John Calipari says the more capable players he has by tournament time, the better UK will be. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Every Kentucky win this season has been by double digits, something that has not happened this late in a Kentucky season in over 20 years according to Matt Norlander of CBS Sports. Kentucky coach John Calipari seems to have settled on a seven-player rotation — TyTy Washington, Sahvir Wheeler, Kellan Grady, Davion Mintz, Oscar Tshiebwe, Keion Brooks and Jacob Toppin.
So how many players does Calipari need to be able to trust to play reliable minutes for UK to be a factor in March Madness? Can he do it with only seven players playing extended minutes like he’s been doing?
“You have got to have a whole team. The reason is always next man up. Sometimes it can be injury. Sometimes not playing well. Sometimes foul trouble,” said Calipari.
“The more (players) you have, the more chance of error you can overcome. If you are playing five or six guys and two guys get hurt, you are in trouble.”
Kentucky had one guy hurt — point guard Wheeler — against Vanderbilt. With no Wheeler, four players — Mintz, Grady, Tshiebwe and Washington — played 34 or more minutes. Brooks had 23 minutes and Toppin 17.
No Wheeler meant freshman Bryce Hopkins got 15 minutes — he had five rebounds, two points, one assist, and one turnover.
“I wanted to go with Daimion (Collins). I like his shot-blocking, our ability to throw him the lob,” Calipari said.
Collins played six minutes and was 0-for-2 from the field with two rebounds, one block, and one turnover. He did not play Lance Ware or Dontaie Allen.
“They have got to own their performance,” Calipari said. “If you are not playing well, don’t tell me you need to play more. You own your performance. If you want me to play you more, force me to do it. Play better.”
5 Responses
We best be getting Ware some minutes real soon! Between Ware, Hopkins and Collins, I lean toward trusting Ware to be the next trusted performer. Hopkins and Collins, hopefully, will play themselves into shape for next year. Just too raw and have not shown the basketball IQ so far this year. Great kids, and a lot of potential, but maybe not for a deep run in March 2022.
What is the issue with Ware? He was playing well and then, all of a sudden, doesn’t play at all. Without Ware, this team does not have a shot to win an SEC title. Collins is not ready for physical play; Hopkins is the best bet to make that adjustment. Wheeler will have to accept a different role when he returns. Washington is doing a better job at the point, so Wheeler needs to be content with coming off the bench and bringing energy to the floor. If we can get consistent play from the Brooks/Toppin rotation, if Ty continues to feed Oscar in the post, and Mintz and Grady can have big games together, this team could take off. Ware will need to be in that mix though. We have seen how quickly Oscar can pick up those first 2 fouls and Ware is the only answer there.
I think Ware is fine, Cal has asked him to take a short seat to get Collins up to speed quicker. Will see Ware and Fuulkerson battle a bit today.
Coach, what is the deal with Dontaie Allen? Here is another Kentucky Mr. Basketball player wasting away on the bench. Have you given up on him? Has he given up on himself? If the later, that is on you coach. I know you have said his defense is a weakness. Coaches coach defense. It is a learned skill like every other skill in basketball. If he does not fit in your plan for this program, why is he on the team? He would be a starter on many teams elsewhere. If you don’t care about his place on the team anymore do the kid a favor and set him free because you as a coach are not helping him by refusing to play him because he is weak on defense.
Well hard to fault Calipari after that dominating win