Short and sweet today as the cats play isn’t really improving at all and watching games on TV is much harder than in person to see things like tempo, emotion and focus. It seems they are doing what Kentucky teams of recent history have been guilty of. They play based on their competition. It almost bit us in the butt with Miami too. Its allowing these small schools without much talent a way in the door against a mediocre approach to defense by the cats.
Some good things that I am still seeing however is the distribution of scoring. Sure JWall & P-square are going to get theirs from night to night its refreshing to see guys like Miller, Orton and even Harrellson lighting up the scoring column. Its good to see the shooting go well too as our field goal & 3pt percentages are right on track. The relentless approach to shot blocking is a healthy area as long as teams don’t try to benefit from it by getting our guys up and off their feet and get us into foul trouble. Which by the way is something it appears Big Cuz cannot do. He is averaging 3 and a half fouls per game and seems to not be able to avoid silly plays that aren’t even solid defensive attempts. The silly turnovers returned as well with UK getting 20, 10 of which were ridiculously made by this talent. There were some points in the game I wondered to myself if they were really just taking it away from us. And they were. The one in the second half where the guy dribbled the ball away from an already dribbling Bledsoe. I imagine he took quite a bit of Mexican heat for that one. Lastly the free throw percentage is steadily “not getting worse” meaning I think its headed in the right direction. It seems to be Cals mantra that free throw practice kills the shot for a lot of these kids. He is the man making 5 mil this year so I will respect that professional opinion.
DeMarcus Cousins seems to be a wild card at all times. He can break free for 27 or break down for 5, fouls that is. An average game last night turned nasty when the big kid from AL threw a flagrant elbow. He was appropriately benched but this tells of the larger problem that I see looming for him that I have already written about. Tennessee’s Wayne Chism is about as dirty and trash talking as they come, not to mention he is a pretty good baler. Guys like him will penetrate this young mans skin and once they get under they will undermine his whole game until he learns to leave his emotions at the door and off of his face. A solid effort by the big freshman including a couple of super blocks.
Miller had a solid game with 9 points and 8 rebounds. If it were not for he and Jon Hood the first half may have gotten away from us and the game would have been much closer. They book-ended scores for a period of a couple of minutes that led to at least 4 of our turnovers in what I am going to call the ugliest few minutes of play all season.
Yay for Ramon Harris who is steadily getting his playing time by doing the right things on the defensive end. Last night his anemic scoring drought continued with only 2 but he played very solid with 8 rebounds and a couple of steals. Hood’s 3 was a highlight for him but even though it was his only score he still had some solid minutes by defending the right way.
Bledsoe is hit and miss but I think it comes from his adjustment of not being at the point position and his migration to a shooting guard. I certainly hope that limp that P-square had after the game can be worked out by tonight but if not the freshman need to get it going strong and smart, which is something neither of them have done remotely as well as Patterson so far.
So the Liggins thing is not such a big deal but people are wanting to know what is up. I don’t think any of us “deserve” to know what is going on here as its obviously a private matter. What Dodson did to get benched is beyond me but he must have had the wrong attitude about it since he cant even get on to smell the floor wax these days.
Sorry it wasn’t as short and sweet as I thought. Its really tough not focusing on the next home game as it looms large in my mind. Even though I hate overshooting two opponents in Stanford and App State, bring on the Tarheels.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Watch a game on TV? REALLY?
So now having been spoiled by getting to watch all 6 of this seasons games from the backs I am trying to figure out how I can watch and blog about a game on the television. Any motivation is welcome as I just hope I can bring myself to do it.
The best is yet to come. Game 4: Rider
How good is John Wall? I don’t think anyone knows just yet. What was shown to us on a beautiful sunny November day in Rupp Arena was probably a sign of the flash and dash style of a very talented and fast 18 year old. A sign? 21 pts & 11 assists a sign? 
Aren’t those career numbers for most guys, not to mention freshmen? The point is that now John is hitting on both of his important cylinders as a scorer and as a guy who gets others involved. I believe he is better at both than he was on Saturday. I think we have a true leader there who has a heart that enjoys the competition and then the thrills that come from beating them into submission. It was a great thing to see him smiling so big, almost as if to say, “didya see that? I cant believe it either”. The reverse layup was the most impressive as he didn’t really use a drive to make the shot. He was on one side of the basket and the next thing you know he is on the other side and the hoop is full. His drives were very impressive and he appeared to read some of the tells of the defense and was able to penetrate them with ease. Eventually they just started fouling him on the floor since his free throw percentage isn’t that great. I guess they were tired of being on his highlight reel and wanted to take their chances with him not scoring from the line. John Wall’s picture is next to the definition of Stat Sheet Stuffer (a la Dickie V baby!). His line was great including only letting 2 turnovers go. During shootaround and warm-ups he was intently working on his shot and it appears Bledsoe is doing the same. The two they were working on were the 3 from the front and the mid-range jumper
A consistent start and a persistent defensive effort helped the cats garner the tempo of the game and run with it for both halves. The smaller but athletic Rider team seemed to be running backwards on their heels the entire game. The frustration coming from trying to stop two very talented outside players and three inside down low players was evident. Additionally the defensive intensity lacking in part of the team from early on in the season was gone. Everyone played their man well and avoided allowing any easy shots. The most noticeable thing from the stat sheet for Rider was that their leading scorer was 14-14 from the line meaning he hit only one basket. The small frustrated team however never stepped back down giving UK some of its own frustrations, mainly in stopping some of the transitions, or repetitions to put it in a better way, from play to play. Cal was often overheard calling a play and then would say “Two times”. Sure enough the cats would run the set play and get either Wall or Miller open with a great look and all of a sudden they would stop the play and re-run it. I guess if they know its coming twice and cant stop it on the first time and we still score on the second then its probably a good sign of things to come.
