By LARRY VAUGHT

Miami coach Charlie Coles started his postgame press conference by admitting he enjoyed Monday’s game because of the way his team played even though he didn’t like the eventual outcome when UK won 72-70 on John Wall’s buzzer-beater.

WLAP sports talk show host Dick Gabriel then asked the veteran coach how his team let the game get away after having an 18-point lead in the first half. That led to a memorable response from Coles that Gabriel is sure to air sometime on his show tonight.

“I can’t believe you asked that. I really can’t believe. Let me see here. Kentucky Wildcats No. 4 in the country. I am hearing four first round draft choices and you are asking me how that got away from me. Why don’t you ask John (Calipari) why it was so close,” Coles said. “I am not going to answer that. Get beat. We came up with a brilliant effort. Before the game all I heard was this and that. They started playing. They are the Big Blue.

“You ought to know that. I am not mad at you. Where have you been? Where are you from?”

That’s when Gabriel told him he was from Lexington and Coles pretended he almost fainted.

“You are from Lexington. Oh, my Lord. How did it get away from me? In other words, let me get this right,” Coles said. “Well, (DeMarcus) Cousins became Cousins. Do you remember John Wall? I am watching three tapes and John Wall didn’t play in a couple and I am hearing John Wall is the greatest. Right? That’s how it got away. He is pretty good. And let me say this. I like him. He is a hell of a kid. I am wishing him the best of luck. He is a wonderful kid.”

Not long after that, another reporter asked Coles how his underdog team hung in so long against Kentucky.

“I like you. He’s from Miami, thank you. I see you were awake tonight,” Coles said. “I want to give our kids some credit. We lost a tough game last Friday and I don’t think we played well. We had to get on a bus Sunday and we came down here and played our butts off . I hope this is not a one-time thing. I don’t think we will shoot that well again.”

Coles went on to explain that his team “did okay” stopping UK’s penetration for part of the game and that his interior players also did a good job defending at times.

“They became Kentucky and athletic and got a couple of dunks late,” Coles said.

Later Coles pretended to wonder how Calipari was able to call timeout late in the game when the ball was rolling on the floor in front of the Kentucky bench.

But give Coles credit for praising more than Kentucky’s play.

I asked him what impressed him so much about Wall and if he knew him from recruiting or in some other way.

“I liked him (John Wall). I wish him the best of luck. He is a wonderful kid. I don’t know if he played particularly well and he needs to work on things, but I’m not his coach. I like the way he conducted himself. I like the way all of those kids did. I really did,” Coles said.  “When they were warming up I had a conversation with (DeMarcus) Cousins and we shook hands. I don’t know him. I think he thought I knew him or he knew me, but we don’t know each other. I like that kid.

“There wasn’t a whole lot of in your face (during the game). That’s what I liked about the game tonight. You had us playing, playing, playing, and you had them trying to get going. I thought it was a good ballgame.”

So did I and Coles made it memorable after the game, too. And when he did finish his press conference, he sought out Gabriel just to make sure he knew he was just having some fun at his expense.

6 Responses to “Miami coach entertains after the game”