Jon Hood (photo courtesy UK Athletics)
By LARRY VAUGHT
This could be the game Saturday at Tennessee where Jon Hood gets the chance he’s been waiting for since he got to Kentucky to make a dramatic impact on the game.
With Nerlens Noel out for the season, Kentucky coach John Calipari said again Friday that it “gives Jon Hood a chance” to play more.
“What we’ll do is we’ll watch the game and if there’s a noncompetitive guy out there, he’s coming out. Now you’ll have, ‘If I don’t compete he takes me out every time.’ You just say it. It ain’t about missed shots, it’s not about turnovers. It’s about competing. So Jon Hood in practice yesterday, he’s competing his butt off. So I can see him going in,” Calipari said.
“I said, ‘It’s not us believing in Jon, it’s Jon believing in Jon.’ But you’ve got to go on that court, demonstrated performance is the only way to build self esteem, self confidence. It’s not what I say. It’s not what we’re all saying to him in there. He’s got to go in the game and do it.”
Here is part of what Hood had to say before today’s practice:
On his thoughts about getting more minutes of playing time now …
“I will be ready to play just like I have always have been. I will come in and do what I am supposed to do, whatever that may be; defense, rebound, shoot an open shot. Whatever it is.”
On what he has told Noel after his injury and if he has seen him yet …
“Well, he met with Derek Anderson the other day and DA knows about as much as I do, if not more, about coming back really quick. I haven’t spoken to Nerlens. I have texted him saying I am thinking about you if you need anything, let me know. As far as going up to see him, I didn’t want anybody to come see me, so I haven’t gone and actually seen him yet. I saw him after the game.”
On why he didn’t want someone to come see him after his ACL injury …
“I don’t know. I think it was you don’t want that pity from somebody. The biggest thing is, yeah it happened, but now let’s not remember it. Don’t make me remember it again because it hurts. I saw the footage of him going down and my knee hurts.”
On what the team is thinking about going forward with the rest of the season without Noel …
“We still believe that this team can do very special things. There is still a whole lot of talent on this team. We just need to come together. That is all.”
5 Responses to Calipari says Jon Hood has ‘got to go in the game and do it’ when he gets his opportunity
Leave a Reply
Blue Zoom Radio Show
Polls
Loading ...Choose Your Favorite!
Hey! nothing has changed. They still will jump ball with KENTUCKY on their shirt Sat. Hood will bring it! This team will come to play! As bad as I hated to see Noel hurt, one man does not make a team. This is the kind of thing that can spark this team forward. I believe it will.
Go get ‘em, Jon Hood! He’s given them some valuable minutes when he’s gotten to play.
Cal now wants Hood to “get it done”, and he still hasn’t taken any time to give him enough PT to prepare him for increased production.
I believe that John Hood is a junior. He has never played much and his playing time now will be limited to the health and fouls of the kids who Calipari recruited to play. Calipari’s system revolves around 6 or 7 players, most of which will move on each year. He does not have much bench. Although I would like to see him have bench players who are capable of playing meaninful minuets and provide a push for the super stars, I realize how difficult that can be. What player with talent would come to UK knowing that he would be recruited over each year. The delima is that his bench needs playing time and his super stars have to play the most minuets so that they can impress the NBA and move on. I must say that it would good this year if we had some quality bench players who could push our freshmen. They have to know that regardless of what Calipari tells the press he has to play them. He has no one else.
hood will never play at UK…he simply never has had and never will have the skills to play major college ball…it’s a shame that he has wasted his time here when he could have been a good division 2 or NAIA player.