Sophomores aren’t typically referred to as veterans.
But, this year’s UK basketball roster is heavy on freshmen and sophomores — again.
UK head coach John Calipari said at a Media Day press conference that this squad’s strengths lie with their “length and athleticism” and his concerns were that “we are very young again.”
With a team that only has two seniors and two juniors, the sophomores who have the college basketball experience and who have been to a Final Four are forced to step into that upperclassmen role.
Sophomore guard Doron Lamb seems to be adjusting to this new responsibility.
“I’m a leader. I won’t just watch somebody play, I’m on the court, too. I’m playing too,” Lamb said at a Media Day interview. “I just got to lead my freshmen. You lead the freshmen and just push them and push ourselves and push everybody on the team.”
This is a new experience as a college freshman to come into UK’s program with the expectations fans impose and the transition from high school to college, but senior guard Darius Miller approaches the role as a mentor.
“I’m trying to spend a lot of time with (freshmen) and talk to them a lot so they understand what it’s going to be like and how intense it’s going to be,” Miller said at Media Day. “I think they’re doing a great job on their own with just stepping in and being comfortable and getting ready, though.”
On paper, this team is small and skinny compared to most (with the exception of sophomore forward Terrence Jones, who put on 20 pounds this summer).
UK doesn’t have a true center either, forcing Calipari to rely on his team’s athleticism, despite its youth.
The question of talent versus experience is something the Cats have proven to be obsolete over the past two years, taking a squad with three seniors and two juniors to the NCAA tournament in the 2009-10 season and going to the Final Four last season with only one senior and three juniors.
The Cats are versatile this season, which may make adjusting to the age (or lack thereof) easier.
“With this team, I feel like we have a lot of players that are interchangeable,” Jones said at Media Day. “We’ve got long players and players that remind me of myself when it comes to blocking shots and working hard.”
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