Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey met with the media on Tuesday in The Bahamas as his team gets set to face Indiana.
Also meeting the media with Kelsey was Cardinals guard and former Wisconsin player Chucky Hepburn.
Here’s what each of the had to say about Indiana and playing in the Battle 4 Atlantis.
No. 14 Indiana (4-0) and Louisville (3-1) tip at Noon ET Wednesday at The Atlantis Resort (ESPN).
KELSEY ON HIS FAMILIARITY WITH MIKE WOODSON
“I’ve always known who he is because of his status in the basketball world as a great player, and obviously as a great coach.”
KELSEY ON INDIANA’S TRADITION
(Note: Kelsey grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio)
“I kind of don’t even know if I should say this, but I grew up as an Indiana fan when I was a kid. Steve Alford was my favorite player when they won the championship in ’87, and I just remember being crazy for Indiana.
“I became more a Xavier fan than an Indiana fan, but obviously I’m very aware of their history and their mystique and their tradition, and obviously coach Woodson is a big part of that playing for one of the greatest coaches in the history of coaching Bob Knight.”
KELSEY ON THE CURRENT IU TEAM
“Diving into their system and their team over the last several days, from a scouting standpoint, I have a great, great respect for what they do and how they do it,” he said. “They’re tough to guard. They’re tough to prepare for. Thy have a lot of weapons, and our guys have done a great job in preparation the last couple days. We’re excited about the opportunity.”
“They’re extremely talented. They have four guys in double-figures. All four of those guys have a chance to be NBA players, and that first and foremost speaks to the level of talent they have on their team. Coach Woodson and his staff do a good job putting them in advantageous positions that make you make tough decisions defensively and in scouting. Big, strong and physical, and they can go at you inside with multiple players. And they’re skilled and dynamic on the perimeter as well, so they have a good inside-outside threat.
“Good players in a good system, that usually equates to a pretty good team. And they’re good.”
HEPBURN ON PLAYING IN THE BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS
(Hepburn played in the 2022 Battle 4 Atlantis while with Wisconsin)
“It’s electric here,” Hepburn said. “The atmosphere is beyond crazy. I told them it’s going to feel the first couple possessions when you first get on the court. Once you get out there and get comfortable you’ll be able to play freely. Shots may not go in right away. It feels a little weird, the ceiling are little lower. But that’s why we got a lot of shots up today in practice.
HEPBURN ON INDIANA
“They have a really good coach, really good players. I’m excited to go against Indiana again. They got me last time when we played them in Indiana, so this is a little revenge game for me. I’m happy to be able to do it in this atmosphere and do it with my teammates here, and we’re feeling really good about this.
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