John Calipari has a lot of reasons to like his team and so do Kentucky fans. (Vicky Graff Photo)
After going through what coach John Calipari still describes as a “painful” 2020-21 season, it’s time for the Kentucky basketball program to look ahead.
“I’m not looking back. I don’t have a rearview mirror,” Calipari said. “All I would say to everybody is I’m jacked about where we are, where we’re going, how the recruiting’s going, all that. You could tell that I’m like, ‘Let’s go, let’s get this started.'”
That’s fine with Big Blue fans who suffered through the 9-16 season that no one saw coming last year. Now Calipari has reloaded the roster with talent most college basketball analysts feel ranks in the top 10 going into the season and definitely is a potential Final Four team.
“My guess is we’ll start slow like we always do. The schedule is not like it was last year where you have some games and you’re going to learn and grow and do some things,” the Kentucky coach said.
Kentucky has 12 players that seem capable of playing productive minutes. Calipari has not played that many players consistently since the 2014-15 team started 38-0 before losing in the Final Four.
Could Kentucky have too many good players? “Is there such a thing?” assistant coach Orlando Antigua said. “I am excited about the depth, the versatility, shot-making ability, athleticism. It’s a full roster of players.”
Looking for reasons to go all-in with the 2021-22 Wildcats? These might help as the Cats get set for Big Blue Madness tonight:
— ESPN analyst Seth Greenberg says unlike last year, Kentucky has a good shooting team this season.
“You have guys that can make baskets. It’s not rocket science,” Greenberg said. “It’s not like the dude (Calipari) forgot how to coach. He just did not have a good team last year. It was not physically tough and could not make shots.
“They are going to play faster with better flow, more shooters, and will make more shots. John is as excited as he has been in the last 10 years. He likes his guys and loves being in the gym with them.”
— Kentucky added prolific shooters in Kellan Grady and CJ Frederick in the transfer portal and also got Davion Mintz to return for a sixth year. Dontaie Allen is also back with a year’s experience.
“CJ is an elite shooter who can really space the floor,” assistant coach Jai Lucas said. “I am also impressed with his ability to defend and he is a better defender than he gets credit for. He has a toughness about him we need. He’s ultra-competitive.
“The game has changed and having more shooters changes things a lot for us. Now we still have to be able to make shots but I think we can. Teams are also playing smaller and you’ve got to guard smaller people and these guys can do that. Having shooters helps space the offense and we could have three or four capable shooters on the floor together this year.”
— West Virginia transfer Oscar Tshiebwe gives Kentucky an inside presence who brings toughness, rebounding and shot-blocking.
“Oscar’s physical tools are so impressive. He’s big, strong, and powerful, but he also moves well and has a great motor,” NBA draft analyst Matt Babcock said. “I think he’s more than capable of doing traditional blue-collar big man work, but he’s also shown some growth in his ability to hit an open shot with some decent range, which adds value to him as a player
“If I were to bet on it, I believe Oscar will be playing in the NBA after next season. If he is able to utilize his physicality, motor, and finishing abilities around the rim while also being able to hit an open shot at a decent rate, I think he’ll be able to find plenty of success at Kentucky and in the future.”
— Junior forward Keion Brooks is healthy and Greenberg says not to underestimate what that means after he missed the first-month last season with an injury.
“I think he has taken another step forward with his game. They feel like he is really shooting well. He came back (to UK) to run his own race which is a great thing for John to have. Keion has helped them win games and he knows how to play. He’s also a guy that can be a big leader,” Greenberg said.
— One of the biggest surprises on the team has been freshman wing Bryce Hopkins. Greenberg says Hopkins reminds him of former Cats PJ Washington and Terrence Jones.
“He has a great combination of size, strength and skill. He is a bull but he has the finesse to handle the ball, pass, shoot. However, when his shoulders are headed toward the rim it is hard to keep him away,” Antigua said. “He does a great job using his size and strength to finish through contact.
“He is ready physically to play college basketball. We had to help him get in shape and change his body composition. He still had a little softness around him that he had to grow out of and he has done that.”
