By LARRY VAUGHT
Mike Groves coached Kentucky freshman center Willie Cauley-Stein for two years after he moved from tiny Spearville, Kan., after his sophomore year to near Kansas City to live with Will Shields, a former Kansas City Chief and 12-time Pro Bowl choice, and his wife after befriending their son, Shavon, during AAU play. He had to sit out the first semester of his junior year as a transfer.
“Willie is a great person with a great heart. He’s very laid back,” Groves said. “At the same time, he is going to find at Kentucky that he will have to take his game to another level, and he will and can do that. He has a great demeanor and works well with others.
“In his two years under me, he got more aggressive. He has the ability to sustain himself play after play, but when you are that athletic you sometimes learn to just play in spurts and when you need to. He made strides there. He is a very unselfish passer. It’s not like he doesn’t have an offensive game, either. Is he a true back to the post man? Not yet. Is he a true 10- to 15-foot jump shooter? Not now, but he can and will be. Once his game is polished and defined, all the pieces are there. I am looking forward to seeing his progress at Kentucky under Calipari.”
John Calipari has praised Cauley-Stein’s defense from the day he signed with the Wildcats. Groves said that part of his game is polished.
“He just has a knack for playing defense and is a big-time shot blocker. He has great timing. He has got length. He has jumping ability. He has great eye-hand coordination. He just has a knack to block shots that you can’t teach,” Groves said. “He has that phenomenal athletic ability matched with great timing. He just has that kind of stuff.”
Could he actually play the power forward position as Calipari has indicated?
“He is going to have the ability to step out on the floor and do those things. It just comes down to repetition and the work he puts in,” Groves said. “He is very versatile. He brought the ball up and down floor some for us this year.
“It would not surprise me if Cal and his staff toyed with him a little bit facing the basket and used him out there 15 to 20 feet from the rim, but he can also play with his back to basket because he has that great jumping ability.”
Groves did not know Calipari personally before he started recruiting his start. He only knew about Calipari’s background as an assistant coach at Kansas to start his coaching career.
“But I was very impressed with him and (assistant) Orlando Antigua and the whole staff and their approach to Willie,” Groves said. “I believe Willie is in a great spot for him to improve and help the Big Blue Nation have another great team.”
Groves says if there was anything that surprised him about Calipari during Cauley-Stein’s recruitment it would have been the coach’s “total honesty” with everyone.
“He told myself and Willie that Kentucky was not the best place for everyone. He told him it would be really hard and if he wasn’t prepared for the social media along with the day to day grind to get better that Kentucky was probably not the best place for him,” Groves said. “He was very honest with his approach, but he also let it be know he wanted Willie and that he thought he could be a special player. He really sold Willie on being a special player and he has the track record for kids to believe that when he says that to them.”
14 Responses to Coach believes Willie Cauley-Stein has all the pieces to be big-time offensive player also
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Could uk possibly set some more shot blocking records this year possibly the most for a duo?
Twin Towers are back…
could be scary to think that UK might actually block more shots this year
” Kentucky is not for everyone “….but, if you want to work hard and be a Great Team Player, then Kentucky will take it’s time to make you the Best That You Can Be ! Wow… analogy : You can have this new Volkswagon, or if you take a Driving Course with Mario Andretti, we’ll give you this new AMG Mercedes 500 SC… Bring On The Benz Baby… Coach Me Coach…
I don’t know how many of these recruits, their families, and their coaches I have heard make the remark about Cal being honest with them. That is totally different from the image the mainstream media portrays of him. You don’t suppose they have some kind of agenda, do you?
If you don’t lie you don’t have to memorize deceit…Mainstream Media agenda, they don’t like God….There is a whole lot of Love at The Kentucky Basketball Program and it Reins On High, God Bless You Coach….And Coach Cal, the time and energy you and your Team and Staff took to bring The Championship Trophy all around the State Of Kentucky…WOW ! Big Time Love To You For That on behalf of All Kentuckians…Gallery721.com , Larry T Clemons
I have felt for a long time that we got a real steal when Willie signed on…it won’t be much fun if you are lucky enough to get by Nerlens only to see Willie waiting for you–help!!! There is another real jewel out there that I hope we get…mark me down right now as a real fan of Kuran Iverson. Watch his high lites and I believe you will agree.
I already agree Phillip….He’s a Player’s , player…
Is Willie a guy we will see stay two seasons or will he become another surprise one and done? Either way it’s all upside for UK the way I see things. Cal wouldn’t say those things about WCS if they weren’t true and what he is saying is that UK has another star on the team besides the ones we already knew about. How good is Cal at bringing in the talent?
