Postgame Quotes - UCLA 97, Kentucky 92
POSTGAME QUOTES
UCLA 97, Kentucky 92
Rupp Arena (Lexington, Ky.)
December 3, 2016
UCLA head coach Steve Alford
opening statement
“I can’t be more proud of our team obviously coming into here with this environment and playing a team like this. The respect I have for Cal and what he does and the team that he produces is phenomenal. For our guys to come in here and do the things that they did, they’re always learning lessons when you’re in November and early December. The games that you get to play are games that you get to learn a lot. We’ll take this back. It’s a huge win for us. Gives us a lot of momentum as we go into finals and Michigan next weekend. It’s good to see offense, defense, against one of the best teams in the country, but you probably won’t lose another game in here all year. For us to come in here and get a win, it’s huge for us. I couldn’t be more proud. We had a flow of the game. I thought we controlled things in the second half. We proved that if you can run with this team, you can run with anybody. We thought it would be a track meet. It was. We made shots, and if we can make shots in this environment against a team like this, it’s very encouraging. I thought at the start of the second half we had some key stops to get the lead above 10. Then we really settled in and had poise until about the last two minutes. That’s probably on us as coaches more that it is the guys. We haven’t been in a game like this where we’ve had to burn clock and get the ball in against pressure. We’ll learn and be better the next time the next time.
on stepping back and pinching yourself to acknowledge that you’re here coaching UCLA in Rupp Arena
“Well, I pinch myself a lot just being at a place like this because it’s a very special place. We need a win like this with starting 8-0 and doing the things that we’ve done to date. I think not so much for any game. I saw a lot of people before the game. I just saw Rex (Chapman). I haven’t been in here in 33 years, so it’s been a while since I’ve been in here. We played well that night and I think lost by five or six points. So, to come back in here, it’s an incredible place to play with a lot of history and tradition. I’m happy for our guys because our guys get experience that. I didn’t think there was anything about them today that was a feeling out process. We talk about, ‘Don’t go in and jab around the ring to see if you belong. You’re 8-0. You’re playing well. Trust that you belong.’ That was the key thing that guys did from the tip. They make me not think about anything except enjoying coaching them. They’ve been a lot of fun to coach, and we’re looking forward to see what happens down the road. We got a chance to be pretty good.”
on their run at the beginning of the second half
“It was a big key and we’ve been talking about it all year. The thing I’m most pleased with is that we came in here with a certain identity and we left here with the same identity - we just did it against the No. 1 team in the county. This was by far the best team that we’ve played. To know that we’ve established an identity of six guys in double figures again, that’s been our identity. We probably had too many turnovers tonight. That’s a lot more than what we normally have, but that’s a credit to Kentucky’s defense. I think our guys will learn from that. We had some silly turnovers that hurt us as well. We came in a high-scoring team that shared the ball and put six guys in double figures. To do that in this building against (Kentucky), that’s very encouraging. It’s about when you get in December before you get into conference play that identity gets cemented. You might think that’s what you can look like. You can hope that’s what you can look like. We have a pretty good identity built right now. Hopefully we can continue that.”
on Lonzo Ball’s performance
“I thought he was terrific. He was playing against a very good player in (De’Aaron) Fox. That’s a great matchup. I thought he did a lot of good things in the first half and making the shot to end the first half really got him going into the second half. He just does what he does. He’ll tell you he had more turnovers than what he should’ve had tonight, but he ended up with 14 points, seven assists and six rebounds. The kid just knows how to win. I’ve watched him for the last two and a half years in the LA area and it didn’t matter who they played. We’ve seen it. The game before last he took one or two shots and we won by 40. He can beat you by taking a lot of shots or no shots. You can almost tell him to go get 15 rebounds and if that what it takes to win, he’ll do it. That’s what makes him special. He can beat you in a lot of different ways and he did that again tonight.”
UCLA Senior guard Isaac Hamilton
on the mindset coming into the game
“Our mindset was just eliminate transition and keeping them at half-court. I think we did a good job at that. We went under a lot of streams and tested a lot of shots, and I think we just stuck to the game plan coach prepared for us and we executed.”
UCLA Freshman guard Lonzo Ball
on the 3-point shot and mindset going into the second half
“I had the shot and I took it. Coach Alford says to never hesitate. I wasn’t hitting the whole game, but in the big moments I’m going to come through. I put it up and it went in. It was a good shot and a good way to go into halftime.”
on the momentum built for UCLA
“Once again, Coach said it was going to be a lot of runs. They were going to have runs and we were going to have runs, but at the end of the day whoever had the most runs was going to win. That’s just us. We’re going to find a way to win. That’s not just me, but my teammates too. We were just a good collective unit out there, and we got the job done.”
UCLA Freshman forward TJ Leaf
on the walk through yesterday setting the tone for today
"I don’t think anyone needed to. We knew it was a big game. A lot of people are just thinking we played out of our minds. We played a good game, nothing special. That is just who we are. We are a good basketball team, and I think we can compete with anyone in the country and I think we showed that."
on withstanding Kentucky's runs
"We knew it was going to be a game of runs and it definitely was. You have to take the blow and be able to swing back. I think we did that. It ended up being a really fun game in a great environment."
on three freshmen having quality game
"I think when Ike got in he really set the tone for us for the game. He came in blocking shots, getting rebounds and that power dunk, I mean he really set the tone for us to be physical and this is our game."
on first impression of Rupp Arena
"The history here is just incredible. And then seeing Rupp Arena there, all the great players that have played here, it’s just awesome to be able to walk down the stairs and have a practice in here. Then during the game just that atmosphere, sometimes you can’t even hear yourself think. It was just a great time being here."
