Inside the Play: Leaving the corner

December 18, 2011

John Calipari makes it very clear: he does not want teams getting the chance to beat UK with 3-pointers. He wants his guys playing tight on the perimeter. If they get beat, that’s fine — Anthony Davis (and others) are back there to defend the paint. “If you try to drive on us, (we) are going to block it,” Calipari said.

He doesn’t want a team to catch fire and bury the Cats from deep. “The only thing (that can beat us), shooting 3s,” Calipari said after Chattanooga made 8 of 27.

Part of that strategy is not leaving corner 3s open.

“From the first day of practice to every game we play that is all we talk about is we are not leaving the corner,” Calipari said. “We left the corner five times today. That stuff I have a right to be angry about.”

Let’s take a look at one of them.

A quick game reset: UK is up 53-32 with 16:05 left in the game. Chattanooga has the ball and has set up their offense.

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

Chattanooga’s Omar Wattad gets the ball. He made 3 of 10 threes against UK. In this play, it’s Michael Kidd-Gilchrist defending him.

|

|

|

|

|

|

Kidd-Gilchrist is a really good defender, but on this play, he gets caught by a stutter step and is beat on the dribble. This starts UK’s defensive rotations: watch Anthony Davis, currently in the paint, and Doron Lamb, closest to Davis (and responsible for the Cattanooga player in the corner).

|

|

|

|

As Wattad drives, Davis slides over, looking to contest the shot. Lamb slides down to help the helper — a good basketball play, but it leaves the shooter in the corner open.

|

|

|

|

|

|

Wattad sees Lamb has slid down too far and fires a pass to the corner. Lamb is stuck in the paint as his assigned player receives the ball.

|

|

|

|

|

|

Lamb scrambles to get back, but it’s a relatively uncontested 3-pointer, and one Chattanooga makes.

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

In the huddle immediately after the play, Calipari can be seen talking to Lamb about leaving the corner 3.

The team will surely hear more of the same going forward.

or email him at [email protected]