Superman doesn’t have to be a good guy does he? DeMarcus Cousins did not like the fact that after battling on the floor for the ball he had another man on top of him. He rolled him over and errantly starting trying to break bad ass. For what I ask? To make a point? To whom? This isn’t like high school Big Cuz, people don’t know who you are and that you are so “mean” all the time. I will guess though that you have now caught 3 SEC officials’ eye and they will not be taking it so lightly on you in the future when you should be getting a technical foul. From my perspective I saw nothing on that pile that made me think “DeMarcus should kick his ass”. I did see him immaturely get up on top of that guy staring him down the entire time. I saw him make an unintentional swipe with his hand that would have certainly got him kicked out if he had accidentally hit that ref. And then I saw Patrick keeping him in the game by ushering him to the sideline and Coach Cal doing his part by taking him out of the game. It was a great lobbying effort to prove to the officials that they know he was in the wrong and they are trying to correct it. A great teachable moment ensued and Cal got to spend some good quality time with one of his children on the bench. The good things were gone instantly when he started to do this, and that is when Calipari started throwing his freshman at the feet of the refs (see earshots below). His 18 points, 6 rebounds and 5 blocks in 15 minutes were erased by the realization by me that people like TN are going to have a field day with this kid. They are going to get under his skin and he will have foul trouble and will be on the bench a bunch unless he grows up.
Conversely how great is Daniel Orton, he is a silent producer when he has been getting minutes. He is a very smart kid who is going to be a shot blocking king as the season progresses and he gets better control over his body as currently he is fouling with his blocks. Looking at the stat sheet I had to look twice at his point total I thought it was lower and once again it was hard to believe that he fouled out. I don’t even remember that I must have been watching coach or something. The major headache of the season in a poor perimeter defensive effort was gone. Rider couldn’t “hit the barn” so to speak from outside not even hitting a 3 until well into the 2nd half. By that time Kentucky had put the brakes on them and stopped them from all sides. At half they were shooting somewhere in the 30%s from the floor and 0% from treyville. That is colder than cold and as Andre 3000 puts it, “ice cold”. Once again I am going to have to confer with the experts to find that elusive 6th scorer from this team. I am sure we will find him but when o when will we see the essential points that he will give us? Sorry sarcasm wasn’t my best subject in school but I am sure you get the point that I am on occasion comparing this season with last. Eric Bledsoe is on a two game skid, so to speak, but his presence and range from 3 will make him someone who constantly has to be guarded.
Great for P-Square that he is consistently taking his game to a new level. He was so upset when he had to come out because you could just tell he wanted more. Between his stats, his desire and his ability to take care of his entire team shows this guy is exactly an example of what an All-American should be.
Aren’t those career numbers for most guys, not to mention freshmen? The point is that now John is hitting on both of his important cylinders as a scorer and as a guy who gets others involved. I believe he is better at both than he was on Saturday. I think we have a true leader there who has a heart that enjoys the competition and then the thrills that come from beating them into submission. It was a great thing to see him smiling so big, almost as if to say, “didya see that? I cant believe it either”. The reverse layup was the most impressive as he didn’t really use a drive to make the shot. He was on one side of the basket and the next thing you know he is on the other side and the hoop is full. His drives were very impressive and he appeared to read some of the tells of the defense and was able to penetrate them with ease. Eventually they just started fouling him on the floor since his free throw percentage isn’t that great. I guess they were tired of being on his highlight reel and wanted to take their chances with him not scoring from the line. John Wall’s picture is next to the definition of Stat Sheet Stuffer (a la Dickie V baby!). His line was great including only letting 2 turnovers go. During shootaround and warm-ups he was intently working on his shot and it appears Bledsoe is doing the same. The two they were working on were the 3 from the front and the mid-range jumperA consistent start and a persistent defensive effort helped the cats garner the tempo of the game and run with it for both halves. The smaller but athletic Rider team seemed to be running backwards on their heels the entire game. The frustration coming from trying to stop two very talented outside players and three inside down low players was evident. Additionally the defensive intensity lacking in part of the team from early on in the season was gone. Everyone played their man well and avoided allowing any easy shots. The most noticeable thing from the stat sheet for Rider was that their leading scorer was 14-14 from the line meaning he hit only one basket. The small frustrated team however never stepped back down giving UK some of its own frustrations, mainly in stopping some of the transitions, or repetitions to put it in a better way, from play to play. Cal was often overheard calling a play and then would say “Two times”. Sure enough the cats would run the set play and get either Wall or Miller open with a great look and all of a sudden they would stop the play and re-run it. I guess if they know its coming twice and cant stop it on the first time and we still score on the second then its probably a good sign of things to come.
Superman doesn’t have to be a good guy does he? DeMarcus Cousins did not like the fact that after battling on the floor for the ball he had another man on top of him. He rolled him over and errantly starting trying to break bad ass. For what I ask? To make a point? To whom? This isn’t like high school Big Cuz, people don’t know who you are and that you are so “mean” all the time. I will guess though that you have now caught 3 SEC officials’ eye and they will not be taking it so lightly on you in the future when you should be getting a technical foul. From my perspective I saw nothing on that pile that made me think “DeMarcus should kick his ass”. I did see him immaturely get up on top of that guy staring him down the entire time. I saw him make an unintentional swipe with his hand that would have certainly got him kicked out if he had accidentally hit that ref. And then I saw Patrick keeping him in the game by ushering him to the sideline and Coach Cal doing his part by taking him out of the game. It was a great lobbying effort to prove to the officials that they know he was in the wrong and they are trying to correct it. A great teachable moment ensued and Cal got to spend some good quality time with one of his children on the bench. The good things were gone instantly when he started to do this, and that is when Calipari started throwing his freshman at the feet of the refs (see earshots below). His 18 points, 6 rebounds and 5 blocks in 15 minutes were erased by the realization by me that people like TN are going to have a field day with this kid. They are going to get under his skin and he will have foul trouble and will be on the bench a bunch unless he grows up.
