It is about the finish of the season, not the start of the year for Cats

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Kentucky assistant coach Bruiser Flint says a 4-2 start is not the end of the world for UK basketball. (Vicky Graff Photo)

Six games into the season is not time to expect Kentucky to be a finished product or time to panic about the future according to UK assistant coach Bruiser Flint.

“It’s okay, 4-2, we’ve got some things to work on … it’s early,” Flint said Monday. “Just got to work on ’em.”

Kentucky has defeated four outmanned teams and lost to Michigan State and Gonzaga, the two best teams it has played to back up a claim coach John Calipari made before the season started that his team might be a “little shaky” early in the season … and the Cats have been.

Flint reminded media members Monday that Calipari knew what might be coming for a team hit with injuries as well as the death of Damion Collins’ father.

“Cal warned you,” Flint said. “One of the biggest things he saw from not having guys out there was ‘we don’t have the people out here that we’ve been having,’ and your practice is a little different.

“That’s why he said what he said about ‘Hey, it’s gonna take us some time, we’re not the same team now that we’re going to be down the road.'”

Both Oscar Tshiebwe and Sahvir Wheeler missed time dealing with injuries and Collins has also missed considerable practice time due to his father’s death. All three are back playing but UK still lost 88-72 at Gonzaga, a team that has lost by big margins to Texas and Purdue.

“We weren’t together, and that comes through practice,” Flint said about the Gonzaga loss. “We knew we needed to get that time, get those reps in with each other, check out different combinations on the floor, because that’s what you lose when guys aren’t there … if you don’t practice them, that’s why you look the way you look sometimes. We had to get back to that this week.”

Kentucky did have three weeks to practice and play four games in August because of its trip to the Bahamas, but Flint says the team is still trying to “get everybody on the same page” going into tonight’s game with Bellarmine.

“Let’s just get all back on the same page, let’s get back to taking care of some of the details that we sort of missed with guys being out. Get guys back in tune with each other,”Ware said.

Kentucky has had a six-day break and this will be the final game before the Cats play Michigan in London Sunday.

“Cal really emphasized getting back to some basic stuff this week and really working on us, getting us back on track with each other. I think that was important,” Flint said Monday.

Flint even poked a little fun at media members for buying into the same panic that some fans have.

“Y’all think we lose two games and the season’s over,” Flint laughed and said. “One thing about basketball, it’s a long season and it’s not always about the start. It’s about the finish. And as the season goes on, you try to get better.”

4 Responses

  1. I think the tournament runs since 2015 has made many of us realize we simply don’t improve as the season progresses.
    The last 2 seasons has been brutal in March.
    This is a veteran team and should be playing much better right now.

    1. Yep. Other teams are playing at a much higher level than KY…teams with lesser talent. I guess they play checkers or backgammon at practice. They aren’t accomplishing much with basketballs.

    1. Another question is how does Wheeler get 35 minutes scoring only 6 points, 1-4 from three, and 4 turnovers?
      There’s no chemistry with this team.
      They come out flat and not ready to play.
      All these issues start with the head coach.

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