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Ansley Almonor is adjusting to a backup role at Kentucky and he’s beginning to feel comfortable coming off the bench after starting 65 games at Farleigh Dickinson the previous two seasons.
It was Almonor who provided a spark for eighth-ranked Wildcats off the bench with 11 points in Saturday’s 95-90 triumph at Mississippi State. Almonor’s clutch contributions down the stretch included back-to-back 3-pointers down the stretch that helped the Wildcats stave off the Bulldogs’ late surge.
“(Not starting has) been something different because it’s not what I’ve been used to for the past few years, but I’ve accepted the challenge (and) I love the challenge,” Almonor said. “I love being able to help this team in that way and it’s been great. I’m happy that I get to try to provide a spark every game off the bench, and it’s been fun.
“I’ve been in a fun role I feel like so far. It’s just stay ready when you’re on the bench. Stay locked into the game. Make sure you control the things that you can control and everything else will take care of itself.”
Much like Almonor, freshman guard Travis Perry is also adjusting to coming off the bench in his first collegiate season. Perry has hit at least one 3-pointer in the past four games.
“I definitely feel like I’m getting more comfortable in my role,” Perry said. “It’s always a little bit of a struggle going into a different environment, no matter where it is. But I think I’ve definitely made huge strides and just found out what I need to do in the minutes I get.”
The No. 8 Wildcats, who split a pair of road games last week, return home and will take on No. 11 Texas A&M Tuesday night in the team’s second straight game against a Top 15 foe. Kentucky (13-3, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) is 4-0 against teams ranked in the Top 15 this season.
The Aggies (13-3, 2-1) ranks among the top rebounding teams in the nation, especially offensively and hasn’t allowed an opponent more than 28 made field goals this season. Texas A&M is averaging 17.1 offensive boards per game and has only been outrebounded twice in 16 games.
“They’re a very good team and offensive rebounding stands out for them,” Kentucky guard Travis Perry said. “(They are) No. 1 in the country in offensive rebound percentage by a large margin. We need to come out early, make a push early and continue it throughout the game.”
Almonor added the Wildcats have heard concerns about lack of toughness under the basket, but said it’s not a big concern going into Tuesday’s contest.
“We’ve been hearing the noise and the chatter about us being a soft team,” he said. “That’s just not (true). We all came from a different story and different backgrounds. That’s something that we took to heart and we went out there (against Mississippi State). We’re going to prove to them that we’re not a soft team and we’re going to continue to prove that as the season goes along.”
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NEXT GAME: Texas A&M at Kentucky, 7 p.m., Tuesday. TV/Radio: ESPN2, UK Radio Network.
2 Responses
Almonor has always had the talent. He lost his confidence in December, now he has it back. I just hope all of the attention he is getting now doesn’t mess him up. He needs to stay focused because we will need him to contribute the rest of the season. Good job Ansley. Now go do it again tonight.
Here are excerpts from an online article on John Calipari:
Halfway check-in on Kentucky, Arkansas proves John Calipari was the problem all along. Story by John Buhler
You hate to see him go, but you love to see him leave. Whatever… When it comes to John Calipari leaving Kentucky for the Arkansas job that opened up because Andy Enfield decided to leave USC for SMU, you could argue that the Wildcats are in a far better position than the Razorbacks today.
Kentucky was in the right for letting John Calipari walk over to Arkansas
Calipari may be a hall of fame head coach, but the game has clearly passed him by. The day and age of him coaching transformative players like John Wall, Derrick Rose and Marcus Camby are long gone. Calipari may have been a first mover when it came to the one-and-done era of college basketball, but the wonderful world of NIL has thrown him for a loop, as well as in-game execution.
At the end of the day, Arkansas paid a boatload of money for a head coach who is a shell of himself. Yes, the Hogs had a tall task of replacing a darn good one in Eric Musselman, who left Fayetteville for the USC job vacated by Enfield’s departure to SMU. However, the rumblings out of Lexington from years prior should have been a red flag not to be in such hot pursuit of Calipari. They are paying for it.
Ultimately, this was always going to be a transitional year for Arkansas. The Razorbacks may think they have the resources and other advantages Kentucky has a program, but only one is a true blue-blood in the sport. Pope was always going to benefit far more quickly in taking over at his new post than Calipari was. That being said, Pope earned his big opportunity from Kentucky after his BYU run. Arkansas hired Calipari on a whim and his past reputation, pre-2016. rather than an up-and-comer like a Pope.
Thank you Arkansas!!! Go CATS!!!