Conversely how great is Daniel Orton, he is a silent producer when he has been getting minutes. He is a very smart kid who is going to be a shot blocking king as the season progresses and he gets better control over his body as currently he is fouling with his blocks. Looking at the stat sheet I had to look twice at his point total I thought it was lower and once again it was hard to believe that he fouled out. I don’t even remember that I must have been watching coach or something. The major headache of the season in a poor perimeter defensive effort was gone. Rider couldn’t “hit the barn” so to speak from outside not even hitting a 3 until well into the 2nd half. By that time Kentucky had put the brakes on them and stopped them from all sides. At half they were shooting somewhere in the 30%s from the floor and 0% from treyville. That is colder than cold and as Andre 3000 puts it, “ice cold”. Once again I am going to have to confer with the experts to find that elusive 6th scorer from this team. I am sure we will find him but when o when will we see the essential points that he will give us? Sorry sarcasm wasn’t my best subject in school but I am sure you get the point that I am on occasion comparing this season with last. Eric Bledsoe is on a two game skid, so to speak, but his presence and range from 3 will make him someone who constantly has to be guarded.Great for P-Square that he is consistently taking his game to a new level. He was so upset when he had to come out because you could just tell he wanted more. Between his stats, his desire and his ability to take care of his entire team shows this guy is exactly an example of what an All-American should be. While I saw small instances of greatness yet to be opened up I am firmly under the conclusion that this team has a lot more to give than what we are currently seeing. Running plays to run plays and not score, specifically posting and trying to recieve passes inside the zone, pushing 40 minutes a game? All small tests to see if the intestinal fortitude is there to excell in the spring. Its obvious now that the talent is there lets hope we can put it all together and put it in a large can of whoop-ass.
(New feature!) Earshots: (or the things I get to hear from being within earshot of the court and the bench.)
Several Play names for the UK offense: Fist, double fist, loop, x, 2, 3. #3 seemed to be pure DDMO as the players were turning and churning leaving Miller open at the left elbow once, Bledsoe open from 3 twice and a Wall delivery another time. I cant wait to see (and hear) more from the offensive sets as I try to learn this offense better.
A “son-of-a-bitch” from the Rider coach.
a raucous “G-D”, that shocked the crowd in the general vicinity and got the teams attention. It was early in the game, while UK was on offense but seemed to be miscommunicating between themselves on the floor and the bench.
coach telling referee Karl Hess after the jump ball on the floor involving Big Cuz “don’t pay any attention to him (Cousins) he is 12 and I have a team of kids and I am trying to teach them right from wrong like a father. They should know better…”
again later in the game close to the end I overheard Cal “look at this Ed(referee), I have got 5 freshman, two sophomores and a junior I am trying to raise here, they think they can do no wrong. I don’t know what I am going to do with them, they are about to give me an aneurism”. Replies Corbett as he walks away, “You need some more hair gel then…”
At last a big shout out to Wazoo sports, the new channel on broadcast. It has had excellent programming so far playing old school UK football games, local standout performances from the high school level and many other great choices like the UK Bball women live against Morehead. It definitely was a welcome addition to us media challenged kids who don’t pay for any media.
(New feature!) Earshots: (or the things I get to hear from being within earshot of the court and the bench.)
Several Play names for the UK offense: Fist, double fist, loop, x, 2, 3. #3 seemed to be pure DDMO as the players were turning and churning leaving Miller open at the left elbow once, Bledsoe open from 3 twice and a Wall delivery another time. I cant wait to see (and hear) more from the offensive sets as I try to learn this offense better.
A “son-of-a-bitch” from the Rider coach.
a raucous “G-D”, that shocked the crowd in the general vicinity and got the teams attention. It was early in the game, while UK was on offense but seemed to be miscommunicating between themselves on the floor and the bench.
coach telling referee Karl Hess after the jump ball on the floor involving Big Cuz “don’t pay any attention to him (Cousins) he is 12 and I have a team of kids and I am trying to teach them right from wrong like a father. They should know better…”
again later in the game close to the end I overheard Cal “look at this Ed(referee), I have got 5 freshman, two sophomores and a junior I am trying to raise here, they think they can do no wrong. I don’t know what I am going to do with them, they are about to give me an aneurism”. Replies Corbett as he walks away, “You need some more hair gel then…”
At last a big shout out to Wazoo sports, the new channel on broadcast. It has had excellent programming so far playing old school UK football games, local standout performances from the high school level and many other great choices like the UK Bball women live against Morehead. It definitely was a welcome addition to us media challenged kids who don’t pay for any media.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Game 3 Sam Houston St.- the rain off main falls mainly with pain.
What the heck does that mean? Well simply put everyone is coming at us with their A games early. That is not a bad thing for us as we are seeing some solid backcourts that usually have a combined 4 years advantage on our two freshman playmakers in Wall and Bledsoe who now have a combined 5 games experience on this level of play. The other frosh, the guy who thinks he is superman, Big Cuz brought it to the house tonight.
For me the difference in this KY team and the GREAT one that it could be are related to 4 things: 3s, frees, Ts and D.
There is an old basketball saying that says you can’t stop a great shooter when he is shooting great. I think that has been half of the issue with the cats getting rained on like its April. While it is difficult to see when a great shooter is going to shoot (a la Jodie Meeks) its not difficult to get in his face if you are playing in the appropriate position in front of him and between him and the basket. The half of the opponents’ 3-point issue that is a problem is that they are getting great looks at the ball while a cat has either been screened in the low post area or the guy responsible for guarding him is flat footed or too far back. I think all three of those issues have created the “rain” in Rupp this season. SH St. had a 4 guard set-up from the beginning and wasn’t a great low post team.
The frees is easy, shoot 65% of your free throws and you could lose the NCAA Championship to a lesser team. Whoops that actually already happened to our coach in 2008. Free throws cost him a championship. The T stands for turnovers and they have been plentiful, mostly from our inexperience handling the ball in the zone at this level of play. Hopefully that will clean up as the season goes along and we start stretching the floor out, especially in the half court where we will have to make everyone start giving up at least one if not two people to come out of the standard zone and chase. When that happens, man o man it will get interesting (and more fun) to watch. Obviously the last one is the defensive intensity (you heard it here first a couple of updates ago folks) that seems to have caught only a few eyes this year because nobody is talking much about it. When a team is hitting from outside like that you stay on them like stink on … er white on rice. That lack of urgency to be up in that guys face has primarily been the reason that Dodson and Harrelson are sitting. Its because they are slower to react and they both tend stay off on D when they should be up in their guys face, again especially from the perimeter.
