By LARRY VAUGHT
It’s not hard for Kentucky coach John Calipari to try and tell his players what to expect every game from opponents.
“You play at Kentucky. Isn’t it great that everywhere you go, it’s sold out. You’re the biggest game on everybody’s schedule; take great pride in that. That’s why you came here. Let’s prepare. We don’t prepare any different for any of the games,” Calipari said Friday. “I’m trying to get them a little more emotional and playing that way.
“I got a great call from a coaching friend of mine last night saying, ‘Look, you’re so close to it. Your team — individual players and your team — is getting better. Just keep on the path.’ That’s all we’re going to do. I’m not worried about any other team in the country. All I’m worried about is my team getting better. That’s it. I’ll be honest with you. I’m not even watching games. I’m watching the tape of our team at practice. I just want our team to get better. Whatever that means, we’ll be fine.”
Calipari often refers to UK being a “Super Bowl” game for opponents. Last week Texas A&M’s Elston Turner got 40 points in a win over UK. The next game against Florida, he scored four points.
“Vandy comes out of the gate the next game, Texas A&M comes out of the gate the next game. Auburn, they were talking about the (Kentucky) game at the Arkansas game. It’s just how it is when you’re playing here. It’s sold out. Last time they (Aubunr) sold out? Last year. They’re going to be all over it, and their kids play extremely hard,” Calipari said. “Tony (Barbee) is doing an unbelievable job. These guys are being coached exactly how they got to be coached. He’s letting the guys that need to (be) let go and play, he’s letting those guys go. The other guys are playing within themselves.
“What’s happened is, Auburn has bought into how they’re going to have to play. We have not. Like, individual players. It’s not, ‘Well, here’s how we play. Buy in.’ No. Here’s how you have to play, now buy in. And what he’s got is, every guy is buying into ‘This is who I am and how I’ve got to play for us to have success.’ We have not hit that yet. We have still – we’re convinced that, ‘Look, I can do this and we can still play good.’ Obviously it doesn’t look good to anybody else, but maybe as we go forward we’ll start changing. This is one of those ones that will maybe bring guys together.”
8 Responses to Coaching friend tells Calipari that UK is getting better and that is all Kentucky coach wants
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Are we going to come together before it’s too late for the Big Dance?…I feel like the canary in the coal mine who dies before knowing if the miners made it or not–quick, somebody light another candle, the suspense is beginning to kill me! Go Cats!
I believe we will. The process has just taken longer this season than it has in previous seasons. Kyle is finally starting to show a bit of veteran leadership that this team needs.
Phillip, love your canary in the coal mine analogy. But don’t give up yet.
Feb. 12….
The conventional wisdom is that teams improve as they traverse their schedule. Admittedly, some teams improve more than others, and those that do improve more than the field through the season are the teams that rise in the polls, and finish stronger than most observers would have expected in December.
I also think that the conventional wisdom is that Calipari’s UK teams are in that narrower category that do improve more than the field, and finish strong in March. Earlier this week, I shared a snapshot of this team’s performance over the last 3 games, and the picture is not a pretty one, and the snapshot appears to dispel the conventional wisdom about this team. So, when I saw this post this morning, I was ready to take issue with the premise, using that snapshot as evidence to prove my case. In fact, I was about 80% finished with my post when my computer crashed, and I lost the entire analysis. As I restarted the computer, I decided to dig deeper into the significance of a 3 game snapshot of the team, so I took a look at a moving 3-game average for this team’s season to date, and the 2010-11 team’s season. The outcome makes me smile, and pleased that my computer crash prevented my posting of that original opinion.
The conclusion I believe is more appropriate is that this team is developing along almost identical lines as the 2011 team did through 16 games, and it is far too early to throw this team out with the bath water. If coaches watching this team play and practice believe it is improving, I am good with that observation.
Take a look at this graph. http://bigbluefans4uk.com/2012-13DataandWritings/SPREADSHEET_IMAGES/2013_and_2011_Three_Game_Raw_NGE_Average.jpg
The end of the 2013 graph is now slightly below 0.00 point per possession, which is not where any team that takes its basketball seriously wants to be, and I was prepared to declare that the fact that this curve has taken this nose dive coincidentally with the beginning of SEC play means that the team was going into the proverbial tank. However, look at the pattern of the 2011 team on the same graph, and compare that pattern to this year’s team. It is difficult to find a significant difference, and we all know how the 2011 team continued to fight its way through the issues to finish in the final four.
I am therefore encouraged that coaches are willing to say they see the improvement in this team, despite the 5 losses, and the most recent nose dive in efficiency.
Keep working guys, you can get it done.
It shows a 3 game moving average NGE for the 2011 and 2013 teams.
Excellent post and observation, Professor. In fact, your 3-game moving average reveals that this team is moving abouit 4 games ahead of our FF team, which may be the lead we need to get all the way to #9. We need a strong performance at Auburn, even without Willie, and his (hopefully no more than one game) absence may be just what some of the others need to step their TEAM game up a notch.
The turn-around by that FF team was nothing short of remarkable, and although they did have more experienced players (at the start of the season), the this year’s team has more talent, by leaps and bounds. And, by year’s end, even freshmen are “experienced”, having 30+ games in the books.
I appreciate everyone’s posts. GO WILDCATS!!!
Larry, this is an outstanding site!!! I always enjoy your articles and also the posts and articles by others.
On another note, I am looking forward to seeing Jon Hood drain a couple of key 3′s and contribute tonight, in the probable absence of Willie. It’s be great to see our KY-born Wildcat finsish his (injury-riddled, tough-knocks) career end on a positive note, contributing off the bench down the stretch as we re-group to make a run for the FF and #9 !!!
I would love to see Hood contribute. Isn’t he only a Junior?
Jon is a redshirt junior I believe, since he had to sit out last season rehabbing his knee injury.