Kentucky Hungry For Shot At Another Title

He joked. He teased. He gave long, thoughtful answers. And when his marathon news conference exhausted the tape recorders in front of him, Kentucky coach Tubby Smith even flipped the tapes for reporters.

If Smith feels the pressure of having to come up with an encore for a first-season championship, if he’s rattled by the suspensions of three players, it isn’t showing.

“I know we had some problems throughout the year and I’ve read some things and gotten some letters and phone calls, and I just want to let you all know--same to you,” Smith said with a laugh.

It was another charming performance from a coach on top of college basketball after leading the Wildcats to their seventh national title. He will try to take them to a fourth straight NCAA title game this season and help them win their third championship in four years.

Senior forward Scott Padgett said savoring the championship hasn’t gotten in the way of preparations for a new season.

“I still watch the tapes of the games all the time and still sort of can’t believe that we actually did it,” he said. “But really, I took two weeks off after the season and then I started getting ready.”

As he did last season, Smith probably will go deep into his bench, searching for rotations that get the most out of his team. (Nine players averaged more than 10 minutes a game last season).

It’s a necessary strategy for a team blessed with talent and depth, but without an obvious preseason All-American candidate.

The Wildcats lost several key players from the championship team, including Allen Edwards, Nazr Mohammed, Jeff Sheppard and Cameron Mills.

Smith also will be without center Jamaal Magloire, guard Ryan Hogan and forward Myron Anthony for the first two games of the regular season as they serve suspensions for offseason misdeeds.

Magloire was in a car with two men arrested on drug-possession charges; Hogan pleaded guilty to driving under the influence; and Anthony admitted being the driver in a September 1997 hit-and-run involving teammate Wayne Turner’s car.

The accident posed perhaps the greatest threat to team unity. When the unresolved case received national publicity after the Wildcats won the championship, Turner came forward and took the blame, even though he had not been driving. Anthony then admitted his involvement.

Both players insist that all is forgiven.

“I don’t think it’s affected the team at all,” Smith said. “Kids are kids.”

All the Wildcats, including five incoming freshmen, spent the summer together in Lexington, working out and playing pickup ball.

“We upped it about two levels,” said forward Heshimu Evans, who had a 500 shot-per-day regimen. “We know it’s hard to repeat and we know when you win a championship you tend to come back maybe not as strong. We thought we needed to push it to the limit.”

Magloire said Kentucky’s success comes from hard work, not big stars.

“I feel there’s no team in the country that works as hard as us, and I feel it should pay off,” he said. “After winning another championship, there’s nowhere but down, and we’re not planning to go down.”

All the work shows--nearly every one of Kentucky’s scholarship players can make a case for a lot of playing time.

Senior captains Turner, Padgett and Evans are slotted to start at the point guard and forward spots, respectively.

Power forward Padgett will be asked to improve on last season’s 11.7-points-per-game average and provide leadership for the team’s five freshmen. Evans was one of the nation’s best sixth men last season, and with his 100-watt smile and a game that combines grace and power, he should provide plenty of highlights in a starting role at small forward.

“Heshimu brings that energy, that sheer athleticism, that players are kind of in awe of,” Smith said. “You know, Superman-type things.”

Turner, the sole Wildcat bidding for a fourth straight trip to the national title game, runs the floor as confidently as any point guard in the country. He said generosity has been a key to Kentucky’s success.

“The past few years, we’ve just been a really unselfish team,” he said following a scrimmage that featured more passing than slam-dunk showmanship. “There were a few times where I could have scored tonight, but the right thing was to give them the ball.”

Magloire is expected to start at center when he finishes his suspension but could be pushed by sophomore Michael Bradley, who wasn’t used much last year but has looked impressive in the preseason.

The shooting guard spot is wide open, with Ryan Hogan, coach’s son Saul Smith, Evans and freshmen Tayshaun Prince and Desmond Allison all in the mix. Prince, a high school All-American from Southern California, and Allison, a multisport standout from Tampa, Fla., both look ready to contribute.

Saul Smith is expected to back up Turner at the point and Prince and Allison both can spell Evans at the small forward position.

With scoring a key question for the Wildcats--they lost nearly half of last year’s scoring output--even Smith’s least-heralded freshmen recruits, the guard tandem of Todd Tackett and J.P. Blevins, could get minutes if they show they can hit from outside.

“We lost a lot last year,” Smith said about his departing players. “That’s going to be tough to replace those guys. I think we do have people that can step in and do the job.”