Big Cuz got the superman thing in his head again Thursday night with 27 points and 18 rebounds. Please don’t anyone tell him that freshman don’t play like that on a regular basis. His ability to stay out of foul troubled fueled his game big time. Expect people to be coming hard after him and P-square to get them in foul trouble. The odd thing about this breakout game is that he could have played better. Hard to imagine I know but for just 27 minutes on the floor he dominated during that time except for the whole 5 turnover thing. Quick stat - Wall, Bledsoe and Cousins attributed to 17 of UKs total 23 turnovers which is not unheard of for freshman to do. He created two turnovers from blocks but he still had a great game and let go of the laces 5 times. Pretty impressive. Patterson had a great game shooting from outside, inside and at the line while at the same time creating offense for others by giving a couple of great dishes to Cuz. Its obvious that Cuz has the most growing to do on this team as a solid bballer as he lets his emotions get the best of him on a regular basis, although he could have the best game of any of our newcomers so far.
Uk got outscored by 1 in the second half (not good). We had a great rebounding show & didn’t let them have as many offensive rebounds. I am gonna start calling Eric Bledsoe tigger from now on as this little guard has bounce that rivals anything Christopher Robbins ever witnessed. He literally had to make up for almost a foot of height advantage to block that kid and stuff the ball beneath the rim. Yet another impressive frosh feat by Bledsoe who I think has the most firm grasp on the system and positioning so far. I believe his 5 3-pointers are proof of that.
Rider will be similar in set up as SH St. in that they are small and play several guards (up to 4) at once. It is for certain that this experienced team who has 4 returning starters and is 3-point trigger happy ( and prone to rain down on you) will come out shooting. Lets see if this team has adapted from their coaching the past 24 hours, that will be a big test.
Sorry no pics from the game tonight. We forgot to pay our photog this week :)
For me the difference in this KY team and the GREAT one that it could be are related to 4 things: 3s, frees, Ts and D.
There is an old basketball saying that says you can’t stop a great shooter when he is shooting great. I think that has been half of the issue with the cats getting rained on like its April. While it is difficult to see when a great shooter is going to shoot (a la Jodie Meeks) its not difficult to get in his face if you are playing in the appropriate position in front of him and between him and the basket. The half of the opponents’ 3-point issue that is a problem is that they are getting great looks at the ball while a cat has either been screened in the low post area or the guy responsible for guarding him is flat footed or too far back. I think all three of those issues have created the “rain” in Rupp this season. SH St. had a 4 guard set-up from the beginning and wasn’t a great low post team.
The frees is easy, shoot 65% of your free throws and you could lose the NCAA Championship to a lesser team. Whoops that actually already happened to our coach in 2008. Free throws cost him a championship. The T stands for turnovers and they have been plentiful, mostly from our inexperience handling the ball in the zone at this level of play. Hopefully that will clean up as the season goes along and we start stretching the floor out, especially in the half court where we will have to make everyone start giving up at least one if not two people to come out of the standard zone and chase. When that happens, man o man it will get interesting (and more fun) to watch. Obviously the last one is the defensive intensity (you heard it here first a couple of updates ago folks) that seems to have caught only a few eyes this year because nobody is talking much about it. When a team is hitting from outside like that you stay on them like stink on … er white on rice. That lack of urgency to be up in that guys face has primarily been the reason that Dodson and Harrelson are sitting. Its because they are slower to react and they both tend stay off on D when they should be up in their guys face, again especially from the perimeter.
Big Cuz got the superman thing in his head again Thursday night with 27 points and 18 rebounds. Please don’t anyone tell him that freshman don’t play like that on a regular basis. His ability to stay out of foul troubled fueled his game big time. Expect people to be coming hard after him and P-square to get them in foul trouble. The odd thing about this breakout game is that he could have played better. Hard to imagine I know but for just 27 minutes on the floor he dominated during that time except for the whole 5 turnover thing. Quick stat - Wall, Bledsoe and Cousins attributed to 17 of UKs total 23 turnovers which is not unheard of for freshman to do. He created two turnovers from blocks but he still had a great game and let go of the laces 5 times. Pretty impressive. Patterson had a great game shooting from outside, inside and at the line while at the same time creating offense for others by giving a couple of great dishes to Cuz. Its obvious that Cuz has the most growing to do on this team as a solid bballer as he lets his emotions get the best of him on a regular basis, although he could have the best game of any of our newcomers so far.
Uk got outscored by 1 in the second half (not good). We had a great rebounding show & didn’t let them have as many offensive rebounds. I am gonna start calling Eric Bledsoe tigger from now on as this little guard has bounce that rivals anything Christopher Robbins ever witnessed. He literally had to make up for almost a foot of height advantage to block that kid and stuff the ball beneath the rim. Yet another impressive frosh feat by Bledsoe who I think has the most firm grasp on the system and positioning so far. I believe his 5 3-pointers are proof of that.
Rider will be similar in set up as SH St. in that they are small and play several guards (up to 4) at once. It is for certain that this experienced team who has 4 returning starters and is 3-point trigger happy ( and prone to rain down on you) will come out shooting. Lets see if this team has adapted from their coaching the past 24 hours, that will be a big test.
Sorry no pics from the game tonight. We forgot to pay our photog this week :)
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Its John Walls world, we only live in it
Its John Walls world, we only live in it. There I told you in the last update that I hoped to be saying that by now. What wasn’t said was that John Wall is a man and doesn’t don a cape and become bullet proof. However he seems about as close as one could hope for in the situation KY fans have lived through now for about 10 years with no true point guard to lead the team.
So by now if you are reading this you fully are aware that there are folks out there pimping John Wall as a legend of his time. How much time exactly has that been? 38 minutes to be exact. .633 of an hour against Miami(OH). The great spectacle of this young man hit the game winning shot, after struggling early on, was a terrific sight. It all too well reminded me of Mr. Meeks again, only this time against FLA in his last game against them at Rupp last February and with about 2 more seconds to shoot. While this shot may have put JWall on the map as a clutch guy, what wasn’t abundantly clear was that he was our only chance for a shot because there wasn’t another avenue to get the ball even close. He took it and got it down the court in speed that can only be appreciated in the Bonneville Salt Flats. He was Mr. Clutch, 38 minutes into a career that could have (and might have) been labeled frustrating up to that point. 
