepared in practice to be ready, and like I said before, there is no one bigger than the team. Rhyne is extremely gifted, she is extremely talented, but she cannot do it herself, so she teammates, so that’s where the depth of our team and talent comes in. And, Rhyne (Howard) makes us different. She is going to come back and obviously help elevate our team, but as you heard me same, team, it is a team game and it is going to take all of us to win.”
On the newcomers getting baptized by fire…
“You know, we take each game as it comes and you just kind of go with the flow of the game and it’s a gut feeling on your substitutions depending on how they’re playing. They are getting baptized by fire in practice and in games, but when they come in all we’re asking them to do is be coachable, play as hard as they can play, don’t free themselves of mistakes, and if they make a mistake, we’re going to play in fast forward, not in rewind, and they will figure it out, they just need rep and time and you cannot get experience until you have some, so that’s where we are with them.”
On if 3-pointers is anything we should be concerned about with this team…
“Well, you know, I was worried about us as well, no I’m just joking. You know, Belmont, we give them so much credit. They changed up their defense, they were trapping Chasity (Patterson) at the top, they trapped us on the wing. We worked on it in practice, but I thought we panicked a little bit offensively when we missed our first however many shots, but once we settled in, you know we got a flash, we started reversing the ball, going high-low, pounding the ball inside, I thought we settled in and we started making some outside shots. The thing about outside shots, some nights they’re going to go, some nights they’re not, but that’s why we hang our hat on defense. I am so glad that we have an inside presence, so when our shots are not going in like they weren’t from the outside today, we can pound the ball inside and still put 70 points on the board.”
Dre’una Edwards, F, R-So.
On how you will be able to keep up the energy we saw tonight through the whole season…
“I feel like it comes with my mindset. I was always taught to be a dawg regardless. I grew up with a lot of siblings, I have three older brothers. I’ve always played basketball with them, so they always told me to go hard all the time, and I think that is just my mentality.”
On if this was breakout game or if you will play this way every game…
“Um, I’m going to be honest, I think this is the way I should play every game. I’m going to go in hard and do what I have to do. If that’s not scoring, that’s not scoring, but I’m going to go get the board, I’m going to go steal the ball, I’m going to go do everything that I need to do, whatever it is to contribute to the team.”
On how hard it was to not play last year…
“It was very hard, I love being on the floor. But, it definitely gave me some mental positivity. I had to figure out a way, what else can I do on this team besides play basketball, what else am I here for, and it definitely made me a better person.”
On your ability to run up and down the floor…
“Like I said before, I have older brothers who always push me regardless, so I was always playing basketball with boys when I was younger, so if I grabbed a board, they were always telling me to go and don’t stop until someone stops you, so I just have that mentality all the time.”
On playing physical down low…
“I feel like that is just a part of basketball. You have to be physical regardless, so I love being physical. It’s just part of my game, it’s just something that I’ve grown up loving to do my whole life.”
On stepping back and hitting a 3-pointer…
“That’s definitely important. I think coming from Utah, I had a shoulder injury, so no one really knew that I could shoot the ball. So, coming in, as soon as I got my shoulder fixed, I was ready, I was practicing al the time, and you know, practice makes perfect, they say, so, I just had to keep going and practicing all the time, so I was excited.”
On you and Olivia Owens doing a little high-low action…
“That’s going to happen a lot. We’re really excited, we practice that a lot in practice. I know my post is going to give me the ball if I need it and I’m going to get them the ball if they need it. We have great chemistry, and we’re ready for it, we’re excited when our teammates score, we’re excited when we get those dimes.”
On any last thing you want to say to Big Blue Nation…
“I’m ready for y’all (laughter).”
Olivia Owens, C, R-So.
On the depth of this team…
“I just think we have a very versatile team, and when we need players to step up, everyone is definitely willing to put themselves on the line, and I think that our guards did a really good job, I think Dre’una Edwards did an amazing job tonight, and we’re all just happy for each other and we want everyone to succeed.”
On the depth in the post…
“So, I’m definitely excited to be here, my second game. I am working as hard as I can to help in any kind of way to my teammates, so that’s where my focus is right now, serving them and providing, so that’s where we are.”
On going up against someone like Dre’una Edwards in practice…
“Um, we are both physical. She goes at me and I go at her, and it’s all love at the end of the day. We’re here to make each other better, so that’s what it’s like in practice. It’s very fun, and you know, it registers on the floor. We get games like this where Dre (Dre’una Edwards) is out there just beasting and doing amazing, so it’s paying off.