— Freshman point guard TyTy Washington could be a recruiting steal. Remember he was not on UK’s radar until signee Nolan Hickman Jr. asked out of his commitment to UK. Washington, a one-time Creighton commit, has been one of the team’s top players in preseason practice.
“Like any freshmen, TyTy needs to establish some confidence early on that he can build off of in order to have a productive season,” Babcock said. “My expectations are that TyTy will have a good season and be a first-round draft pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
“TyTy has solid size for a point guard, he’s as tough as nails, shoots the ball with range, and his court awareness and presence are special. He also has ice in his veins and doesn’t get rattled. I believe Nolan Hickman has a chance to have a solid NBA career but I think TyTy was a significant upgrade for Kentucky.”
14 Responses
No one saw the decline in UK basketball "coming" may not be correct. No one saw a 9-16 record for last year, perhaps, but the decline that has been occurring with this program since the complete meltdown in the Final Four in 2015 has been happening for 6 years.
It is down, down, a little up, down a little up, and WAY DOWN.
This year, the question is not whether this season will be better than last year. Almost anything will be better than last year’s 9-16. The question is whether this program can ever get back to a level of legitimately competing for national championships with Calipari.
This year, it is final four or bust!
Please list all the programs that you think have done a better job staying “up” Your criticism is missing context. Please back up your statements Professor so the rest of us can “learn” from you. Last year was an aberration, that should simply be dismissed as such. It was COVID! What did you learn Professor? Cal needs to do a better job teaching kids who were in isolation and unable to interact outside of practice (and quite often in) to play together and play for each other? It was a ridiculous year, with rules of protocol constantly changing. Should simply never have been played, and people other than you recognize that. Hence the eligibility rules.
What about the effect of playing in an empty Rupp Arena … the positive vibes from the crowd had lifted many close games to wins in the past … Will be good to see "home court advantage" mean something real
Larry, I really enjoy reading Vaught’s View–it’s one of the first columns I read every morning. I had high hopes that a few of the basketball geniuses that brought their negative thoughts almost daily for the past few years would have given up after last year’s struggles and watched Hallmark movies. But alas, that doesn’t seem to be the case as UK’s #1 Detractor, the professor, is already mouthing. I expressed my displeasure to you a couple of times last year to no avail, and I can only assume nothing is going to change this season.
So…I bid you and Vaught’s View adieu. I’m not listening to this Bull $&#* all season this year….
Joey just read the stories and avoid the comments if you don’t like that part. I don’t restrict anyone’s opinions,
I agree Larry. Just because someone doesn’t know what he is talking about doesn’t restrict him from voicing his opinions. Just read him and ignore him.
WE think alike Doug for sure
The year they canceled the final four the cats had a good team. I agree we have regressed since 2015 but we were achieving at a ridiculous level. Only a few programs have been able to maintain that level of success for longer periods of time. Cal is not the best X’s and O’s Coach but there is more to being the head coach at UK than X’s and O’s. It also seems like he realized that his methods needed some updating and he did that. I’m just as frustrated as anyone with the early season struggles but who are you going to get that’s going to do better than Cal.
Kentucky can have any coach in the nation & there’s vast to choose from. If he doesn’t win in a banner soon, he’ll be pressed to leave. Players have aspiration of the NBA, not college. And all these newbies will get a taste of Bama, LSU, Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi State. Good Luck
Poaching players & coaches from other teams should have rules/guidelines. How’d you feel to recruit players only to have them leave. And if you don’t get playing time at UofK players either leave or become disgruntled and that’s been trending the last 3 seasons. He’s 1-7 while entertaining a Final 4. Hardly a hall a famer in my book.
That’s a good point Will about COVID maybe costing UK a chance to make a run at another title. That team was peaking with Maxey and Quickley and Richards
I’d be "jacked" too if I brought in 10 million a year SEC ain’t what it used to be. Keep talking NBA. Bring a G League team into Rupp if your so for the NBA.
dude go back to your Florida or Bama site where you came from. We don’t need trolls like you on this site. It’s for TRUE BIG BLUE NATION FANS!!!
I wonder if this team Calipari has now will honor our flag? Go UK!! beat Georgia!!
And if they don’t?