What was the most frustrating, and commendable to Miami, was that they denied the driving lanes on both sides of the lane and the middle itself. The “post passing patterson” that we have seen right inside of the free throw line the first three games was evicted from his spot by up to 4 guys wearing red jerseys. They did a terrific job of denying UK the lanes that made Eric Bledsoe (who was very quiet tonight) look like the last coming in game 3 at Rupp. When the teams that try to zone us like that fail at getting to the shooters (read-Dodson) that is when they will open back up and Mr. Wall can do his magic or DD himself can make it rain points. One thing that they couldn’t do which was promising was stress us from full court like Morehead had done with more success. While the drives into the zone coverage created a lot of the turnovers we had last night I would remind any UK fan how much would we have loved to had only 15 turnovers in more than half of our games last season. With a much bigger team that can play zone and cover the outside like North Carolina it makes me wonder when our bigs are going to see some pass-post play and not just the DDMO all the time.
Maybe my continual joking about Gillispies “mysteriouso elusive” scorer that never materialized last year may come back to haunt me this season. We are no longer looking for our outside shooter Dodson to show up, he did last night going 3-4 from “treyville” as color commentator and former cat Mike Pratt puts it. What we are looking for is him to be in the game. This is a spot where too much talent to be all on the floor at the same time may actually do harm to the cats. Wall, Bledsoe, P-squared, Big Cuz, Miller were all on the floor at the same time when we needed that still elusive shooter and weren’t able to produce. I have a feeling that Dodson’s lack of defensive intensity overshadowed his shooting and ultimately kept him from being in the game. His play was clean but that is because all he was doing was shooting and playing loose on defense. I fear that Darius Miller is putting undue pressure upon himself to produce and is overplaying a bit but the bottom line is that his defensive skills are keeping him in the game even when he is not scoring. He could be our other rainmaker when the lane is closed to drivers. It was good to see him play such a “clean” game contributing across the board with no turnovers. Calipari kept screaming for Darnell (and others to be fair) to be up playing his man and instead at least 3 of the record tying 15 3-pointers by a UK opponent (EVER in Rupp) were because of a good look from deep outside past the line. That good look is what has been pissing Cal off the most lately. It’s the same good look that last season cost us big time.
Speaking of pissed off, when KY went down by 16 in the first half (the total got to 18 eventually) there was a UK timeout and once everybody huddled, Cal got up out of his chair and smacked down his clip board on his seat. After pacing around the back of the huddle he came behind his chair and punched the E-L-S (if you have to ask you don’t want to know) out of the board breaking it into two pieces and screaming “WHY ARE YOU PLAYING THIS WAY?”. After abruptly sweeping the broken pieces out of his seat he got back to work with a more attentive audience. The feeling of that huddle was almost comparable to that of a funeral home. Once again his high energy approach to being the devil in brief spurts seemed to catch everyone’s attention. I haven’t heard any F-bombs yet but I am sure they have been abound.I am going to put this simply. DeMarcus “Big Cuz” Cousins finally quit pouting like a baby last night and out played everyone on the court during his spans in the second half. He dared to let anyone get a good hand on his put backs and wouldn’t be denied the rim to get them. So good at one point did required help to guard him totally leaving P-squared right under the basket for what is likely one of the easy yet still assertive dunks he will see this year. P himself was a silent partner for the cats only getting another double-double. A lot of folks are expecting more from him but I don’t think he is underplaying or even spreading the wealth.
In his position at the next level he will be a 14-ish point scorer a night and be a mid range machine that will see a lot of successes. Why does he need to score 20+ pts a night if he is making sure his team is clicking and running well? Look at how “clean” his stats look with good shooting/rebounding but a couple of turnovers. 
A quick look at the stats doesn’t give the credit due to Cuz as his 19 minutes were really 9-10 minutes in two different worlds. The first-half “world” was totally awkward and foul ridden but at least he didn’t get 3 this half this time. The second world would be Krypton (sorry I am going to stick to the Superman theme for him), 10 points and 10 boards in roughly 10 minutes says a lot about how his play changed and perhaps how he grew even over one half of a game. He is my MVP of the game because without his contribution we would be stuck comparing MOH to VMI or Gardiner Webb. Oh by the way sorry for the VMI near jinx from the last update. I am starting to sound like the negative old man at the Herald Leader now!
A big tip of the paw to Codi for taking some great pictures this game, she was totally on top of her game minus the drooling over where she was sitting (or being so close to those ballers)!
Monday, November 16, 2009
I am freshman hear me roar! Game 1: Morehead St.
As the inaugural season opened for Calipari and his new cast, there was the obvious kid in the blue jumpsuit that didn’t have a jersey on underneath. This was Kentucky without John Wall and it was a very intriguing match up with an experienced and talented Morehead State team. A lot of the small pains to be expected from those guys who have never played in the league they call NCAA. My inaugural season in the backs began with taking a good friend to the game that had nothing but sheer joy watching this team and coach in action. Steve had been with his father to a game when he was a child and he was able to relive a lot of his childhood memories up close and personal. It was obvious it meant a lot to him and I hope it was obvious that it meant a lot for me to be able to make sure he got in on the goods this season. 
Without John Wall there were questions abound about how the other freshman point guard would handle the load. And what a load he delivered! Lets talk some more about Eric Bledsoe. The first thing I noticed last night was what kind of condition this young man (who is technically still a teenager but in stature is an incredible example of a man) is in. His arms and legs are beyond being “in shape” but instead superiorly conditioned, of course he would need that conditioning with 36 minutes of PT and a still sore ankle from last weeks sprain. As he effortlessly got to the front of the drive each time, passing not only the MSU players but his own teammates, it made it look like he was playing against kids a lower level than him. He certainly had poise as the floor leader and he let his presence be known early scoring in many unique ways including a spinning, fouled hard, no look shooting behind his head, NBA - no universally impossible, shot that did nothing but hit the square and fall the basket. I don’t think we have seen many players in many years that could perform tasks quite as difficult as he was making them look effortless. As the second half was underway I felt that I was watching him take the reigns of the team and make it happen. His effort led to Patterson to get open shots, including another 3, and good looks at the basket. He was getting other folks involved again as the floor leader with 4 assists and should have had a couple more but there were some fumbles happening as should be expected this time of the season. You cant get on to a kid for not getting you 6-7 assists, I imagine, if he scores a third of the total offensive output. His defense was solid including when he took flight as a human imitating a rocket ship and rejected an MSU drive. Oh yeah, his 24 point debut (the best of any UK freshman ever!) was exactly on the high side of the average that #23 put up last year with 23.7. I am gonna keep saying that he may be Jodie Meeks reincarnated without the whole carrying the team on his back deal to worry about. Wow, great game Bledsoe. What I look for with him now that he and Wall will be playing together is as they spread the floor, will be more involvement from the bigs keeping the lanes open so they can dig, drive & dish or deliver. The traffic jams down low disappearing will open up new things to these two young men as they show the world that the two best point guards CAN play together on the same team. I can basically see both Eric and John doing a dual in your face matchup that cant be defended on the floor. They are simply too fast and its apparent now, too good. With all this optimism there has to be something negative right? Well he did have a band aid on his right forearm…
Apparently the kryptonite came out and affected Superman DeMarcus Cousins as three quick (and mostly cheap) fouls cost him some PT in both halves. 7 points and 4 rebounds should be a great debut for a freshman at KY. However for this class at this time in the program the play was not up to the hype. His 2 blocks were promising but when only playing 18 minutes its hard to establish yourself as a threat to the other team. I felt his anger after the game, his anger at himself for taking himself out of the game for stupid little fouls that could have been easily avoided. I expect a big game out of him on Monday night as the little guys from Miami of Ohio come in for some anger management and stress relief.
