Notebook: Cheering hasn’t dimmed yet for Kentucky’s Lee
LEXINGTON, Ky. – When Marcus Lee walked into his marketing class at the University of Kentucky on Tuesday morning, about 200 students and his professor stood up and cheered.
“It was awesome,” Lee said. “If you could see me blush, I was probably blushing.”
His 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in just 15 minutes off the bench Sunday helped the Wildcats’ basketball team escape with a three-point win over Michigan in the NCAA Tournament’s Midwest Regional Final. His unexpected contribution — he hadn’t played that many minutes since November, hadn’t scored that many points in all of 2014 — propelled UK into this week’s Final Four.
Lee is suddenly a hero on campus.
“A lot of people come up and just say they’re proud of us and they’re glad that we’re working so hard,” said Lee, a freshman from California. “I’ve heard from a lot of my friends back at home. They were just so proud of me.”
Now, with sophomore center Willie Cauley-Stein expected to sit out again because of an ankle injury, the goal for Lee is to be more than a one-game wonder. The former McDonald’s All American does not lack talent. He skied for four putback dunks against the Wolverines.
“He’s just getting in the gym with me, just working harder,” freshman center Dakari Johnson said. “He had a great performance and he just wants more.”
Kaminsky problem for Cats
Neither the 6-foot-9 Lee nor 7-foot Johnson seem like an ideal solution for Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky in Saturday night’s national semifinal . He’s a skilled 7-footer averaging 14.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and shooting 37.8 percent from 3-point range. Yep, 3-point range.
“Whew. Tough matchup for us,” Cats coach John Calipari said. “He’s going to be a handful.”
Cauley-Stein, likewise a skilled 7-footer who both protects the rim and can defend on the perimeter, would be the perfect player to throw at Kaminsky, who sank Arizona with 28 points and 11 rebounds in the Elite Eight.
“Wish we had Willie. Maybe we will. I doubt it, but this would be his game,” Calipari said. “But he's not here, and if he's not here and he can't play then we've got to do what we have to do, try to figure out our plan. We’ll get ready as though he's not playing.”
Cauley-Stein missed most of the Louisville game in the Sweet 16 and all of the Michigan game in the Elite Eight after injuring his left ankle. He was still on crutches and in a protective boot at the team practice facility Tuesday. As for a specific diagnosis?
“Medical people have that,” Calipari said. “I don’t. His ankle hurts.”
Players happy for Antigua
Kentucky assistant coach Orlando Antigua was introduced as South Florida’s new head coach at a press conference Tuesday afternoon. He was back in Lexington in time for practice that night “like nothing happened,” said Calipari, who doesn’t expect the news to distract from the team’s Final Four preparation.
“The guys were ecstatic for him,” Calipari said. “Willie got on the phone with him and said, ‘You know you owe me. I helped you get that job.’ It’s just funny. This is a little different deal here. The guys aren’t separated from the players. They create relationships with them. These guys are happy for them.”
Johnson said he’s “just so happy” for Antigua and Lee said he’s “extremely proud.”
“He’s the most energetic person that I’ve ever met, and that’s saying something,” Lee said.
“We’re gonna miss him around here,” point guard Andrew Harrison said, “but he’s a great coach and they’re lucky to have him.”
Calipari called South Florida a “perfect” first head-coaching job for Antigua, in part because of his Latin roots and his ability to recruit the Dominican Republic, for which he served as the national team’s coach this summer.
“They need someone to excite their fans, their campus. Well, that’s him,” Calipari said. “Anyone that meets him is going to say, ‘I really like him.’ Now he did not get that from me.”
Kyle Tucker can be reached at (502) 582-4361. Follow him on Twitter @KyleTucker_CJ.