By WILL GRAVES
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)  Josh Harrellson wondered two months ago if he had the heart to keep playing basketball.
The Kentucky senior center found the answer in the lonely moments before practice, as he completed another difficult conditioning session mandated by John Calipari as punishment for comments he made on Twitter venting his frustration over the coach’s reluctance to praise him in any variety.
“I knew I couldn’t let my teammates down,†Harrellson said. “I knew they were counting on me.â€Â
Now more than ever.
Harrellson scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds on Friday as the 11th-ranked Wildcats beat No. 22 Louisville 78-63, a performance so complete it left his normally verbose coach virtually speechless.
“Josh had 23 points and 14 rebounds?†Calipari asked while glancing at the stat sheet. “Oh my gosh.â€Â
Calipari wasn’t the only one.
While the Cardinals focused most of their frontcourt defense on freshman Terrence Jones, Harrellson had the game of his life. He made 10 of 12 field goals  including his second 3-pointer of the season  as the Wildcats (11-2) controlled their instate rivals over the final 30 minutes.
He walked off the court in the final moments and received a hug from Calipari, a moment unfathomable in October as Harrellson found himself buried deep in his coach’s doghouse.
Calipari told Harrellson he was proud of him, and offered Harrellson’s determination as proof that careers can turn around no matter how late it seems. Harrellson languished on the bench most of last season behind freshman All-American DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson, Daniel Orton and Perry Stevenson.
“Last year I just didn’t have time for him, and that’s not fair,†Calipari said.
That shouldn’t be a problem now. Kentucky is talented but not very deep. Harrellson is part of a tight six-player rotation. The extra conditioning he’s doing combined with the longer leash to go out and play through mistakes has allowed him to flourish.
He has admirably filled the void left by the NCAA’s decision to rule freshman center Enes Kanter permanently ineligible, but his offensive explosion on New Year’s Eve was never supposed to be part of the deal. Yet there he was throwing down dunks and knocking down jumpers and earning Louisville’s respect in the process.
24 Responses to Harrellson knew teammates were counting on him
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I was so proud of Josh today, just like if I had been his grandmother but we all know how that ended! Up until this game, I didn’t really watch Josh play, didn’t care if I heard his name…well, maybe sometimes. However, today was just one of the best days for this young man and I really hope he continues to do well and develop. Coach admitted he didn’t have the time for Josh and left him in the back ground, but see how things bloom when you take time to care for them and nourish them. It’s just like a rose bush someone gave me one time because they didn’t have time or the knowledge to care for it. I had it one year and with care and tending that rose bush was one of the prettiest I ever had. Maybe in the future Cal will spend more time with other such players but since he is getting the top recruiting classes in the nation it will be hard to find that one to devote yourself to. Of course, if Josh had not made the mistake of speaking ill of coach none of this might not have happened. You go Josh, all of the BBN is proud of you and look forward to your next games. I know where I watched the game today everyone was talking about Josh and yelling for him when ever he made a move. You can’t believe how loud the place was when he hit that 3! GO CATS! VOTE FOR JOE B!
Way to go Josh! Great win forthe CATS!!!
CONGRATS TO JOSH ON THE MOST AWESOME OF PERFORMANCES!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!!
I am so proud of Josh. He deserves a game like this.
A lot of talented players get caught in the shuffle for various reasons. It’s really not fair and it’s a shame that sometimes a better player has to ride the pines just waiting for his shot to play. I’ve seen those players get their chance and shine very well over the years. I’ll go way back and talk about Tom Parker. He was the player who was least likely to get a lot of time until he picked up most of the minutes that would come available because of the loss of Mike Casey. In truth it probably cost the Cats a national title when Casey broke his leg but Parker managed to work himself into the SEC player of the year before he was finished and a fairly high draft pick in the NBA. He’s a guy that likely wouldn’t have been noticed without the “what if” moment of Casey breaking his leg.
I’ve seen a lot of situations like that since the late 60′s. That’s why I never sell a bench player short. I could talk about a player named Liggins too that nearly got himself a set of walking papers at UK but has become a key player on a good team. I love it when the guys that almost didn’t get their chance finally do. And Jorts certainly hasn’t let anyone down this year. Not by a long shot.
Congrats to Josh are in order, but in the process we shouldn’t overlook the fact that his teammates recognized the double teams on Terrence and got the ball to Josh. Josh wasted no time acting on Uavel’s mistakes and making some very easy baskets.
Louisville is not a very good team.
What a great game and day for all involved. Once they started laughing and having fun, I knew we had it made. How many of you had to smirk just a bit when the announcer made the comment about Louisville and “little spurts.” My mind went straight to the gutter. So, it was a funny, fun-filled day for me. And, I too, am so proud of all of the guys. What a great team!!
Holy crap Sarah…as soon as I heard Clark make that “spurt” statement, I made a pretty obscene comment.