Darius Miller should be beyond uncomfortable games where he turns it over as much as he dishes it, misses more than than he hits. Actually he never hit a basket creating a genuine surprise among the wildcat faithful that he was still in the game and in the end playing a total of 32 minutes in this system where nobody is supposed to play that much. Our silent partner in this firm has to be Darnell Dodson as he once again scored in double digits with 15 but only 6 of that was from 3 where once again he didn’t stand up to his reputation as a scorer. Like Miller & Harris, Darnell had a negative turnover to assist ratio and we cant help but hear Cals warning about “balls flying all over the place” early in the season.
What cant you say about Patrick “p-square” Patterson? His talent, experience and leadership shone through as MSU never let up in intensity through the game. He had the difficult task of sharing Faried with the other bigs. A great field goal %, including his first 3 pointer of his college career, drove the game changing performance that saw him put the smack down on the post with 12 rebounds including 1 monstrous block on Faried who was going for one of his many dunks of the night. Without the finger wagging, that block was exactly the style of denial put down by the great Akeem Olajiwan and it was a truly barnstorming rendition of “not in my house”. Faried is a legit player who moves well around the basket and can jump very high, very fast. He put several dunks down on our bigs and it was a joy to watch such a great player who too represents KY with his college choice.
We also got a great glimpse of the on court demeanor that Coach Call will be bringing each night. While active he did very little directing as his team is supposed to drible and drive, right? I think Bledsoe excelled in taking a little direction and turning it into results. However Cal’s devil voice will motivate any person not doing what he wants them to do to realize they are going to do it right from now on. There was an inbound play in which Darius Miller missed an easy take away and he instantly was taken out of the game. As he walked by us at half-court Cal berated him in the most evil, meaner than your father ever thought about voice, “ Why didn’t YOU get the BALL?!, Why didn’t YOU get the BALL! ? “. Another time after a couple of consecutive turnovers he turned to his bench and said, “ Why are you playing like this?” God even the guys on the pine cant get a break. Thankfully…
Well Monday night we get the great experience of seeing this incredibly hyped and talented team in its entirety throw down. The scouting report on Miami doesn’t appear that they will give us great challenges but still are a worthy enough opponent that hopefully we wont be VMI’d. I am hoping the rumors that DeAndre Liggins will be seen tonight are true. I am so pulling for that young man its hard to describe. He deserves to have it all turned around. I hope to report after the game “Welcome to John Walls world, we only live in it.”
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Last of the exhibitions
If you hear that faint echo beaming from the south of us you don’t need to see an audiologist. What you are faintly able to hear are the last questions from Chapel Hill, Lawrence and Raleigh-Durham slowly dribbling off into the universe whether John Wall is going to bring Kentucky back to the upper echelon of the college basketball world or not. A NOT-SO NEWS_FLASH here folks: John Wall is the real deal, the manchild, the man, the bomb whatever adjective you wish to use he probably fits it as he is not only as good as advertised, but perhaps better. The things we knew he could do he did, tomahawk dunk – check, around the back dribble to serve as a pass to himself – check, sliding by defenders making everyone in the building wonder how he could twist his body like that – check, making the rest of the team better-check; and of course scoring - 27 check marks here.
Its John Walls matrix, the rest of us have to tumultuously grind ourselves, unlike our hero Wall - read Neo (Keanu Reeves), around in it while the things we do appear to be in slow motion. The man moves unlike any basketballer to ever don a UK Jersey. The moves he made on Friday against Clarion seemed to be other worldly in that he didn’t appear to be doing anything but just being the smooth roller he is. In this highly anticipated fishbowl John Wall is starting to show why he is the biggest fish in there, 27 points is a start but think about the other points that generated by his game high 9 assists. That is just him making everyone else draft pick caliber as he should be doing. If Eric Bledsoe is Jodie Meeks’ clone then thank god we got the first John Wall model so nobody could clone him before he plays in the Big Blue fishbowl. I cannot even begin to imagine how good the both of them on the floor will make us. The defense will be spread even further and create more room for the DDMO to make good things happen.
The consistency that I seem to detect from Miller will be an unsung role as leader throughout most of the season. He appears to be on the level and so cool in his demeanor as he scored 11 but also as did Wall provide great assists, 7. Not only are these great players all looking to score they are also looking for others to score. Once again the late gamers like Stevenson and Krebs are putting it to already tired teams don’t look for too many comebacks late in the game on us this year as these guys are doing superb off the bench. I am going to re-state from the previous story, Big Cuz thinks he may be impermeable to kryptonite and actually he’s got to be better than Superman in the low post. A highlight for me was to watch him drive the floor after taking the ball away from a defender then get the ball out in front to John Wall who would have probably opened up a new skylight in Rupp if the guy hadn’t flagrantly taken him down with the bear-hug defensive style that would make Grizzly Adams proud.
I am going to start this here but mark my words the media is going to soon be wondering where that elusive seventh scorer is on this team. With “only” six guys in double digits in scoring its makes life good to be guessing who is going to take the game over this time. The same thing happened Friday that happened in the first exb. game, how did Dodson score so without really being noticed? I suppose the answer is blue collar points earned the scrappy way just kind of show up. Once he connects from the outside on a hot night watch out because with his four assists he is proving he will get others the pill too. 
