Lance Ware gave freshman Adou Thiero some advice during Saturday's win at Tennessee. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Before Kentucky won at No. 5 Tennessee Saturday, UK coach John Calipari told the UK Radio Network audience that Oscar Tshiebwe talked to the team and apologized for his remarks he made after the Cats lost to South Carolina Tuesday.
Tshiebwe had indicated some teammates took things for “granted” and were not playing with enough intensity.
“I know him, he’s a great kid, he doesn’t want to hurt anybody,” Calipari told Tom Leach.
Apparently, Tshiebwe wasn’t the only player who had been talking after the stunning loss to South Carolina that made the win over Tennessee — which by 43 points at South Carolina a week earlier — even more improbable.
The players held a team meeting between the South Carolina and Tennessee games that might have helped save the season.
“We have a very connected group. We just came together and said things that needed to be said,” guard CJ Fredrick said. “It was open to anyone who needed to say something.
“That was something emotionally connecting for us to just come out and say what we needed to say. We really rallied around each other and gathered around that.”
Fredrick said “a lot of older guys who played here last year” definitely stepped up at the team meeting. That means it could have been Tshiebwe, Fredrick, Lance Ware, Sahvir Wheeler or Jacob Toppin, all veterans off last year’s team, who spoke up at the meeting.
“We have plenty of leaders, guys who have been around and played for Cal,” Fredrick said.
Freshman Adou Thiero provided a big spark off the bench at Tennessee. He said Monday players tried to forget the South Carolina loss.
“We were at our lowest. It is only up from here,” Thiero said the players told themselves. “We have to go out and play like we did against Tennessee and fight.”
He said the meeting was to help players figure out “why we were not doing some of the things we have to do” to win.
“Trying to get everyone out of their own heads,” Thiero said about the meeting. “The meetings helped because we went out and played together (at Tennessee).”
Fredrick, who had 13 points at Tennessee, said the players did not forget the loss to South Carolina.
“It wasn’t easy because that loss stung,” Fredrick said. “We don’t want to look back. In my five years of playing, that one probably stung the most.
“Guys sat around the locker room and just stared. That loss definitely motivated us going into Tennessee.”
Fredrick knows UK needs the same fire Tuesday night against Georgia.
“Really good team, good guards, good bigs. Run a good offense,” Fredrick said Monday. “We have got to lock in and understand the game plan.
“It’s going to be nice to play in front of our fans, especially since we just lost (in Rupp Arena). We got to get one back.”
