Chris Livingston played a season-low seven minutes against Michigan. (Vicky Graff Photo)
After playing freshman Chris Livingston just 12 minutes in Kentucky’s win over Bellarmine, Kentucky coach John Calipari second guessed himself for not playing him more because he had five rebounds in his limited time.
“He went in and got two great rebounds. He’s able to do it. He’s not afraid of the contact. So maybe we play him at the four. Let him get in there and you play small ball with him at four,” Calipari said after the game.
“I got to figure out how to get him in. Chris Livingston. Did you see him go get balls? Until then we weren’t getting any balls. The way we started the game, I loved it when I went to those other five, and all of a sudden, it changed. Now we became the aggressor. I looked at the guys on the bench and I’m like, ‘Why should you go back in?’ And I think that led the rest of us to do it.”
Calipari said if Livingston plays more, then either Cason Wallace, Antonio Reeves, CJ Frederick would have to get less minutes if he plays the small forward spot. Calipari even said after the Bellarmine game that he was “proud” that Livingston played so hard that he subbed himself out of the game.
“First time in his life maybe that he said, ‘Sub me.’” Calipari said. “But he’s going to get more and more time. He will.”
Actually, he didn’t. In Sunday’s win over Michigan, Livingston played just seven minutes — his lowest total of the season — after he told fans during his postgame radio show after the Bellarmine game that they might need to start chanting, “We want Chris!” during games.
Surprisingly, Calipari again praised Livingston after the Michigan game despite playing him so little.
“Chris Livingston was outstanding in the first half,” the UK coach said. “The flow of the game didn’t give me a chance to put him in.”
Calipari didn’t want Livingston having to defend Michigan guard Jett Howard because he wanted Wallace, UK’s best perimeter defender, on him. He didn’t explain why Livingston could only have guarded Howard and not been used to defend someone else.
The UK coach did play him at the 4 spot for one possession but immediately went to Daimion Collins after Livingston was called for setting an illegal screen.
“I put him back in at the ‘4’ and I shouldn’t have done it,” Calipari said.. “I got on my staff about teaching him the ‘4’ position, because I want him to play some ‘4’. Because you’re gonna have a physical game, and he can be that guy. We didn’t really do it. So putting him in was not fair. Was not fair.
“And you could see — he didn’t know where he was supposed to go and stuff. It’s not fair.”
Not fair? What about just saying poor coaching? Why hasn’t UK been using Livingston as the ‘4’ in practice to get him ready? It would not seem that hard since that’s the spot he played in high school — but then again he won’t play that spot if he makes the next level.
Calipari did admit “I can’t do that to a young man on TV” by putting him in a spot where he was not ready to play.
Calipari says he has to “figure out” what to do with Livingston. Just remember he said much the same thing about Bryce Hopkins and never figured it out.
Hopkins transferred to Providence where he is averaging 14.6 points and 8.6 rebounds in about 33 minutes per game. He’s shooting 46.9 percent overall from the field. He has 24 turnovers, 24 assists, six steals and three blocked shots.
Livingston was even higher rated than Hopkins but eight games into the season Livingston is averaging 5.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 13 minutes per game.
So while Calipari keeps talking about playing him more, it has not happened a month into the season.
13 Responses
We hear this song about this player or that player every season. Does he make these statements in some way to motivate a player or to appease a questioning fan base?
He is in charge, and if "he would like to do …." then do it.
I support Cal, and try not to be a foolish critic. However, I don’t get the Livingston deal. He is absolutely not a Hopkins, he is a more skilled, taller, stronger, and much harder working freshmen. I don’t get why UK does not have a 4 out plan, Wallace, Reeves, Fredricks and Livingston with Oscar. Not saying it should be the starters but I don’t get why it is not an option, one that we see for some period of time in each game. Not bashing Cal, he is a high level coach, but I don’t get this.
We didn’t run Tubby out if town. He did not like coaching at UK and was ready to leave after his 6th or 7th year, but stayed long enough to get the million dollar bonus that was in his contract.
Larry, have you forgotten all of the people who were complaining about 10 loss Tubby? You are right in that he didn’t enjoy those last 3 years and he stayed for the bonus, but very few people in BBN shed any tears when he left for the Gophers. Most were encouraging him to go somewhere, anywhere but here.
We ran Tubby out of town after 10 years and he never lost a first round game in the NIT. Why must we continue to suffer with a coach who has lost his grasp of the game? Do we have a racist athletic director in Barnhardt? Maybe it’s time for both of these has beens to go.
I haven’t given up on this season, but if Cal doesn’t direct this team were it should be in March, yeah it’s time for a fresh air to our basketball program.
We hear this same song and dance multiple times a season. All excuses for a coach that is more concerned with getting in the limelight and hearing himself than he does actually coaching. He’s been out coached so many times in his career at UK that any other coach would have been fired. Yet he still remains because he can recruit. The man could sell sand in the desert. But he can’t coach x’s and ‘o for crap. I for one am tired of watching a boring college (nba) style game. Run something. Teach something. And even better coach a player up for a change. Turn a 3 star into a 4/5 star. Instead of just recruiting players that if they could would go straight to the NBA anyhow.
How about learn to make a player better? I’m so over Cal it’s not funny.
Great post about how many of us feel.
Cal is the only one stopping him from getting more minutes.
It is so funny to hear Cal cry and scream about positionless basketball and positionless players and now he is concerned about whether or not he should play him at the "4." I thought we were a positionless team!!!
I have been over Cal for several years now. Used to watch every UK game I could, but now only when I don’t have something else to do. Haven’t watched a live game in years and don’t plan to.
"I’ve got to figure out how to get him in"? Well, you send him the scorers table and have another player come out. See, coaching ain’t that hard.
I have doubts that Livingston is being motivated too battle on with all the excuses Calipari makes publicly for not playing him more. Maybe he still is, and maybe a future transfer is in the cards too like we have seen from other players in Calipari’s system who were seeing more bench time than playing time. Too many stars? Maybe.
I just hope for starters this UK basketball team can squeak out a win against lowly Louisville, who despite their devastating season so far, will be motivated to upset these Cats because Payne is a good coach. The Louisville game is a game Chris should see plenty of action would be my guess. My goodness, there may be an opportunity in that one to empty the bench Coach.
If we lose to Louisville this year, Calipari should be fired on the spot! Livingston is a baller, he needs more PT. If he gets it, it will help stabilize this team…that and Wheeler playing a reserve role. If he doesn’t get more minutes, he will be gone to another school next year and we won’t be able to blame him either.
LOL you guys. Fire the men’s Basketball coach. What about Stoops, should he be fire too? After all everyone had thought and hopes for a one or two loss season. He fell back to his usual 7-5 season. That’s right he fired the OC so that saved his job, that was the reason they lost those games. Hey he is the head coach. He could have change things. Didn’t I read a comment of some sort about Cal. It’s hard to get every player playing time with the level of talent Cal brings in. If he set’s CJ to play Chis it would be an uproar. Lord help us if Reed don’t get playing time.