Kaminsky Quotes
February 15, 2018
Kohl Center  |  Madison, Wis.
 
On his fondest memory of playing:
"Going to the final four twice. That's my favorite on court memory, but I've said it before most of my fond memories of this place were off the court. Just hanging out with the people. We were over at the Nitty Gritty with all of my family and friends before this and just to see how an event like this has brought us all back together, that kind of brings back the memories of what we did off the court, so that's what I'm most fond of."
 
On what 18-year-old Frank Kaminsky would say to Frank Kaminsky today:
"Damn, you look really sexy."
 
On having his jersey retired:
"Obviously I won the individual awards, but that's not really what I was after. I guess, I don't really understand why all the good things happened to me, because we had such a great team. There were so many pieces that allowed me to do what I did. You're going to see my name and number up there, but there are so many things you can't see that went in to it. I was just lucky enough to be in the right situation at the right time."
 
On his appreciation of UW-Madison, having been away for a while:
"I can appreciate so many different things. I'm kind of a cerebral person. I think a lot. I think about so many different things. But, it's always a little tough to think back to Wisconsin because I have so many fond memories of this place. In the NBA, I'm kind of bored. I just go back home. In college, I went back to a big group of friends, and I was just so fond of going to class."
 
On his regrets:
"I can honestly say that I have no regrets about my time here. I gave it my all from the moment I first stepped on campus, and left having accomplished something I never thought I would do. Obviously, I wish it would have ended a little bit differently, but I honestly don't think anyone in this room expected us to be there in the first place."
 
On how he's feeling:        
"I feel good. I didn't get too much sleep last night so I'm kind of tired. Get a little caffeine, get my emotions going. I don't know is that hormones? We'll have some fun. I'll try not to cry, I don't really want to cry because I don't know how to cry. We'll figure it out once we get out there. I'm trying not to think about it because then I'll get all nervous and freak myself out. I'm just trying to go step by step."
 
On advice he's received from past teammates:
"Ben told me to drink a lot of alcohol. Here's the thing alcohol is a bad substance, it does bad things to your liver. The great people at Badger nutrition here, they told us to never drink alcohol so that's how I stand."
 
On being back with former teammates:
"I've gotten to see a few. I saw Sam when he came in, Ben picked me up from the airport, Jordan has been here, I just saw Duje, Evan, Showy, Josh. Josh who I'm still mad at. Just seeing all of them is great. An event like this to bring us all back together is obviously important. We tried to do something over the summer but Josh ruined it so that's why I'm mad at Josh. It's great. Obviously today is a celebration of what I've accomplished at this school, but I see it more as an opportunity for everyone to come together and be together for however short amount of time it's just great to see everyone."
 
On his team's comradery:
"I think it developed because nobody had an ego. Nobody came in and tried to dominate the locker room and try to be like 'I'm here, this is my thing, this is what I'm doing.' I think in college basketball there are so many big players and guys that get recruited so highly that when they come into college they think it's just their stepping stone to get to the next level and they're only going ot be here for a certain amount of time and then they're going to be gone. I don't think we had anybody like that. WE had guys who we knew were going to be together for a long time and we just became best friends. I don't' know if it was the fact that we were all so close and our personalities meshed so well. From the first moment I got on campus I could just feel that this was a culture and a tradition of people who were very close and people who were going to become lifelong friends. I obviously have Jordan Smith here with me and he's been my best friend since the moment I came on campus and we're going to be best friends for the rest of our lives. I don't see today a lot of college programs that have players that can say that."
 
On his connection with current players:
"I try not be too involved in their business. Obviously I played with Ethan, but it wasn't for very long. I tried to talk to him before the season even started, and I just told him that it's his team now, and it's his turn to lead. Having to play so many young guys right away is difficult. I know if I was a freshman or sophomore and had to come in here and play 25, 30 minutes a game, it might not have gone so well for our team.
 
"It takes time to develop. That's what this program has always been about—developing players, developing talent and finding people who fit a certain system. It's not going to work right away for every, but they've got guys who have shown some potential, and guys who are willing to work and do what they need to do. There have definitely been some positive signs for this team moving forward. Once some of these guys get a year under their belt, it's going to be good."
 
On his future involvement with the University:
"I'll leave (the NBA) right now if you give me the contract I want right now."