KENTUCKY MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME QUOTES
KENTUCKY VS. BROWN
RUPP ARENA – LEXINGTON, KY.
DECEMBER 31, 2024

UK STUDENT-ATHLETES

#22 Amari Williams, C

On how important defense was…

“It’s what we practiced all week long, and it was good to come out and show them what we truly have.”

On him enjoying practicing defensive practices…

“It makes everything easy in the long run, especially when it comes to us playing the tougher SEC games ahead. It is going to help us a lot. Going into those games with confidence, knowing that we will have more practice when it comes to defense will be nice. Everything is going to work out.”

On how the guards performed today, compared to the game against Ohio State…

“It wasn’t only Lamont’s fault, as a team, there were a lot of things we lacked that we practiced this past week. As a team, we were extremely honed in and made sure we played with that confidence we usually have.”

#11 Travis Perry, G

On playing with Trent Noah …

“It’s a lot of fun, you know, to be able to go out there. I love watching him shoot the ball. I mean, I get to watch him every single day go out there, you have 300 shots to make in exercise every day, so just kind of see that work come to fruition. For him it is really fun, and then for me as well, just get to go out there and make plays and just have some fun on the court.”

On heading into SEC play …

“It’s always exciting. You know, I’ve watched SEC basketball for forever, so to be able to be a part of it is something that I’m excited for, and I’m excited for our team to get to go face that challenge. You know, it’s a completely different game. Whenever you’re playing against SEC teams. Every single night, there’s no rest, no off day, so it will be a good challenge, I think we’re ready for it. What is different about SEC play well this year, especially just the competition every night, like you might have a night during non-conference that some more guys get some more minutes, but every single play matters in SEC play, and just kind of the competitiveness of it. The slogan is, it just means more, and it really does every game is somebody that you really don’t like. So you want to go out there and take advantage all the opportunities and win every game possible.”

On the team’s New Year’s resolutions …

“We kind of went through them the other day. I think the consensus a lot of guys had a pretty similar one and it was to get more in the Bible, whether it’s reading a verse a day, trying to get through the New Testament or Old Testament in the year, or something like that. So I feel like those were good resolutions, and there’s some you know, we’re a good, good group of guys. I think we’re gonna hold each other accountable for them so those will be good for us.”

#7 Andrew Carr, F

On what he is looking forward to in SEC play…

“Just super excited about the gauntlet that we have in front of us. The league is super talented. For us to be as prepared as we possibly can to go out there and win a National Championship, which is what this league will prepare us to do, I think. Being able to bring crazy intensity each and every game and you’re going to get looks from top to bottom of the league. Not everyone plays the same, so it’ll be super fun to see our team grow throughout that.”

On importance of intensity going into SEC play…

“Super important I think for us, we wanted to recover a lot, take a couple of days to digest what Ohio State was, and be able to move on from that, put that into perspective. We had some good, intense practices and looked better. So, I think for us in a couple of our games we came out a little slower in the first half, responded in the second half, so thinking about better ways to be on top of it. Really looking forward to doing that in SEC play and seeing what this team has.”

On bringing the team energy today…

“Really trying to play with as much confidence and be as aggressive as possible early in the game, so I had it going in the first half and a lot of my teammates did a great job finding me and being able to make plays. I’m usually not as vocal and emotional, I try to stay as calm as possible. So there are moments that you’re able to spark something in the team and its really cool to be a part of that.”

BROWN HEAD COACH MIKE MARTIN

Opening Statement …

“Trying to take a little bit of a step-back and just think of the big picture of the opportunity our programs had the last two games, playing in Kansas then playing here. Great experience for our players. Great experience for everyone affiliated with our program. You know, obviously, I would’ve liked to perform better. Today, I think Kentucky did a great job of making us uncomfortable from the very beginning. Offensively we struggled to really get into a flow and run offense. Twenty-three turnovers led to 33 Kentucky points. Obviously, it’s going to be hard to stay within reach when that happens so. I thought our half-court defense was actually pretty good. They scored a lot in transition off our turnovers. In the second half, they scored in every way possible so, we’ll learn from it, and I know we will be a lot better because of these last two experiences.”

On what Kentucky did to force turnovers…

“It starts at the point of attack. Butler and Oweh are terrific defensive guards and obviously we have a terrific guard named Keno Lilly. You know, Keno was efficient offensively, but I think their pressure at the point of their defense, then obviously (Amari) Williams at the back end made it hard on us. They were trying to take us out of our zoom action, they denied a lot of hand-offs. Then we got a couple back-cuts early, but it wasn’t enough to loosen them up. So, I think it starts with those three guys, then their entire team and scheme defensively deserves a lot of credit.”

On his message to the team after halftime…

“Yeah, we thought, I don’t know, we had like 14 first half turnovers while down 12 here. Um, not bad. That’s what I thought, I thought our half-court defense was okay. They scored a lot off our turnovers. In the first half, we had a couple bad gambles. Obviously, we press most the game, the entire game. I thought we risked a little too much, too often in the first half that led to some points for them. Our message was like, ‘Hey, if we can take care of the ball and continue to guard in the half-court, we can get ourselves back into this game.’ And obviously, the second half didn’t start well, and I called a quick timeout. They were ready, Kentucky, to play and it’s impressive to watch what they’ve done in a short amount of time with so many new players. You know, how cohesive they are and how they share the ball, the 18 assists for them and only five turnovers. It’s just super impressive to see.”