How about a team that “never” practices free throws going 25-30? Sounds to me like everything this administration is doing with this team is totally about-face to the fear/shame tactics that the players had to deal with last season under a different coach. What was his name again? I think everyone is finally forgetting his name.A lot of talk in the media this week centered on Cal toughening up the team by 2-a-daying and making life hard caught some people off guard. My personal outtake on all of this is that it was done for the purpose of focusing a team that is too easily distracted by trying to learn a new system, get in shape and then perform in that system. They were forgetting about the toughness involved in training hard like the full 40 suicides in football oh yeah then going for a run.
The defense was harrowing for little Clarion, we seemed to be all over them all over the court. With pressure like that and the wonderful directive to take it straight to the rim we will be looking like tennis spectators before its over with. Of course most of us will miss JWall as he blasts past us in supersonic mode. The big time stat of the game, UK hit the golden ratio of 12 or fewer turnovers with 18 or more assists. Cal said that the good games it ought to be 12-14 & 16-18 respectively and I want to believe him after watching much better efficiency on both ends of the court. Another quick stat is that there were 6 guys with over 20 minutes (and one with 19) but the max was 28 mins by wall. That 24-28 min thing Cal talked about too is coming to be. It appears a lot of his talk is straight, or has been so far. 
After all this fuss we are still talking about what was the last of two exhibitions and everyone is getting warmed up including us shade tree participants. Its still mind bending to think at the current state and expectations of this programmed compared with 1 year ago. Simply amazing. Oh well the next one is for real, against a real opponent (from KY) who went to a real post-season tournament last year, unlike the team from Lexington…
When they throw the ball up against Morehead St. they will be keeping score for real this time and all the games matter now. Time to start paying attention now cats and kittys.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
The view just got a whole lot better...
The view from the "backs" this season... The ticket says right across the top “GAME 1” but tonight seemed to be much less about playing in the “Game” than it did trying some things that appeared to take the young wildcats out of their comfort zone and practice what they have only been able to collectively do for about 15 days now in this new system. DDMO stands for Dribble Drive Motion Offense and it appears this team has conquered the first D but that is about it. I am not trying to portray the whole performance as a negative one but the drives often fell short of anything but running into a crowd. They seemed to drive knowing that the play wouldn’t work itself out and they would have to pass. Many times plays would blow up and look great with only a turnover or fizzle at the end. I do on more than one occasion recall Cal simply screaming "Drive!", "Drive!". Kudos to Campbellsville for making the cats honest the whole game. The perimeter portion of ‘the’ motion that Darnell Dodson was playing appeared to be right on track with what he is capable of doing for our team from the floor. When he starts clicking his outside shot its gonna be a beautiful thing. The other guys, especially the bigs, simply filled the lane up and didn’t give much option due to the lack of the motion in the system they have been learning. With the promise of the excitement that will follow the DDMO once the players are able to play it I cant help but say with the first D in place the other 3 should follow but how easily will be the question. The promise from Coach Cal early in the season that balls would be flying all over the place and %70 of the time we will be doing it wrong may not be his spinning a new program with a new style for new players, it may be him just being honest.
The first half was what we have been missing at UK for the past few seasons, aggressive attacking style basketball that awards taking chances and making plays. The second half was what we have been used to for about 10 years now, a good team being complacent because they were better than their opponent and just forgetting that defense was necessary – I call this the “Goliath Syndrome”. The Cats stunk it up in the second half and at one point by my count were being outscored by Campbellsville due to their relentless pursuit of the ball trying to make turnovers. We were hot from the floor early but only one of those was from long range. A great majority were close range jumpers and dunks. Everybody and their brother will be questioning who our perimeter players/shooters will be kind of like that proverbial missing third scorer from last years team. Unlike the cats of 08-09 we won’t be looking for that other guy night in and night out because he won’t ever be the same player. The depth that we will enjoy this season is hard to believe compared to last year when we were begging for at least one other guy to show up each night. We will however on occasion be asking what happened to the all the ‘3’ signs that used to get tallied up during games. Until there is a consistent outside scorer expect to see a lot of zone defense from our competitors as they will want to gum up the middle and avoid Wall & Bledsoe tearing them new ones right up that middle.
Speaking of Bledsoe, he is for real. Dare I say the reincarnation of Jodie Meeks’ role last season? (Minus that carrying the team on his back thing). My first impressions are that he is as good as advertised however with the signing of Wall many simply aren’t going to expect Eric to be as good as he appeared he is going to be last night. He is a fast, smart handler with the ball, often ahead of his teammates on the rotation on the court. He seemed to be able to see what was supposed to be happening but then not having anyone else in position to score nor be in great position himself to drive to the rim. He appears to have the ‘it’ factor as a playmaker and a game changer. I couldn’t help but notice on the 2nd half charge to the rim and put back of the missed free throw that he had lined up like a school kid racing his classmates on the playground and was bubbling eager to get off that line to the basket. A very smart play on the froshs part to make the other 9 players look like they didn’t even know the ball had bounced off the rim. His presence will grow on the floor and making plays like the monster block (coming from our point guard mind you) and getting up the floor on offense shows he is going to be something special.
As the leading scorer you would think Dodson would have been very noticeable. The last play in the first half was a set play that got him open and reminds a UK fan of shades of the past, say oh 12 years ago? While he didn’t hit the 3 the sheer openness of his position and the ability of his teammates to get him the ball says he may be our go to guy when we’re down with one shot left. While he seemed to be a smart player perhaps he was over thinking some things as he appeared somewhat timid in going up strong with the ball. It seemed he wanted to keep it in front of him rather than up and in front. He is another one that we will be glad is shooting in blue late this season although his speed down the court may be a factor.
