Hoops ready for season
November 7, 2014
By Joshua Huff
Pikeville learned a valuable lesson on Thursday night when it encountered the sinister creation that is UK Hoops head coach Matthew Mitchell’s patented “40 minutes of dread.”
There was no doubt that UK was entering the game as the dominant team, but the flash of dominance that the Cats displayed was a welcoming sight as UK gears up for what appears to be a promising season.
Overmatched in nearly every aspect of the game, Pikeville looked like a middle school squad against a varsity high school team. The size and speed disparity that UK had overwhelmed the Bears from the tipoff.
“Their defense, their denial in the passing lane, the way they get up in the half-court, the pressure is really good,” said Pikeville head coach Joanna McNamee. “This is our third game of the year but this is the first time we have seen heat like that.”
The defense for UK was nothing short of suffocating as the Cats’ pressure full-court defense led to 37 turnovers and 52 points off turnovers. The pressure also led to an 18-0 fast break differential that played well into UK’s ability to play nearly flawlessly in transition.
Displaying a balanced offense that was infused by the energy on defense, UK quickly pulled ahead of the 49ers as the Cats dominated 141-63. The energy level that the Cats displayed pleased Mitchell who said that they spent all offseason working on playing with high energy.
“The things we could control tonight, I thought we did a pretty good job,” he said. “I thought we had a good attitude tonight. That’s going to be a real key for this team. We’re going to have to have great attitudes this season … but we have to have the greatest attitude, be really tough, be really fast and up tempo.”
UK spent the night playing with a tenacity that the Bears couldn’t contend with. The Cats seemingly scored at will against Pikeville as the Cats pounded the paint en route to 80 points. Yet the main factor for UK this game was just having fun, something that UK sophomore guard Makayla Epps is focusing on this season.
“This year it’s a new team. A new season,” said Epps. “You know, we work so hard every day, so there is no time to be out there mad about anything. The best thing to do for me is to smile and go on about it.”
If UK continues to play with the attitude and relentlessness that it played with against Pikeville, the Cats will have plenty to smile about this season.