I just have to point this out. In 40 years plus at UK, Rupp had exactly TWO #1 draft picks. I’ll admit that there was no NBA for part of those 40 years. But still Cal has 2 #1 picks in just 3 years plus a 1-2 set and a 1-5 set. This stuff is off the charts people. Cal is phenomenal. I am beginning to think he’s the best coach to ever coach the game. The stuff he’s doing just doesn’t happen unless you go out and buy your talent like certain west coast teams from the Pac-10 that play in LA. Cal has already drawn as much talent as the Wiz did. He just hasn’t had the chance to keep them around as long. If anyone saw Davis nail that trey while taking a foul the other night you’ll know just what a special talent that guy is. Cousins is tearing up the league too. And Wall is playing great for a one man team. If Cal could have kept his players around for 3 years like the old days he would have a string of titles in the works. He might have them anyway and that will be beyond incredible in this day and age.
I couldn’t agree with you more King, we are one fortunate fan base. It’s simply incredible the job that Coach Cal has done…no one does it better. Just think about it, we have the anticipation of who he chooses to reload with, the regular season into the Big Dance and an extension with the annual NBA draft. A college basketball junkie could not ask for much more–it’s nice to be at the top of the mountain again. Go Cats!
You nailed it King and co-signed Phillip….We are Blessed to be Blue. A Kentucky Fan should rejoice in Our Players success. I’m telling you King, Big Blue TV(BBTV) or UKTV 12 months a year…Our School, The University Of Kentucky and Coach Calipari, have a rare opportunity here. One strong Producer with seed money and contacts…Dan Issel, maybe…Ashley Judd, Executive Producer… They laughed at ESPN when it launched, it was all about programing and Fan Base (BBN and Basketball Fans). Kentucky Basketball, endless story lines of the past to current success of the Present , with the Future, holding the audience in anticipation to the inside workings of the Best College Basketball Program in the Country…” In The World ” , Big Blue International (BBI). ESPN,All Sports…CNN,All News…FCN,Food Channel Network… ” BBTV or UKTV, All Kentucky Basketball “, am I dreaming here ! Gallery721.com , Larry T Clemons
Yeah Larry I think the BBNN (for Big Blue Nation Network) or just the BBN (for Big Blue Network) would certainly get a lot of people’s attention. If the Big 10 can do it I don’t see why the BBN can’t. And the SEC needs their own network for sure. I’m still flabbergasted that they signed on with ESPN to be their network. What were they thinking anyway? The string of third rate announcers using equipment left over from WWII still hasn’t convinced the SEC what a messed up deal they made. Never mind that the SEC owns college sports now. Putting ESPN in charge of their tv time was practically a suicide pact. That has to rank right up there with “My Mother The Car” as one of the worst decisions ever made about TV. But hey they already have a network so it must be easy money, right? Yeah if you don’t mind your conference looking like Neanderthal TV (NTV).
Between the Cats and the string of football championships how can the SEC have the worst tv deal going? I just don’t get it. Then I remember Bob Knight, Digger Phelps, etc. etc. all working for the Egotistical Sports Pr#$%s Network and it all makes sense. I just can’t figure out why the SEC didn’t see this coming. This is what happens when true democracy is in control I guess. If you’re Vandy or or Miss. or LSU and you haven’t had a really good team in any major sport in 40 years you’ll vote for anything you think might drag the big boys off their high horses I guess.
There are certainly enough SEC fans to sustain a Big 10 Network type organization but the chances of getting to see reruns of SEC games in the off season is about equal to the chance that earth will be swallowed by a black hole before Thursday. Dang who was the idjit that signed that deal. It’s worse than the famous 10 year deal NBC signed to show Notre Dame football every week. Two weeks after that game Ohio St. beat ND by about 40 points in South Bend and no one was stupid enough to think ND was actually good ever again. And when OSU got creamed by the SEC time after time it was really obvious just how bad ND was. But NBC was still showing ND games last year. I think it was their last year for that contract. Maybe they’ll create a real SEC network.
And yes we are blessed to live in this time of UK greatness. And they are doing it right in every way IMO. In front of the camera, behind the scenes and on the floor UK is showing the world what it’s like to be a real dynasty. And the more the worldly types swear UK must be doing something fishy the more I realize those people figure everyone does things like they do. It takes God to open the eyes of people. For example the Jimmy V. Foundation is a great thing. But if it hadn’t been a ACC coach that would have never happened. Still Cal supports it because the end result is good almost in spite of why it was created. God uses people when they don’t even know it many times. But the Haiti relief fund that Cal put together barely made the last minute of ESPN news despite the fact they did some real good for some people that really needed it. Cal did it because it was the right thing to do. He didn’t do it to promote a favorite coach who was only a favorite because he led an ACC team to a championship they were lucky to win. Yeah that’s harsh but where is the Brian Piccolo Foundation? He died at 26.
Big Blue TV Network does have a nice sound to it
Playing with Noel in practice every day will VASTLY improve his offensive skills. Can’t Wait.
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