Vicky Graff Photo
Justin Edwards was the top-rated player in Kentucky’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class this season but simply has not settled into a starring role for the Wildcats going into today’s game with Gonzaga.
Edwards has not consistently been able to make shots or be a reliable rebounder. He’s also had to battle a leg injury the last few weeks that caused him to miss one game.
Edwards is averaging 8.1 points per game and shooting 44.6 percent from the field overall but has seen his NBA draft stock drop dramatically. However, he might have had a resurgence at Vanderbilt Tuesday when he scored 17 points in UK’s 32-point win.
Coach John Calipari has said numerous times that he has not lost faith in Edwards and still expects a breakout performance from him even though he has been reducing Edwards’ playing time.
“He’s not there yet, but that’s OK. I told him I believe in him. I know how good he is,” Calipari said on his radio show Wednesday night. “All of a sudden, you see him (at Vanderbilt). He was so comfortable playing. He was creating, had his high of assists.”
“How about, if you don’t have a shot — this is a crazy idea — pass it to your teammate. If you pass it to your teammate, on this team, that guy can play too. You’re going to end up with the assist.”
Calipari praised Edwards for staying the course and said he was proud of what he’s done. Now Calipari and UK fans just have to hope he can do it more consistently.
17 Responses
Everyone plays better when they are relaxed. I just wonder if Cal’s insistence on being an NBA minor league team puts extra pressure on these young kids? When you play to showcase your talent, it is much more pressure than just playing to help your team win a game.
I think that’s why Reed Sheppard is so good. He’s playing for a Kentucky win and not thinking about the NBA scouts.
You are 100% right he doesn’t care how many points he scores he just wants to win the game and it hurts us sometimes because I would rather Sheppard bombs 3s than watch Edward’s shoot some lazy shot then slowly jog down the court. To me Edward’s hurts the teams chemistry more than any other player on the team.
That’s an astute observation Old Fan. That is the biggest reason that Calipari is not right for Kentucky and should be fired at the end of the season if he doesn’t resign. As you so correctly said: that puts the emphasis on individual play instead of team play. That’s the reason why we will lose at least 5 of our last 9 games beginning with an embarrassing loss to Gonzaga, lose our first game in the SEC tourney and, most likely, not make the Big Dance. We could very well have a first round loss in the NIT….AGAIN! Squeal Calipari lovers SQUEAL!
P.S. Can you say Mark Pope?
Cal will not resign. Cal will not be fired. Mark Pope will Never coach Ky. The Cats will not lose to Gonzaga. You and your cronies are miserable when the Cats win. Squeal pathetic narcissists, SQUEAL!!!
I’m thrilled when the Cats win.
Amen Jimmy. These pathetic fans will never be happy no matter who the coach is. They do nothing but complain and it goes for the football team as well. I kind of feel sorry for them because they must be miserable about everything in their life to be this negative on a daily basis.
P.S. Mark Pope would be a horrible choice and will never coach at UK. Whenever Cal retires UK MUST stay away from former players. That would be a disaster. Go Cats!!!
I agree with you David. While l like Mark Pope, l don’t think he is right for the Kentucky
head coaching position. Don’t think it will ever happen.
JAY WRIGHT
Lol Jimmy. Mark pope has coached 1 mid level program Utah state and he had a winning percentage of 60% he has only been to the ncaa tournament 1 time in 9 years of coaching and has never won more than 25 games in a year why would Kentucky ever hire a coach with no credentials for Kentucky.
Our next coach was on the sidelines tonight. JAY WRIGHT
Danny Hurley
Players probably don’t relax until they finally decide to make Cal white noise.
Why should you have to tell any college player he doesn’t have to shoot it every time he can pass it too. That should have been worked out in practice before the year even started. I don’t care how many time Dillingham or Reeves or Sheppard shoot the ball because they are scorers but Edward’s is a terrible shooter and he’s terrible and seems lazy on defense. I seen him act like he was diving for a ball but he slowly fell to the ground and did some roll to not make contact with the other player. I guess he doesn’t want to get hurt so he can sit on the bench in the d league or g league next year. He won’t get drafted. He seems very lazy to me. It seems like everything came easy in high school for someone 6’8" who plays the wing. He’s not even top 5 out of the freshman on our team.
Pathetic fans? Is that the best you can do to demonstrate why you believe Calipari is getting the job done for UK basketball?
Tonight he called us "Negative Nellies"
What would make us negative?
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