KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Head Coach Holly Warlick met with members of the media prior to No. 7/7 Tennessee’s practice on Friday in Thompson-Boling Arena. The Lady Vols open SEC play on Sunday at Kentucky.
Answering questions from the media, Warlick shared her thoughts on being undefeated thus far, what to expect from Kentucky, and how Jaime Nared has developed into such a productive player.
Tennessee will play Kentucky in Rupp Arena at noon on New Year’s Eve. The game will be televised on the SEC Network and available for streaming online via WatchESPN.
Head Coach Holly Warlick
On what makes it difficult to win at Kentucky:
“They’ve always had great teams. We’ve been close and haven’t finished the deal. It’s one of those places that’s hard to play. Now we’re playing in Rupp (this year), so maybe that will help us. But they’ve always had great teams, and it’s always been a really good matchup.”
On what’s been key in going 12-0 to start the season:
“(The key is) camaraderie, togetherness and the ball not getting stuck in our hands. We’ve been playing hard, playing with a passion and buying into the defense. Everybody gets an opportunity on offense, and we’ve got better players. When you have great players and they’re coachable, I think great things happen.”
On if the camaraderie was been evident early on:
“I saw it when our freshmen were together at the (McDonald’s) All American game, and then they came here and our upperclassmen embraced them, so I’ve kind of seen it from day one. It started with our freshmen coming in willing to learn. A lot of times freshmen come in and they think they know a lot, but these guys wanted to learn. I appreciate that from them, and they work hard.”
On if she’s concerned about the team getting complacent after the success they’ve had:
“We don’t talk about 12-0, we talk about our next opponent. Yesterday we just said, ‘We haven’t won at Kentucky in a while.’ We haven’t won at Kentucky since Jaime was a freshman. This group is really good at focusing in, and not just building on what we’ve done, but really focusing in on our next game. Now we’re in SEC mode, and we want to go through and position ourselves to play for a championship.”
On what the team should expect during conference play:
“(The SEC is) physical, fast, and athletic. It’s just a physical, bumping, hard-hitting style conference, and you have to understand that. Don’t expect a call or a touch foul. You have to go out there and play and keep your focus. It’s just a hard, up-and-down conference. You’ve got to be in great shape, and you can be up by 15, you can be up by 20, and there’s no comfortable lead.
On the strength of the SEC:
“The SEC, to me, is brutal in a positive way. The teams are just really good and very well coached. People strategize, like we all do, so you can’t overlook anyone as we did last year, and it burned us. We better not overlook anyone because any day someone can beat you, especially on the road.”
On Evina Westbrook‘s increased scoring over the last three games:
“I just think she’s looking for her shot more. She has that opportunity, and she’s getting the opportunity to get good looks and attack the basket, and that’s what I want her to do. I believe that she sees the success of Jaime (Nared) attacking the basket and getting jumpers, and they success of Meme (Jackson) doing the same, but she has opportunities, as everybody does, to get threes and attack the basket, and that’s what I want her to do.”
On progress Jaime Nared has made since her freshman year:
“I saw that potential (her freshman year), but we always talk about as coaches about how you are built, and your game is developed, in the offseason. Jaime Nared is a prime example of that. Between her sophomore and junior years she was in the gym every day, and she was in the gym this summer as well. It takes someone who is dedicated and wanting to get better, and Jaime did. And she did it, she worked. She developed her range. She developed playing inside and pulling up, so I give her a lot of credit for getting in the gym on her own and working with coaches as well.”
On what to expect from Kentucky:
“They run the ball, and they’re very well coached. (Maci) Morris is a great three-point shooter, and she can attack. (Taylor) Murray, their point guard, is super quick. They’re strong inside. They’re young, but they’re developing. You can’t overlook them. They’re in the game with Cal until the middle of the third quarter, so you’ve got to respect them. You’ve got to respect what they’re doing.”
-UT Athletics
