Cauley-Stein working to improve his play
October 15, 2014
By Kyle Arensdorf
Fans caught a glimpse of all but two members of UK basketball’s roster in August at the Big Blue Bahamas Tour.
Freshman forward Trey Lyles and junior forward Willie Cauley-Stein traveled with the team but sat out of competition due to injury.
Cauley-Stein continued to rehabilitate after surgery to repair the left ankle injury he sustained last season in UK’s Sweet 16 win against Louisville.
Cauley-Stein grabbed just one rebound before exiting the game after playing only four minutes in the first half, but his presence was felt in the Cats’ previous two NCAA Tournament matchups.
The Olathe, Kan., native had a monster first round game against Kansas State, posting four blocks and four steals to go along with eight boards.
He followed up the dominant defensive performance by adding two steals and another block to his tournament total in UK’s 78-76 upset win against Wichita State.
UK could have used Cauley-Stein in its championship loss to UConn, as 10 of the Huskies’ 22 field goals came in the paint.
“Willie’s a great defensive presence,” sophomore center Dakari Johnson said of his teammate. “That’ll be great to have again. He can really guard one through five on the court.”
Before the 2013-14 season, there was concern that UK’s recent trend of a stifling big man defending the paint was in jeopardy.
Three seasons ago, Anthony Davis snapped the freshman single season block record in the national championship game with his 186th block. And a season later
Nerlens Noel picked up right where Davis left off and notched 106 blocks.
But despite a relatively average 60-block freshman season in 2012-13, Cauley-Stein stepped up in a big way during his sophomore season, tallying 106 blocks of his own.
In spite of his defensive track record and less-than-stellar offensive numbers, the 7-foot forward urged observers not to label him just yet.
“People have always said that I don’t have that offensive game, but I’ve always been able to do different things,” Cauley-Stein said. “My time here has been about building on what I had and adding parts and pieces. (I feel) like I’ve always had the ability.”
Cauley-Stein was adamant about wanting to win a national championship, but admitted he had ulterior — and personal — motives.
“I know that I can become a better player,” he said. “My stock can improve, and my NBA readiness can too. I want to prove that I’m not just the rebounding and blocking (player) that people perceive.”
