Camaraderie and lessons learned ready UK for Notre Dame

The Kentucky basketball team celebrates after winning the SEC Championship against Arkansas in Nashville , Tenn., on Sunday, March 15, 2015. Photo by Jonathan Krueger

By Joshua Huff

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Just three games remain for a UK team that began the season with doubts hanging over its heads as to whether the melting pot of talent can conform to the rigors of a one-and-done system.

Those doubts have long been shattered now that 37 games have come and gone without a blemish. Talks now turn to whether this team can complete the impossible against a shrinking pool of teams that are each better than the last.

But the Cats have made it a point to remember the parts and not as a whole.

“I’m just going to remember being with everybody,” UK’s Karl-Anthony Towns said, “Just enjoying our time together, just cherish the moments we’ve had together both on and off the court and just being in each other’s presence. It’s going to be one of those things I’ll take with me for the rest of my life.”

That off the court relationship transitions to the play on the court. Towns, a freshman, entered UK projected as the starter over sophomore Dakari Johnson, who earned his keep during UK’s 2014 NCAA Tournament run. Instead of skulking, Johnson embraced his role as a bench player, which earned the respect of his teammates.

“When he’s ready and focused, he’s as good as any big man in the country,” Andrew Harrison said. “We just sacrifice and we (are) just thankful we have a guy like Dakari on our team.”

Johnson’s leadership is an example of the difference between this UK team and the 2013 squad that was bounced in the first round of the NIT in embarrassing fashion by Robert Morris. The team was the epitome of selfishness, a trait that resulted in chemistry issues during head coach John Calipari’s most disappointing season at UK.

The veterans, especially Willie Cauley-Stein, have learned from those mistakes.

“You’ve just got to trust what coach is saying,” Cauley-Stein said. “Coming here he told every one of us straight up that you’re not going to be the man of the team, you’re going to have to sacrifice and that’s why we’re able to play the way we are, just because everybody bought in.”

Only two UK players are averaging double-digits this season: Aaron Harrison (11 points) and Devin Booker (10). The rest of the team averages around five to nine points per game. However, every player averages over an assist per game, quite a combination for a team with nine McDonald’s All-Americans.

As UK readies for an offensive-minded Notre Dame team, the joy of playing for one another will be a vital component for UK’s success.