Basketball Preview: New coach gives sophomore a second chance at UK

October 27, 2009 | Filed under: Columns,Special Sections,Sports | Posted by:
The last time DeAndre Liggins stepped off a basketball court, he just wanted to see his family.
Liggins’ freshman year started off poorly and didn’t get any better as each game came and went. By season’s end, the relationship between Liggins and former UK head coach Billy Gillispie was beyond repair.
After the Cats’ season-ending loss at Notre Dame in the National Invitation Tournament, Liggins needed to get away.
“That day, I remember sitting there frustrated,” Liggins said. “I didn’t know what was going on. I just wanted to be home with my family because I knew how it was going to go.”
One of the most curious figures of last year’s team, Liggins even told the Danville Messenger-Advocate he would not return to Lexington if Gillispie did.
So the 6-foot-6 guard went home to his family in Chicago. Gillispie was fired. A few days later, John Calipari was hired.
Faced with a decision of whether or not to come back, Liggins sought his family’s advice.
Go back, they told him. Do everything right this time.
Liggins is back, aiming to move past some of last year’s episodes. Perhaps the most well-known was against Kansas State, when Liggins refused to re-enter the game. He seemed to suffer all year because of it.
Not all of Liggins’ problems were because of Gillispie. When he was given a chance, he seemed unwilling to slow down the pace of his game to fit that of his team.
This year, the Cats around Liggins are faster. Much, much faster.
Word is, John Wall may be one of the fastest players in college basketball. By Wall’s estimation, fellow freshman Eric Bledsoe doesn’t lag behind much (although Bledsoe flip-flopped their ranking).
And then there’s Liggins.
“DeAndre, oh man,” Bledsoe said. “He’s real smooth with the ball. He can change gears and get to the basket so fast and easy.”
Bledsoe added that he thought not only could he and Wall share floor time, but Liggins could be out there with them.
Three point guards?
“All three of us understand the game well enough as point guards and just as players, we could make it work,” Bledsoe said. “If the three of us are executing, who’s going to stop that?”
Another new face of the Cats that’s helped Liggins along is assistant coach Rod Strickland.
Strickland, a 17-year NBA veteran, is ninth on the NBA’s career assist list. Better yet, Strickland had a 2.8:1 assist-to-turnover ratio in his career.
Liggins struggled in that aspect last year, and he now has someone to teach him who won’t just tell Liggins to hold on to the ball, but will speak from experience on how to do it.
“He’s my type of coach. I want to learn a lot from him,” Liggins said. “I get tips and pointers from him. I remember seeing him play just a little bit. I remember how good he is with the ball.”
Most of all, if Liggins wants to put last season behind him, he’ll have to prove he’s grown up. He’ll have to prove he can weather adversity, because if he doesn’t, Cal has Wall and Bledsoe eager to play as many minutes as possible.
So far, Calipari has been impressed with Liggins. He said former UK head coach Joe B. Hall recently visited a practice. Hall told Calipari that Liggins was the most improved player on the team.
Calipari said Liggins is working hard, doing well in school and arriving on time where he needs to be (another documented problem last year).
As a result, basketball should become more about playing the game for Liggins and less about worrying about everything else.
Had Gillispie’s services been retained, one of his biggest recruiting gets would have come and gone, a one-year bust.
Instead, Liggins has a chance to make an impact on what he called “a special year.”
“We have power forwards who play like guards,” Liggins said. “I don’t know how it’ll end up, but we have a chance to make it something pretty special.”
No matter how UK finishes in March (or April), let’s hope Liggins goes home happier than last time.
James Pennington is a journalism senior. E-mail jpennington@kykernel.com.

The last time DeAndre Liggins stepped off a basketball court, he just wanted to see his family.

Liggins’ freshman year started off poorly and didn’t get any better as each game came and went. By season’s end, the relationship between Liggins and former UK head coach Billy Gillispie was beyond repair.

After the Cats’ season-ending loss at Notre Dame in the National Invitation Tournament, Liggins needed to get away.

“That day, I remember sitting there frustrated,” Liggins said. “I didn’t know what was going on. I just wanted to be home with my family because I knew how it was going to go.”

jpenningtonmugsmallerOne of the most curious figures of last year’s team, Liggins even told the Danville Messenger-Advocate he would not return to Lexington if Gillispie did.

So the 6-foot-6 guard went home to his family in Chicago. Gillispie was fired. A few days later, John Calipari was hired.

Faced with a decision of whether or not to come back, Liggins sought his family’s advice.

Go back, they told him. Do everything right this time.

Liggins is back, aiming to move past some of last year’s episodes. Perhaps the most well-known was against Kansas State, when Liggins refused to re-enter the game. He seemed to suffer all year because of it.

Not all of Liggins’ problems were because of Gillispie. When he was given a chance, he seemed unwilling to slow down the pace of his game to fit that of his team.

This year, the Cats around Liggins are faster. Much, much faster.

Word is, John Wall may be one of the fastest players in college basketball. By Wall’s estimation, fellow freshman Eric Bledsoe doesn’t lag behind much (although Bledsoe flip-flopped their ranking).

And then there’s Liggins.

“DeAndre, oh man,” Bledsoe said. “He’s real smooth with the ball. He can change gears and get to the basket so fast and easy.”

Bledsoe added that he thought not only could he and Wall share floor time, but Liggins could be out there with them.

Three point guards?

“All three of us understand the game well enough as point guards and just as players, we could make it work,” Bledsoe said. “If the three of us are executing, who’s going to stop that?”

Another new face of the Cats that’s helped Liggins along is assistant coach Rod Strickland.

Strickland, a 17-year NBA veteran, is ninth on the NBA’s career assist list. Better yet, Strickland had a 2.8:1 assist-to-turnover ratio in his career.

Liggins struggled in that aspect last year, and he now has someone to teach him who won’t just tell Liggins to hold on to the ball, but will speak from experience on how to do it.

“He’s my type of coach. I want to learn a lot from him,” Liggins said. “I get tips and pointers from him. I remember seeing him play just a little bit. I remember how good he is with the ball.”

Most of all, if Liggins wants to put last season behind him, he’ll have to prove he’s grown up. He’ll have to prove he can weather adversity, because if he doesn’t, Cal has Wall and Bledsoe eager to play as many minutes as possible.

So far, Calipari has been impressed with Liggins. He said former UK head coach Joe B. Hall recently visited a practice. Hall told Calipari that Liggins was the most improved player on the team.

Calipari said Liggins is working hard, doing well in school and arriving on time where he needs to be (another documented problem last year).

As a result, basketball should become more about playing the game for Liggins and less about worrying about everything else.

Had Gillispie’s services been retained, one of his biggest recruiting gets would have come and gone, a one-year bust.

Instead, Liggins has a chance to make an impact on what he called “a special year.”

“We have power forwards who play like guards,” Liggins said. “I don’t know how it’ll end up, but we have a chance to make it something pretty special.”

No matter how UK finishes in March (or April), let’s hope Liggins goes home happier than last time.

James Pennington is a journalism senior. E-mail jpennington@kykernel.com.

See more from the Kernel’s 2009 Basketball Preview:

Degree, NCAA tournament keep Patterson from NBA

Recruits aim to revive program

SEC rebounds from bad reputation

The third time’s the charm: Harris, Stevenson cope with third coach in four years

UK Hoops looks to avoid injuries

Dunlap finds her voice as a leader

SEC East predictions

SEC West predictions

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