Sneak peek at UK basketball practice
While Kentucky football opened preseason camp today, the Wildcats' basketball team is in full swing preparing for its trip to the Bahamas for six exhibition games against international competition starting Sunday. Coach John Calipari opened the doors to today's practice for a few members of the media.
The only stipulation: no specifics, only impressions, can be reported. Abiding by that rule, a few thoughts on how these Cats look with still three months and 10 days to go before their first actual game of the 2014-15 season:
* This isn't breaking news, given that UK has seven players 6-8 or taller on the roster, but the first thing that jumps out is this team's incredible size. And that's without 6-10 freshman Trey Lyles and 7-foot junior Willie Cauley-Stein. They're both sitting out the Bahamas trip while recovering from injuries that aren't expected to cost them any of the actual season. Even without them, anything that goes inside is getting seriously contested, at minimum.
* On a related note, Kentucky looks like it will be an unholy terror on defense. The combination of length and a bunch of aggressive guys who appear to take great pride in it – there was lots of wild clapping and cheering among themselves after stops – will make these Cats hard to score against. On both ends, the team looks unusually cohesive, especially in the Calipari era of perpetually young teams, at this early stage. It's easy to see they'll be light years ahead of last year's team when this season starts.
* Sophomore forward Marcus Lee is still skinny, but he's added some serious muscle – and an awesome mohawk – while still playing way, way, way above the rim. The way he gets up and throws it down looks too easy. Lee looks like the guy we saw in that breakout performance against Michigan in the Elite Eight. CBS' Jon Rothstein predicted after watching a recent UK practice that Lee will start. I'm not there yet, but maybe.
* Sophomore center Dakari Johnson is very noticeably leaner and is getting both down the court and off the floor much better. Kentucky's most below-the-rim big man is playing above it a lot more these days. The Cats have an embarrassment of riches in the front court. Speaking of ...
* Freshman center Karl-Anthony Towns is a giant human being. Aside from his height – although apparently he's going to be listed at 6-11, not 7 feet, and that's fair after seeing that Johnson is clearly taller than him – Towns is much more powerfully built than he was in high school. He looks like a full-grown man. He lumbers a bit running the floor – well, at least compared to an athletic freak like Cauley-Stein, anyway – but is very obviously a skilled big man, a good passer, who rebounds strong and dunks violently. He's real good.
* It's hard to put in context how tiny freshman point guard Tyler Ulis is (allegedly 5-9) until he hits the floor with his huge teammates. He's small even compared to 6-foot guard Dominique Hawkins, is dwarfed by 6-6 guards Andrew and Aaron Harrison and, well, it's just comical when he stands beside Johnson or Towns. But, boy, Ulis is a bad little man. He freezes and/or blows by defenders off the dribble and dishes ridiculous no-look and touch passes. He finds the going tough upon penetrating, though, against this UK team full of towering athletes.
* Junior small forward Alex Poythress looks like he's in one of those trampoline-dunking troupes that put on halftime shows. He's just silly athletic. There's been a lot of buzz this summer about how much better shape the team is in, and it appears to be legitimate. Poythress is another Wildcat who looks fit to run.
* The Harrison twins look much more relaxed and in control and like they're having fun – and understanding what Calipari wants from them – than they did as freshmen last season. They're also both obviously slimmed down and a little more explosive than most fans will probably remember them. Aaron Harrison likely won't do it often, but he can fly when he wants to. Andrew seems to have realized he can bully his way to the bucket nearly any time he wants.
We'll get to some of the other guys on this team – and there are plenty of others who can play (Booker can really light it up outside, for instance) – but the easy summary of what I saw today: This team is, as we expected, totally loaded. (You'll also be happy to know the Cats shot free throws today. A lot of free throws.)
* For instant updates on the Wildcats, follow me on Twitter @KyleTucker_CJ. Email me at ktucker@courier-journal.com.