(By Keith Taylor)

Tidbits from Kentucky men’s basketball media day held Thursday at the Joe Craft Center in Lexington.

Darius Miller has played his share of pickup games against DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe and John Wall. All three arrived at Kentucky as three of the top players in the country and Miller hasn’t been disappointed.

“They had a lot of hype coming in and they deserved every bit of it,” Miller said. “They work really hard and they have been playing real good.”

Miller also has taken note of “how hard” the players strive to improve.

“Sometimes superstars like them get the stereotype of not working hard and coming in, being lazy and stuff like that, but they’ve been working just as hard as anybody else,” he said. “I think they’ve had an impact since they’ve been here.”

Miller,  a sophomore, added that first-year Kentucky coach John Calipari has  generated a buzz, a source of excitement the Mason County graduate hasn’t witnessed since he’s been at Kentucky.

“It’s been pretty hectic around here,” he said with a smile.

He’s GOOD

In preparation for the upcoming season, Miller said he’s been working on his dribbling and shooting, but said he’s trying to improve on the defensive end.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to get better at,” he said.

“Darius is GOOD – very good,” Cousins said. “He can do everything. He can’t do everything great, but he can do everything good. He’s a real good player. He’s smooth and has a quick jumper – he’s good.”

Winning matters

With a roster that leaves little room for just one superstar, Cousins isn’t concerned about scoring. He’s more concerned about the end result of each contest.

“We aren’t worried about the shots,” he said. “We’re worried about the win. We’re here to win.”

Cousins said the team’s preseason rankings are higher than he expected.

“We still haven’t played a game, so we don’t know what to expect,” he said. “All we know is the returning players have played. So basically, we are overrated.”

Rock star status

Cousins hasn’t had a bad day since he’s arrived at Kentucky , picked by many as a possible Player of the Year candidate, has enjoyed his experience at Kentucky since classes began more than a month ago.

“It’s just so much fun,” he said. “Everything we do is fun.”

At the women’s clinic last week, Cousins received a kiss on the check from some of the attendees.

“They wanted to take a picture and kiss me on the cheek,” he said with a laugh. “I let them do it. It was a lot of fun. “

Like Family

Wall has been “blown away” by the support he’s received from Big Blue Nation since arriving on campus and likes the warm welcome he has received.

“You have a family back home, but Kentucky is all about family,” he said. “The fans show you support and it’s great to have fans like that. I knew it was a basketball state, but I didn’t know it was this crazy. The fans waited outside in the rain and in the cold just to get tickets to Madness and it’s great to see the fans are going to show you support no matter what.”

Wall said the team is going through the bonding process as workouts begin.

“We’re trying to get our chemistry down pat and get better each and every day and try to be a team that goes undefeated,” he said. “It’s going to be tough, but there’s a lot of work we’ve got to do.”