Calipari says Cats make their own decisions about playing time on the court
Kentucky Wildcats forward Julius Randle (30) jumps to dunk the ball during the first half of the Blue-White scrimmage at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., on Tuesday, October 29, 2013. Photo by Tessa Lighty
November 1, 2013
By Nick Gray | Basketball beat writer
A week from today, UK opens its season on Nov. 8 in Rupp Arena against the University of North Carolina at Asheville.
UK head coach John Calipari has seven more days, including Friday’s exhibition game against Transylvania University (7 p.m., Friday, Fox Sports Net), to, as he said, “figure out these six or seven” players who will play the majority of minutes.
“We get another look,” Calipari said about the Transylvania scrimmage. “The scrimmage kind of put out one thing, but let’s see it against somebody else and see how guys do.”
Freshman forward Derek Willis scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 36 minutes at the Blue-White Scrimmage on Tuesday. Willis is battling with freshman forwards Julius Randle and Marcus Lee for time at power forward and has surprised Calipari.
“You would think he’d be physically challenged in some of these practices … he figures out ways,” Calipari said. “I think he’s better than he thought, I see him better than I thought, and it’s good for him.”
Calipari said although Willis deserves playing time, so do other players.
“The great news is that everybody is challenged,” Calipari said. “You have guys playing really well, where now all of the sudden I’m in my office at 10:30 and I hear ‘Thump, thump, thump.’ The guy who’s playing against that guy is in the gym saying, ‘I gotta get some extra work in. This guy is really playing well.’ That’s good for us.”
Freshman guard Andrew Harrison is out Friday against Transylvania with a knee contusion that Calipari called a bone bruise. Calipari tweeted on Thursday that sophomore forward Alex Poythress will start in his place, likely pushing freshman James Young to shooting guard.
Young factors in the playing time shuffle as NBA scouts and Calipari himself have said throughout the preseason that the 6-foot-6-inch guard has been among the best players in practice. Calipari said Thursday that Young can play at one forward position (at small forward during the Blue-White Scrimmage) as well as shooting guard, and compared him to two UK alums, a guard and a forward, who are now in the NBA.
“I told James yesterday ‘from what I see, he’s got to be DeAndre Liggins and Michael Kidd- (Gilchrist),’” Calipari said. “If I make him guard their best player, it may be a point guard or it may be a guy running off 50 screens, what is that going to do to his offense? It’s going to take that back a little bit.”
One expectation was added Thursday to the Cats’ preseason. UK was voted No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 preseason basketball poll, receiving 27 of 65 first-place votes.
“It’s a blessing to be ranked No. 1, but it just says we got a lot on our back now where we really have to stay focused,” freshman center Dakari Johnson said.
