Teammates were excited with the way Justin Edwards played against Louisville. (Vicky Graff Photo)
The game at Louisville didn’t start like a potential breakthrough game for freshman Justin Edwards but it may have ended that way.
Edwards went 6-for-10 from the field, scored 13 points, grabbed seven rebounds (four defensive), made two steals and had one assist in 24 minutes in the 95-76 win over the Cardinals.
Kentucky coach John Calipari had predicted Edwards was ready to play better than he had been and he did.
“He came out and missed a wide open 3, then he bank missed one. Then I ran a play for him to get another shot and he made it and I looked at him and said, ‘That’s how much I believe in you. I think I believe in you more than you believe in you. It’s not your offense,’” Calipari said after the game.
“Go rebound, go tip dunk, go at the rim, and-ones. He’s a great free-throw shooter, so what would you try to do? Try to get fouled, maybe ball fake, do anything to get fouled. He’s a great free-throw shooter (who did not get a free throw against Louisville).
“But here’s the point: He’s a freshman trying to figure it out. The guys are doing everything they can to help him, and today was a breakthrough for him and I was happy for him. He’s a terrific player.”
Calipari said he tells Edwards and UK’s other freshmen is that the team can win without every player being great.
“We got enough guys. If you have a bad game, just step back and let other guys play more, which tells you there’s no pressure. ‘I got to do well.’ No, that’s for you, that’s selfish. Just go play loose and play. The plays you have for you and our team, not stuff you want to do,” Calipari said.
“How are we playing? Everybody’s getting shots. I think we got seven guys in double figures. Scoring a lot, making a high percentage of 3’s, low turnovers, and we’re the youngest team in the country. Fifth-youngest.”
Edwards did get a technical foul during the game for saying something to a Louisville player.
“You can’t do it. Just play basketball,” Calipari said. “But look, I was just so happy for him because he needed to break through. You just think about him blocking shots, rebounding, open-court scoring.
“He should be a better defender. He should be our best defender, but he’s never been asked to do that before, so this is all new to him.”
One Response
Definitely knows how to knock down free throws. He rips every shot. Some players can make the rim sing when it barely touches one of those loop rings. I like how UK crashes the boards. If he gets as aggressive as Thiero that could be a good thing.