Q&A: Calipari previews Vanderbilt on SEC call
No. 1 Kentucky (17-0, 4-0 SEC) hosts Vanderbilt (11-6, 1-3) on Tuesday and then plays at South Carolina (10-6, 1-3) on Saturday. The Commodores have lost three in a row – most recently to a bad Mississippi State team – and the Gamecocks have a history of upsetting the Cats in Columbia. They ended UK's perfect start in 2010 and stunned the eventual national runners-up last season, after which Aaron Harrison made his famous prediction that there was still a "great story" to write.
Coach John Calipari appeared on today's SEC teleconference to preview the Wildcats' week. He also talked about the most impressive thing about Devin Booker's game – you might be surprised to learn it's not shooting 76 percent from 3-point range the last seven games – and Derek Willis' playing time and Dominique Hawkins' injury and, yes, more words about coaching one-and-dones:
JOHN CALIPARI
On this week's games against Vandy and at South Carolina: "They're both hard games. I watched some of the Vanderbilt tape, especially their game with Georgia. I think their big kid is really good. Obviously they shoot the ball well. Got a freshman that'll shoot it from anywhere – and make it. And Kevin is at his best with these kinds of teams. Their running like a combination of Princeton and their stuff to free 3-point shooters. So he's doing a little combo, but he's doing a great job with them.
"And then Frank's teams are Frank's teams: they're going to play hard. You're not just getting a game. When you go in there – you know, we've lost … I think we've lost the last couple times we've gone in there. And you're going to have to play. They're not giving you anything. They beat Iowa State and I watched the game and I called Frank after. I thought, 'What a great win for his program and our league.' So he's doing the things that he's got to do to give his team a chance to win, which he always does, and it's a hard place for us to play."
On Devin Booker, who won his second straight and third overall SEC Freshman of the Week: "Well, the thing that I was on him for early was getting it off. It's not high school. You're not going to jump over anybody. You gotta be able to catch and get it off. You've gotta be able to have your shot prepared before you even catch the ball. And he's doing that. The rim has gotten big for him because of that, because it's not a slow, I'm-going-to-jump-over-you and then all the sudden the guy's all over me. These are looks that he's saying, 'I'm getting a good look at the rim.'
"But more importantly, you guys are all looking at him shooting the ball – and it's good stuff – but defensively, I never thought he'd guard this way. His energy defensively, his ability to stay in front, fight through screens, is what's setting him apart for us right now. So you're all talking shooting, but the reason we're winning is because when you put him in with Tyler, that energy is what really takes us to another level."
On Kevin Stallings also playing five freshmen at Vandy, although his are like to stick around – and whether coaching them is different when you know that: "Well, the reality of it is we're all in positions where we're forcing these kids to grow up fast. Kevin's asking them to grow up fast; so am I. You know, we all have challenges. I told a coaching friend of mine the other day: Every team has its problems – all of us – and you've got to deal with yours better than someone else is dealing with his. So the problems Kevin will have with freshmen, some of them are similar to what I'll have and some of them are not. I know we're all dealing with helping these kids confidence-wise, feeling good about themselves and helping them to understand there's no escaping industry, hard work. There's no – you can't escape it.
"Either you're going to go and outwork the other guy or you're going to break down your confidence. And that's hard for freshmen. Here's what freshmen used to get done in high school: Every fifth play they did something really good that people said, 'Oh, my gosh.' And the other four they tried to hide. They tried to just kind of walk through. And then they come to college, and you're asking them to play on every single possession. Guess what? Really difficult for them. That's the challenge we all have."
On the lineup of Ulis, Andrew, Booker, Cauley-Stein and Johnson and if he'd consider playing it more: "It depends on the game. I mean, guys, every game we've played, somebody different has stepped up and done something great. That's the great thing about having a lot of guys. And what I say to them at times is, 'Look, I don't need all 10 of you to play well. I need five of you and then I'll ride those five. But if you want to play, play well.' And playing well for us means, come with energy. Play extremely hard and I can leave you on the floor. If they're scoring points on your group, you're out. If you're the one not doing your thing at times, I'll take you out. So kind of the challenge is for them to help each other, to be there for each other, to play off of one another. And they seem to be doing it pretty good."
On what he liked about that lineup: "There was a really good play where Andrew came down and assisted Tyler for a three. Tyler assisted him for a three, and (Andrew) didn't take it, and I was telling him to shoot it. That's how they got to play. If the other has the ball, you're the finisher. He's the playmaker. So either one of you two. And then, it gives you that one more ballhandler, one more free-throw shooter that we can really grind out. And what we did against Alabama the last, I'm guessing five minutes, we just played grind-it-out-basketball. We weren't looking to score 85. We were looking as though that were a six-point game and we have to grind it out and finish the game. And that's what we were working on, and I thought they did pretty good."
On if there are situations/matchups where he can play Derek Willis more, or if that will be based strictly on Willis' play in practice: "Well, he's got to really step on the gas. And it's hard, now, when you haven't been playing to come in and spend extra time and not know if you're gonna play or not. It's one thing if you know you're one of those 10 and you're playing. It's another thing if you're one of 10 or 11 or 12 and you don't know if you're gonna play. It's a hard thing, especially for a young guy. But Dom (Hawkins) gives us that unbelievable energy that that unit needs. Now, he's not bringing it or something I look at this and I say Derek's better and Derek's earned time in practice, then it'll be Derek. Everybody was ecstatic for Dom and then they were ecstatic for Derek last game. Now, I didn't put him in the first rotation, because I didn't think he was ready for that. But I put him in the next rotation. And then in the second half, we kind of got out of whack and I just was more or less trying to finish the game. But they both have done great."
On Dominique Hawkins' status: "I don't know yet, because I haven't seen him. But I would imagine after two days he should be fine."
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