It WAS just too hard to resist…wait, that’s what SHE said.
GO BIG BLUE!!!!
I hope that previous post doesn’t offend anyone.
I’m still just flying high from this awesome day.
GO BIG BLUE!!!!
This was one of the best days ever…in their new bucket! I was reading some post by those ‘other’ fans on another website. They were half way decent. Congrats, calling for you know who to leave because he is past his prime, talking about Josh…it was good.
Did anyone think that ‘other’ coach looked really bad and perhaps was wearing makeup?
Josh is really getting the full college blast, both on the court and campus…could not be more happy for him. Got to give a harah to T. Jones for finding Josh under the basket when he was double and triple teamed…smart kid! One last comment and I’ll go back to sleep. Cal is doing a masterful job in getting these kids to buy into his coaching and they are all to be commended for being open to him…a very coachable group.
When Josh took that three and it went in, I couldn’t help but think of Patterson last year. I’m so thankful that I was able to watch this game. I have no other comments because everyone else has pretty well summed it all up.
Does anyone remember a few weeks ago when Jones, Knight and Lamb had each been recognized as the player of the week, I suggested that Josh needed to also get that type of recognition. Whether it becomes official or not over the next few days is irrelevant for me because his performance has been completely worthy of the Player of the Week.
Jim the Cat’s had Cardinal for lunch while I’m eating crow and loving it! Out first win in the Yum center and looking forward to many more. Our players showed great poise in front of a very hostile crowd. Good call Jim sorry for doubting your thoughts on the game.
I too was thrilled with Josh’s performance yesterday, but we shouldn’t expect that from him every game. Other teams won’t make the defensive mistakes that UL made. It might be time for The Professor to do a brief explanation of “revert to the mean.”
Appreciate that Gary.
But I got lucky. Even a broken clock is right twice a day. Luckily, this team performed exactly the way I knew they could. I knew, in my head, that they were far more talented at every position and I knew, in my heart, that they would show up and be the team they needed to be. I was just following my heart because this team is well worth believing in.
And you are right oldawg, Josh certainly SHOULDN’T be able to do that every game. But this showed him that he CAN and that is the most important thing, going forward.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
GO BIG BLUE!!!!
I REALLY LIKE JOSH’S ABILITY TO SHOOT THE BALL. ADD HIM TO THE MIX OF OTHER SHOOTERS ON OUR TEAM AND DARE ANYONE TO “ZONE” US.
In statistics, regression toward the mean is the phenomenon that if a variable is extreme on its first measurement, it will tend to be closer to the average on a second measurement, andâ€â€a fact that may superficially seem paradoxicalâ€â€if it is extreme on a second measurement, will tend to have been closer to the average on the first measurement.[1][2][3] To avoid making wrong inferences, the possibility of regression toward the mean must be considered when designing experiments and interpreting experimental, survey, and other empirical data in the physical, life, behavioral and social sciences.
The conditions under which regression toward the mean occurs depend on the way the term is mathematically defined. Sir Francis Galton first observed the phenomenon in the context of simple linear regression of data points. However, a less restrictive approach is possible. Regression towards the mean can be defined for any bivariate distribution with identical marginal distributions. Two such definitions exist.[4] One definition accords closely with the common usage of the term “regression towards the meanâ€Â. Not all such bivariate distributions show regression towards the mean under this definition. However, all such bivariate distributions show regression towards the mean under the other definition.
Historically, what is now called regression toward the mean has also been called reversion to the mean and reversion to mediocrity.
For every performance that exceeds the mean, there will be a performance that falls short of the mean.
All the people I talked to yesterday think Josh deserves SEC player of the week, I hope he gets it.
Linda, I thought that ‘other’ coach looked pretty good…..a little makeup, a little botox, and a little hair color can do wonders.
Did any one see Louisville fans wearing KFC buckets on their heads? That has to be even worse than ‘cheese heads’.
I was impressed with the improved play I saw from our players, and they are starting to come together as a team. Loved seeing Josh have his day, but Liggins, Miller, Jones, and Knight all contributed in a way necessary for the win.
GO BIG BLUE! Way to go Josh, keep the hard work!
If Josh is not SEC Player of the Week, there should not be one this week. And Knight should be Freshman of the Week.
@Susiecat…it did look like that ‘other’ coach has had botox but it drooped down his face and left his cheeks very hallow. He had hair plugs a couple years ago, that explains why the bald spot in back is gone.
I saw the chicken buckets on the heads, that was gross. I also sa a Kentucky fan behind the announcers hold up a Free Enes sign.
Larry, who votes on SEC player of the week and when will it be announced? GO CATS!
I think Josh has a good shot at National Player of the Week with that performance on the road against the arch rival involving two ranked teams.
I was SO proud of Josh’s performance — WOW. Also, I, too, am expecting a very deserved award for Josh.