Kentucky Wildcats Media Day Transcript
By Jason Marcum
#15, Willie Cauley-Stein, So., F
On the responsibilities of being considered a veteran…
“Last year you could kind of sit back and watch what other people were doing. This year you are that person that other people are watching so you have to make sure you are doing the right things. If other people know that you are doing the right things, they can do what you’re doing.”
On how his hand has been since returning to practice…
“It still hurts quite a bit, but it’s not that much of a bother. I kind of forget about it when I’m playing until I hit it against something and realize that it still hurts. Other than that, it’s not that big of a deal.”
On if Coach Calipari seems extra excited to get this year going…
“I think he’s just excited to start again after the way we left last year. It left a bad taste in everybody’s mouth. He was probably the most hurt out of all of us. He probably is really excited to try to start something new and do better than last year.”
On if he likes being in the spotlight…
“It is fun to me now that I know how to do it. Not knowing how to be in the spotlight is the worst battle.”
On if he keeps his emotions from last season in mind…
“I flushed it a long time ago. It is something that happened and you can’t really dwell on it. You have to move on and work to be better.”
#22, Alex Poythress, So., F
On how he will be a different player this year compared to last…
“I have a whole different demeanor. Just the way I approach the game. I am trying to be more aggressive out there as well as be more vocal and more of a leader.”
On how he would evaluate his freshman year…
“It was a pretty good year freshman year, but it could have been better. I am just trying to make strides for this year.”
On how the team chemistry is with all of the new guys…
“The chemistry is there. Everybody loves playing with each other. You can see how people are picking up playing with each other in practice.”
On what kind of leadership he can provide to the team…
“I feel like my responsibility is to let them know what lies ahead of them. Just give them insight and guidance whenever they need it.”
On the level of competition in practice…
“The competition this year is real good. Everyone is competing against somebody. Player battles are very good at every position.”
On the hunger for success after experiencing last season…
“We don’t want to end up like we did last year. It is a new year and we just want to do bigger and better things. We want to excel from what we did last year.”
On his individual improvement from last year…
“I improved on a lot of things. I feel like I improved my ball handling and mid range jumper. I’m learning how to drive past people better. I’m just being more active out there so I feel like it is going to be a good year this year.”