DeMarcus Cousins – from what I could tell he thinks he is superman. He might just be right. He goes up strong, makes smart defensive moves and but acts loose on other plays. Definitely, he will be the intimidator of this team but it could cost him in fouls in close games if his emotions are on the outside of his skin where they are likely to be hurt at some point. His frosh counterpart Orton was a silent partner tonight thanks to other people being more visible but made great plays including the one where he received the pass from behind his head to simply dunk with a procession move that made it look like he was 13 feet tall. A great feed from Bledsoe made it an open play that no one in a burgundy jersey could even get near. My personal opinion based on appearance tells me that Orton is not only big but his is in extremely good shape very similar to his summer “hell camp” roommate Patterson. PP or P2 as I will refer to him from now on – was tonight another silent partner by making everyone work that much harder on defense. He was simply stronger than everyone he posted or dribbled against. Speaking of dribbling it was noticeable that with both hands he has taken a weakness away that the competition must now look elsewhere to try and defend him. He looks thinner this season but it is an optical illusion as he is just leaner and meaner and not bulky like he was last season resulting in his speed with and without the ball going through the roof.
More player notes:
Perry – earning his keep as a senior partner in the firm, proving desire makes up for what some say is a lack of talent.
Miller – picking up from last year, needs to be a bit more aggressive offensively like he did on the early head fake spin move to pull up jumper from about 8 feet out. Truly a beautiful play that appeared to be what he placed on this earth to do.
Krebs – aint’ skeered’ and seemed to please the coach by that play.
Hood – solid minutes but didn’t have a super floor presence. Just guessing those are the nerves of playing in front of Rupp crowd with Kentucky on your jersey not to mention being the reigning Mr. Basketball in this round-ball obsessed place.
MVP – Bledsoe over high scorer Dodson for the simple presence of position, duty on the floor, and improvisational skills. Could he be that reincarnation of a jersey number very close to his?
Overall - ?. It was just an exhibition game against an NAIA opponent silly, there really isn’t that much one could analyze is there? Whoops…
The first half was what we have been missing at UK for the past few seasons, aggressive attacking style basketball that awards taking chances and making plays. The second half was what we have been used to for about 10 years now, a good team being complacent because they were better than their opponent and just forgetting that defense was necessary – I call this the “Goliath Syndrome”. The Cats stunk it up in the second half and at one point by my count were being outscored by Campbellsville due to their relentless pursuit of the ball trying to make turnovers. We were hot from the floor early but only one of those was from long range. A great majority were close range jumpers and dunks. Everybody and their brother will be questioning who our perimeter players/shooters will be kind of like that proverbial missing third scorer from last years team. Unlike the cats of 08-09 we won’t be looking for that other guy night in and night out because he won’t ever be the same player. The depth that we will enjoy this season is hard to believe compared to last year when we were begging for at least one other guy to show up each night. We will however on occasion be asking what happened to the all the ‘3’ signs that used to get tallied up during games. Until there is a consistent outside scorer expect to see a lot of zone defense from our competitors as they will want to gum up the middle and avoid Wall & Bledsoe tearing them new ones right up that middle.
Speaking of Bledsoe, he is for real. Dare I say the reincarnation of Jodie Meeks’ role last season? (Minus that carrying the team on his back thing). My first impressions are that he is as good as advertised however with the signing of Wall many simply aren’t going to expect Eric to be as good as he appeared he is going to be last night. He is a fast, smart handler with the ball, often ahead of his teammates on the rotation on the court. He seemed to be able to see what was supposed to be happening but then not having anyone else in position to score nor be in great position himself to drive to the rim. He appears to have the ‘it’ factor as a playmaker and a game changer. I couldn’t help but notice on the 2nd half charge to the rim and put back of the missed free throw that he had lined up like a school kid racing his classmates on the playground and was bubbling eager to get off that line to the basket. A very smart play on the froshs part to make the other 9 players look like they didn’t even know the ball had bounced off the rim. His presence will grow on the floor and making plays like the monster block (coming from our point guard mind you) and getting up the floor on offense shows he is going to be something special.
As the leading scorer you would think Dodson would have been very noticeable. The last play in the first half was a set play that got him open and reminds a UK fan of shades of the past, say oh 12 years ago? While he didn’t hit the 3 the sheer openness of his position and the ability of his teammates to get him the ball says he may be our go to guy when we’re down with one shot left. While he seemed to be a smart player perhaps he was over thinking some things as he appeared somewhat timid in going up strong with the ball. It seemed he wanted to keep it in front of him rather than up and in front. He is another one that we will be glad is shooting in blue late this season although his speed down the court may be a factor.
DeMarcus Cousins – from what I could tell he thinks he is superman. He might just be right. He goes up strong, makes smart defensive moves and but acts loose on other plays. Definitely, he will be the intimidator of this team but it could cost him in fouls in close games if his emotions are on the outside of his skin where they are likely to be hurt at some point. His frosh counterpart Orton was a silent partner tonight thanks to other people being more visible but made great plays including the one where he received the pass from behind his head to simply dunk with a procession move that made it look like he was 13 feet tall. A great feed from Bledsoe made it an open play that no one in a burgundy jersey could even get near. My personal opinion based on appearance tells me that Orton is not only big but his is in extremely good shape very similar to his summer “hell camp” roommate Patterson. PP or P2 as I will refer to him from now on – was tonight another silent partner by making everyone work that much harder on defense. He was simply stronger than everyone he posted or dribbled against. Speaking of dribbling it was noticeable that with both hands he has taken a weakness away that the competition must now look elsewhere to try and defend him. He looks thinner this season but it is an optical illusion as he is just leaner and meaner and not bulky like he was last season resulting in his speed with and without the ball going through the roof.
More player notes:
Perry – earning his keep as a senior partner in the firm, proving desire makes up for what some say is a lack of talent.
Miller – picking up from last year, needs to be a bit more aggressive offensively like he did on the early head fake spin move to pull up jumper from about 8 feet out. Truly a beautiful play that appeared to be what he placed on this earth to do.
Krebs – aint’ skeered’ and seemed to please the coach by that play.
Hood – solid minutes but didn’t have a super floor presence. Just guessing those are the nerves of playing in front of Rupp crowd with Kentucky on your jersey not to mention being the reigning Mr. Basketball in this round-ball obsessed place.
MVP – Bledsoe over high scorer Dodson for the simple presence of position, duty on the floor, and improvisational skills. Could he be that reincarnation of a jersey number very close to his?
Overall - ?. It was just an exhibition game against an NAIA opponent silly, there really isn’t that much one could analyze is there? Whoops…
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