Denzel Aberdeen sparked UK with his point guard play in the second half. (Vicky Graff Photo)
It was an “offensive” first half for Kentucky and not the kind that lit up the scoreboard.
Instead, Kentucky made 21 of 31 shots, including 14 of 16 3-pointers. It was no better at the foul line, where Kentucky missed six of seven tries.
Fortunately, Nicholls was even worse offensively, and then Kentucky took over in the second half and turned a 28-15 halftime lead into a 77-51 victory in its season opener in Rupp Arena.
Coach Mark Pope moved Denzel Aberdeen to point guard to start the second half and shifted Collin Chandler to two guard — and both thrived. Chandler had 11 of his 15 points in the second half when he went 3-for-3 from 3-point range and threw down a monstrous dunk. Aberdeen had five points each half but had five assists in the second half when Kentucky made 19 of 31 shots from the field and five of 11 3’s.
Former UK All-American Jack Givens said it was “pretty simple” how the offense got better.
“I think that two guard spot is Collin’s more natural spot, and he feels more comfortable there, and you could tell,” Givens said. “Collin started to run the floor, move without the ball, and do things he likes to do. At point guard, it’s a lot more difficult for him to score.
“Denzel played great, and all the other guys benefited from having a true point guard out there.”
Givens also praised Aberdeen’s defensive play, which included five rebounds. He also did not have a turnover in 23 minutes.
“I think he did a good job when he came in the first half of not allowing the point guard for Nicholls to get going. He kept the offensive player in front of him. He got two early fouls and then didn’t get in any more foul trouble,” Givens said. “Kentucky is also so much better on the other end (offensive) of the floor when he is out there.”
Chandler certainly feels that way.
“He is a vet. He is solid,” Chandler said about Aberdeen. “You always feel comfortable when he is in the game making plays. It’s always nice to have a guy like that you know you can rely on.”
Otega Oweh had 13 points while freshman Jasper Johnson had 10 points, four assists, and one rebound. Johnson again had to play some point guard with starter Jaland Lowe out again with a shoulder injury.
“Some guards are playmaking point guards and some are scoring point guards and look to score,” Givens said. “The problem is that in Mark’s offense, if you over dribble, it forces people to stand around and watch. Jasper is going to keep growing and get better.
“Guys are still learning their roles. As long as they keep working, they will be fine. This offense will be a lot smoother than it has been. I am anxious to see guys learn their roles. Every guy coming into college thinks their role is to score, but it’s not like that. Sometimes (the role) might be rebounding, setting good screens, or a guy like Mo (Dioubate), his role is rebounding and getting cutbacks.
“Everybody is trying to figure out his role, and it’s hard to know until everyone is back healthy and getting the minutes they will get.”
8 Responses
Congratulations to Larry Vaught for his prophetic article last week about Collin Chandler. Larry and one of his readers' went against the naysayers and numbers guy. Their keen eye and instincts recognized Chandlers emerging talent that was about to explode onto the scene.
Vaughts Views is the best site for UK sports.
Excellent remarks, WildWest! Yes, Chandler appears to be more comfortable now at the 2 and hitting all 3 from 3 is a confidence booster.
I've said all summer and last year that Chandler is the most athletic player on the team and has the most upside besides maybe JQ. By the end of this year Chandler will be the best player on the team. He's Uber athletic and he plays above the rim. He also has underrated defense. He's not a point guard he's definitely a 2 guard and plays much better at the 2 than the 1. With Aberdeen running the point you can see how great Chandler is. He will be even better with Lowe out there. If we dont have Lowe by the Louisville game we will lose. He needs to be on the court. Our season will go as Lowe goes. If he's hurt a lot it will kill our season. If he can stay healthy we gave a shot at being a great team. Louisville might have the best back court in college basketball. Without Lowe we can't compete with there guards.
Not having Aberdeen for the Georgetown game hurt us. Things are clearing up now. Lowe will be the starting point guard and needs to play against Valpo with Aberdeen his primary backup; Johnson can back up in a pinch. Oweh is the starting 2 guard with Chandler his primary backup. Johnson needs to get minutes at both positions though. Oweh gets 22 minutes, Chandler 12, and Johnson gets 6 minutes at both the 1 and 2 spots.
Here is where I differ from most views. Dioubate should start at the 3, with Noah or Williams as his primary backup–neither have shown much the last 2 games; whoever breaks through gets the job. Jelavic should be the starting 4. He gives us a much stronger rebounding team with Dioubate at the 3. The guy has been playing pro ball for 2 years; Pope seems to be dumbing him down though. Jelavic can shoot, rebound, and defend. Dioubate can play some backup minutes at the 4, but where has Potter disappeared to? Everyone is dissing him too, but the kid can play. He needs more bulk, but his 7'1" height will be valuable in a backup role at the 4. Pope seems to be dumbing some kids down to make more PT for other kids…STOP IT! Let them compete and earn PT.
Garrison needs to step up his game…scoring, defending, rebounding, passing…the whole arsenal. He seems to be stuck in first gear and second gear and needs to be running in fifth gear and overdrive for the big non-conference games. Moreno is proving to be a force on the boards. He is still struggling with both his offense and defense but that will come in time. His free throw shooting needs a ton of work as he will be on the line a lot.
That brings us to Quaintance. I would start giving him limited minutes in the Valpo game. Pope's "I'm afraid I am going to break him" is nuts…the guy is a tank! He needs to be playing to get his conditioning up to speed and to also gain confidence in his recovery. Three minutes in each half in the Valpo game. If that goes well, then 4 minutes in each half against Louisville. He can play both the 4 and 5 spot. Give him 5 minutes each half against Eastern Illinois and 6 minutes per half against Michigan State. 7 minutes each half against Loyola and Tennessee Tech, then 8 minutes per half against North Carolina and Gonzaga. This will allow his conditioning, game feel, and confidence to grow at a gradual pace and not force him to be an instant hero. Give him 9 minutes per half against NC Central and Indiana and 10 minutes each half against St. Johns. This would have him ready for the game in Tuscaloosa where every game really counts. Pope's "overly cautious" approach will not have Quaintance ready for SEC play…and he will be needed.
Pope is overly fixated on the injury possibilities for this team…let them play! Injuries will happen; next man up! He also seems to be concerned about keeping everyone happy with PT…let them compete for that with NOBODY being promised minutes or roles! Injuries should dictate who gets more PT. Pope has a championship team; he needs to start acting like a championship coach! The time for being everyone's buddy has past…lead this team to bringing home No. 9!
I had never turned a game off at halftime until last night. That was brutal. I am glad that we weren't playing SJ, UL, KU. I also think that coach needs to be more emotionally tougher with these guys. It appears that we do have a quality team that needs quality coaching. It appears that BYU has not lost a beat post Pope in both recruiting and preseason rankings.
You probably weren’t the only one who turned it off at the H. There did not appear to be any pride in the name on the jerseys & that’s partly a product of today’s free for all running to a different team every year.
They need to redshirt Potter and possibly Hawthorne. Both players have bright futures but we were 11 deep yesterday without them. When Lowe comes back neither will play enough to really improve to much on the court. Use it as a practice year get better and both can be role players next year. Then possibly starters the following year. Noah is probably the toughest player on the team but I thought he was going to die when he turned his ankle at first i thought It was a ACL the way he was crying.
Remember the name Eli Ellis for South Carolina. He's going to be one of the best point guards in college basketball for a long time. It's a joy to watch him play. I wanted him to come to Kentucky but no offer.
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