Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Knight talks to Wildcat Blue Nation
By Danielle
Milwaukee Bucks point guard Brandon Knight, formerly of the Detroit Pistons and Kentucky Wildcats, spoke with Wildcat Blue Nation last Thursday.
Sep 30, 2013; St. Francis, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks player Brandon Knight during media day at Milwaukee Bucks Training Center. Image Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports
Daniel Solzman: Brandon, thanks for joining Wildcat Blue Nation today. How are things treating you with the Bucks?
Brandon Knight: Treating me good. Just working trying to improve ourselves and get better. You know. That’s about it.
Daniel Solzman: Since you grew up in Florida, how was it with dealing with the extreme cold weather off of Lake Michigan this week?
Brandon Knight: It’s tough. You can’t really be outside much. It’s tough to get adjusted. I’ve never been in any type of cold like this—not even in Kentucky. It’s a process. I’m kinda of enjoying it. It’s something new, something different.
Daniel Solzman: Have you had a chance to catch any of this year’s team play yet?
Brandon Knight: Oh, yeah. I watched a couple of games. A little bit.
Daniel Solzman: What kind of similarities between your team and this year’s team?
Brandon Knight: Similarities I see right now is they are still young. You know, early in the season is not going to be how it ends up when it’s in March. There are still things they are going to improve on. (There’s) still things that they’re going to get better with. Our team, we lost a couple of games early to opponents that we beat in March but it was just a process of us learning what we could and couldn’t do and getting better throughout that process. Cal finding ways to make guys better individually. By the time March comes around, I think they’re going to be a very tough team to beat.
Daniel Solzman: What do you think of Andrew Harrison’s game?
Brandon Knight: He’s still growing. Still learning and playing better as of late but—like I said—for all the guards, it’s going to be process as a transition period from high school to college. He’s going to be fine. It’s just going to take some time to grow into his role and learn what’s going to be best for the guy that he’s playing with and what’s going to be best for him as in individual.
Daniel Solzman: Do you feel more pressure to win in Milwaukee than you did in Detroit?
Brandon Knight: I think right now—I don’t really play with pressure. I don’t feel pressure at all. For me, my job is to play my game and do what I can to help the team win. I think with what we have and based on how we started the season with a lot of injuries, a lot of guys out, a new coaching staff, everything’s going to be a tough year. We kind of have odds stacked against you.
As far as pressure goes, I don’t worry about pressure. It’s my job to come in and work hard and lead by example by being vocal and try and help the team as much as possible in my way.
Daniel Solzman: What is the biggest thing that Coach Calipari taught that still resonates with you?
Brandon Knight: I think the biggest is really to just be yourself. For me, when I got there, he was one of the few coaches that could really push me. I’m kind of a perfectionist. I push myself but for me, his thing was trying to teach me how to not only play the game but how to govern a body and lead a group of men and not just play the game also but be vocal with those guys. I think that’s the biggest thing.
I was a really, really quiet guy when I got to Kentucky but over my time there, I became a lot more vocal. I think that’s something that transitioned to this level. You just got to be vocal with the guys and they’ve got to be able to hear you throughout practice and the game. Stuff like that.
Daniel Solzman: You played for a season at Kentucky. After helping lead Kentucky to its first Final Four since 1998, did you ever consider coming back for a second season?
Brandon Knight: definitely. That’s something I definitely considered because I had a great time. I built a family there. I had a lot of friends there as well so it was definitely something I considered. I love the coaching staff. I love everything about the program and the school itself so I definitely considered it.
Daniel Solzman: Is there an NBA fan base that you feel compares to Big Blue Nation?
Brandon Knight: There’s a couple fan bases that are pretty good in the NBA. As far as the consistency and the support win, lose, or draw, it’s tough to find a similar fan base that supports their team no matter what year it is, how well or bad their doing, or whose on their team. I think they support their team.
Daniel Solzman: Thanks again for joining Wildcat Blue Nation. Any words for Big Blue Nation?
Brandon Knight: Just that I miss BBN. It’s always a pleasure. It’s always good to be a Cat. I’ll be a Cat for life. Just go BBN. Keep it going.