They knew we cared about them individually. I believe that gave them an even greater ability to care about each other – to be fully invested as teammates.
It’s not just about working hard, it’s about working together. You have to care more about the team than you do about yourself.
You’ve gotta learn to love the grind. Because life IS the grind.
There’s no other state, none, that’s as connected to their basketball program as this one. Because those other states have other programs. Michigan has Michigan State, California has UCLA, North Carolina has Duke. It’s Kentucky throughout this whole state, and that’s what makes us unique.
You understand, you do not invent stuff on this team. Guys that invent stuff will not play for me. Make the easy play.
When you’re trying to build or change a culture, what do you do? I always say to take players from state championship teams because they only know one thing – winning.
I’m playing the guys who are going to fight. If you’re not into this, I’m going to someone else.
The best teams I’ve had had a little bit of swagger.
What do you do to help us win when you’re not scoring baskets?
A great defensive effort. The one thing we have to do is make it hard for people to beat us. We’re not worried about winning and losing, we just have to make the game hard.
I need people who look at adversity as a challenge and failure as a learning opportunity.
The biggest day in the history of Kentucky’s program.
You have to lose yourself in the team and you have to lose yourself in the game.
What type of teammates do you want to play with? Be that teammate yourself.
Practice gotta be harder than the games and it never is unless you want it to be as a player. The coach can’t drive that.
You want perfection, go to a bowling alley!
I know I’m not a saint, but I’m not the guy I’m made out to be by others.