UCLA 97, Kentucky 92
Rupp Arena (Lexington, Ky.)
December 3, 2016
UCLA head coach Steve Alford
opening statement
“I can’t be more proud of our team obviously coming into here with this environment and playing a team like this. The respect I have for Cal and what he does and the team that he produces is phenomenal. For our guys to come in here and do the things that they did, they’re always learning lessons when you’re in November and early December. The games that you get to play are games that you get to learn a lot. We’ll take this back. It’s a huge win for us. Gives us a lot of momentum as we go into finals and Michigan next weekend. It’s good to see offense, defense, against one of the best teams in the country, but you probably won’t lose another game in here all year. For us to come in here and get a win, it’s huge for us. I couldn’t be more proud. We had a flow of the game. I thought we controlled things in the second half. We proved that if you can run with this team, you can run with anybody. We thought it would be a track meet. It was. We made shots, and if we can make shots in this environment against a team like this, it’s very encouraging. I thought at the start of the second half we had some key stops to get the lead above 10. Then we really settled in and had poise until about the last two minutes. That’s probably on us as coaches more that it is the guys. We haven’t been in a game like this where we’ve had to burn clock and get the ball in against pressure. We’ll learn and be better the next time the next time.
on stepping back and pinching yourself to acknowledge that you’re here coaching UCLA in Rupp Arena
“Well, I pinch myself a lot just being at a place like this because it’s a very special place. We need a win like this with starting 8-0 and doing the things that we’ve done to date. I think not so much for any game. I saw a lot of people before the game. I just saw Rex (Chapman). I haven’t been in here in 33 years, so it’s been a while since I’ve been in here. We played well that night and I think lost by five or six points. So, to come back in here, it’s an incredible place to play with a lot of history and tradition. I’m happy for our guys because our guys get experience that. I didn’t think there was anything about them today that was a feeling out process. We talk about, ‘Don’t go in and jab around the ring to see if you belong. You’re 8-0. You’re playing well. Trust that you belong.’ That was the key thing that guys did from the tip. They make me not think about anything except enjoying coaching them. They’ve been a lot of fun to coach, and we’re looking forward to see what happens down the road. We got a chance to be pretty good.”
on their run at the beginning of the second half
“It was a big key and we’ve been talking about it all year. The thing I’m most pleased with is that we came in here with a certain identity and we left here with the same identity - we just did it against the No. 1 team in the county. This was by far the best team that we’ve played. To know that we’ve established an identity of six guys in double figures again, that’s been our identity. We probably had too many turnovers tonight. That’s a lot more than what we normally have, but that’s a credit to Kentucky’s defense. I think our guys will learn from that. We had some silly turnovers that hurt us as well. We came in a high-scoring team that shared the ball and put six guys in double figures. To do that in this building against (Kentucky), that’s very encouraging. It’s about when you get in December before you get into conference play that identity gets cemented. You might think that’s what you can look like. You can hope that’s what you can look like. We have a pretty good identity built right now. Hopefully we can continue that.”
on Lonzo Ball’s performance
“I thought he was terrific. He was playing against a very good player in (De’Aaron) Fox. That’s a great matchup. I thought he did a lot of good things in the first half and making the shot to end the first half really got him going into the second half. He just does what he does. He’ll tell you he had more turnovers than what he should’ve had tonight, but he ended up with 14 points, seven assists and six rebounds. The kid just knows how to win. I’ve watched him for the last two and a half years in the LA area and it didn’t matter who they played. We’ve seen it. The game before last he took one or two shots and we won by 40. He can beat you by taking a lot of shots or no shots. You can almost tell him to go get 15 rebounds and if that what it takes to win, he’ll do it. That’s what makes him special. He can beat you in a lot of different ways and he did that again tonight.”
UCLA Senior guard Isaac Hamilton
on the mindset coming into the game
“Our mindset was just eliminate transition and keeping them at half-court. I think we did a good job at that. We went under a lot of streams and tested a lot of shots, and I think we just stuck to the game plan coach prepared for us and we executed.”
UCLA Freshman guard Lonzo Ball
on the 3-point shot and mindset going into the second half
“I had the shot and I took it. Coach Alford says to never hesitate. I wasn’t hitting the whole game, but in the big moments I’m going to come through. I put it up and it went in. It was a good shot and a good way to go into halftime.”
on the momentum built for UCLA
“Once again, Coach said it was going to be a lot of runs. They were going to have runs and we were going to have runs, but at the end of the day whoever had the most runs was going to win. That’s just us. We’re going to find a way to win. That’s not just me, but my teammates too. We were just a good collective unit out there, and we got the job done.”
UCLA Freshman forward TJ Leaf
on the walk through yesterday setting the tone for today
"I don’t think anyone needed to. We knew it was a big game. A lot of people are just thinking we played out of our minds. We played a good game, nothing special. That is just who we are. We are a good basketball team, and I think we can compete with anyone in the country and I think we showed that."
on withstanding Kentucky's runs
"We knew it was going to be a game of runs and it definitely was. You have to take the blow and be able to swing back. I think we did that. It ended up being a really fun game in a great environment."
on three freshmen having quality game
"I think when Ike got in he really set the tone for us for the game. He came in blocking shots, getting rebounds and that power dunk, I mean he really set the tone for us to be physical and this is our game."
on first impression of Rupp Arena
"The history here is just incredible. And then seeing Rupp Arena there, all the great players that have played here, it’s just awesome to be able to walk down the stairs and have a practice in here. Then during the game just that atmosphere, sometimes you can’t even hear yourself think. It was just a great time being here."