UK basketball gets 74-49 win in Bahamas

NASSAU, Bahamas – John Calipari got exactly what he wanted from the first of six exhibition games for his University of Kentucky basketball team here in the Bahamas on Sunday afternoon.

As promised, Calipari played two five-man units almost equal minutes — 22 for the starters, 18 for the second five, with just one situational substitution for foul trouble — which hit the Puerto Rico National Team Reserves with waves of fresh-legged talent and resulted in a relatively easy 74-49 Wildcats win.

"I'm pleased," Calipari said. "We did what we wanted to do. Everybody touched the ball and had opportunities to do things. Loved our ball pressure. Loved the fact that we're passing the ball to each other and making extra passes. Aggressive.

"Transition defense, we're still not (great) but, you know, it's Aug. (10) for God's sakes."

Kentucky held the Puerto Rico Reserves to 33 percent shooting and swiped 11 steals. The Cats shot 48 percent — although only 2 of 13 from 3-point range — and had 20 assists with just eight turnovers while outrebounding Puerto Rico 38-31.

The UK starters Sunday were sophomore guards Andrew and Aaron Harrison, freshman guard Devin Booker, junior forward Alex Poythress and sophomore center Dakari Johnson. The second unit: freshman guard Tyler Ulis, sophomore guard Dominique Hawkins, sophomore swingman Derek Willis, sophomore forward Marcus Lee and freshman center Karl-Anthony Towns.

"Not many teams, college or pro, can say you have 10 guys that can actually be on the floor and compete," Aaron Harrison said. "We're just a special team."

While new guys Towns (10 points, seven rebounds), Booker (nine points) and Ulis (five assists, two steals) all impressed in their UK debuts, it was veterans Poythress and Aaron Harrison who stole the show.

Harrison showed off an impressive all-around game. He led all scorers with 15 points, which he scored in every conceivable way — at the free-throw line, a layup, two driving dunks, a midrange jump shot and a 3-pointer. He also had two steals and a block.

"One of the things he wants to do, which was his comment to me: 'I don't ever want to evaporate on the court. I want to have a presence on the court, whether I'm scoring or not,' " Calipari said. "You saw him pressuring the ball today, going up and playing. You saw him in pick-and-rolls. You saw him rebounding the ball. You saw him fighting in there.

"That's when you have a presence. That's going to be a little bit different."

Poythress, for all the talk of him needing to alter his game to play the small-forward spot for the Cats, did exactly what he does best, only better than ever, playing exclusively at power forward Sunday. While slightly undersized at that position, Poythress is clearly in the best shape of his UK career and played aggressive, above-the-rim basketball all game long.

Officially, he finished with 10 points, six rebounds and a blocked shot in 22 minutes, although the stat-keepers at Kendal Isaacs Gym — high school-style venue with no air conditioning (or Internet access) — likely shorted him at least a pair of boards and a block or two. Regardless, his aerial assaults on the rim and high-flying rebounds in traffic wowed the crowd of several hundred UK fans who made the trip.

"He was terrific. That's as good as he's played," Calipari said. "Consistent shooting, we've got to work on that. But I tell you, he was aggressive, came up with balls out of nowhere. He just does things the normal players can't do. To be honest, the stuff he does, I can't teach."

Calipari insisted that playing Poythress exclusively at power forward wasn't an acknowledgment by him that the 6-8, 240-pound former McDonald's All American isn't suited for small forward. It was merely to divide the two five-man units more evenly, Calipari said.

"Michael Kidd(-Gilchrist) was exactly the same thing," an average shooter but athletic mismatch who excelled at defense and rebounding as a small forward for UK's 2012 national title team, Calipari said.

"Both of them feel natural to me. I can play any position," said Poythress, who expects to play small forward some during this trip. "At the three and the four, you can play the same way pretty much. At the three, you can still go get rebounds. At the four, you can still shoot jumpers. I'm just trying to do whatever I can out there."

That was plenty Sunday. And he wasn't alone. Ulis, the speedy 5-9 point guard who seems to have the ball on a string, overcame a slow start to dazzle late with some slick passes and a couple of pesky steals that prompted Calipari to compare him to a gnat.

"He really pushed the ball and found his teammates. He put great pressure on the ball," Calipari said. "It changes the dynamic of our team right now, because we didn't have that."

Sophomore point guard Andrew Harrison also shook off a slow start and finished with nine points, four rebounds and four assists. He sparked a 10-2 run to end the first half in which he set up consecutive slams and put back an offensive rebound.

There was also an early 10-0 run and a game-ending 14-6 run for Kentucky. Nearly everyone got in on the action. Like Poythress, Lee played as if on a pogo stick and stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, six rebounds and a pair of steals off the bench

"I didn't think anybody gave us a bad effort," Calipari said, "and that's amazing (after) 10 practices."

Kentucky's summer exhibition tour continues Monday at 1 p.m. against Champagne Chalons-Reims Basket, a French first-division professional team that has players as old as 35 and several former Division I players, including former West Virginia star Da'Sean Butler.

Kyle Tucker can be reached at (502) 582-4361. Follow him on Twitter @yleTucker_CJ.

KENTUCKY 74, PUERTO RICO RESERVES 49

PUERTO RICO - Villegas 6-8 0-0 14, Torres 1-5 0-0 2, Belsrdo 4-10 0-0 8, Young 2-7 0-0 4, M. De Jesus 1-2 0-0 1, Narvaez 2-4 1-3 5, C. Lopez 0-3 2-2 2, J. De Jesus 2-9 2-2 6, M. Lopez 2-8 0-2 4, Orta 0-3 0-0 0, Browne 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 21-63 5-9 49.

KENTUCKY - Lee 4-6 1-2 9, Booker 3-7 2-2 9, Towns 4-9 2-2 10,Aa. Harrison 6-10 2-2 15, Lanter 0-0 0-0 0, Poythress 4-8 2-4 10, Floreal 0-0 0-0 0, Hawkins 2-3 0-0 4, Ulis 1-5 0-1 2, Willis 2-3 1-2 5, Johnson 2-5 2-4 6, An. Harrison 1-4 2-2 4. Totals 29-60 14-21 74.

Halftime - Kentucky 38-31. 3-point goals - Puerto Rico 2-15 (Lopez 0-1, J. De Jesus 0-1, Orta 0-3, Browne 0-1, Villegas 2-4, Belardo 0-1, Young 0-3, M. De Jesus 0-1), Kentucky 2-13 (Booker 1-4, Aa. Harrison 1-4, Towns 0-2, Poythress 0-1, Hawkins 0-1, Willis 0-1). Rebounds - Puerto Rico 36 (C. Lopez, M. Lopez 6 each), Kentucky 41 (Towns 7). Assists - Puerto Rico 9 (Lopez, Belardo, Narvaez 2 each), Kentucky 20 (Ulis 5). Total Fouls - Puerto Rico 18, Kentucky 13. Fouled Out- none.