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John Calipari and CJ Fredrick Praise Sahvir Wheeler for Accepting New Role

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2 years ago

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© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

The Kentucky Wildcats extended their winning streak to four straight after beating Vanderbilt 69-53 on Tuesday night. One of the biggest reasons for this is lineup changes, notably Cason Wallace taking over as starting point guard.

While the lineup change has paid dividends, John Calipari has made it clear that Sahvir Wheeler is still an important part of this team, and will be needed (i.e. Wallace in foul trouble).

Still adapting to his new role, Wheeler showed what he is capable of against Vanderbilt. Coming off the bench, Wheeler played 22 minutes while adding four points and five assists. Yet, his impact was felt more outside of the stat book, as he brought physicality and pushed the pace of the game.

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Following the game, Wheeler spoke on the players that have emerged in Kentucky’s turnaround. “Those guys who’ve been playing the past couple of games are guys that have been winning games. That’s the group who went down to Tennessee and popped Tennessee,” Wheeler said.

Wheeler followed that up with a mature answer on accepting his new role.

“At the end of the day, we’re at Kentucky. I’m playing some really good players and sometimes that’s okay. You’ve got to learn to live with that and learn to grow from it and be mature about it because those guys deserve to play as much as anybody else. Those guys were fighting in practice, working their tails off, paying attention to detail, and they deserve that”

“Today, it was just my turn, my opportunity to kind of give us some energy and I did that but you’ve gotta give all the credit to these guys. They were the ones who were in there when I wasn’t available and we continue with that, and now we look pretty good.”

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With his play, Wheeler gained some much-needed confidence, which could be observed in his postgame interview. Yet, Coach Cal and his teammates knew that he had it in him.

“Sahvir was great tonight,” CJ Fredrick said. “He was the reason that we got up so big in transition. He was that ignite that we needed today.”

Fredrick also talked about how Wheeler leads the team as they try to “win every day”. “He comes in every single day with a leadership mentality, and he’s been ready to go and he was ready tonight, and he’s gonna continue to do that. He’s our guy. We have tremendous respect for Sahvir and that’s just the kind of guy he is. Every day brings it. You know, he’s been great in practice.”

Undoubtedly, the most heartwarming reaction came from John Calipari. “I kissed Sahvir. I’ve got sweat all over my face, I had to get a towel. I kissed him. I said, ‘I’m about ready to cry’. I know what he’s been through; you don’t.”

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Calipari continued, talking about the “team’ decision that was made to change the lineup.

“Now, you may have to come off the bench,” Calipari said of his message to Wheeler. “But so what? Doesn’t mean I don’t love you, I’m not for you, I won’t be there for the rest of your life as long as I’m living. But someone’s playing better, so they gotta be in. That’s team. Then you accept it and say, ‘I’m ready. What’s my role? I’m going to do this.’”

With Kentucky finding its stride, it is key for Wheeler to continue to come off the bench and have an effect on the game, something that Calipari said he was an “all-star” at on Tuesday.

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball Players Say They Think About Winning National Championship “Every Second”

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4 days ago

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November 18, 2024

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Kentucky basketball players celebrate after their big over Duke.
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The expectations at Kentucky are the highest of any school in the country, and there is good reason why. The winningest college program ever. Eight national titles, under five different coaches. Seventeen Final Four appearances. You get it, a lot of success.

Fans want the players to have those same expectations. Despite not having the elite talent or preseason hype of great Kentucky teams past, this year’s team still has their eyes set on doing something “people will remember forever”, winning a national championship.

Asked on social media, if hanging banner #9 was all the players thought about “every second”, Ansley Almonor had a response.

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“We do.”

It takes a lot to win a national championship, including some luck, but this team is certainly going to be loved for their desire to live out their dream of playing at Kentucky and their unselfishness. Those two things can take them a long way this season .

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Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart Seemingly Takes Shot at John Calipari, “Anybody Can Recruit”

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6 days ago

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November 16, 2024

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Mitch Barnhart sitting next to basketball coach John Calipari.
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John Calipari and Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart had their differences over fifteen years, but success can hide a lot of things. Not that they hated each other, but they each had vastly different personalities. As that success weaned towards the end of Calipari’s tenure, those issues started to be noticed publically.

If you need evidence of that, despite their efforts to dispute it, there is the infamous press conference where Barnhart talked about “entitled” coaches, shortly after Calipari publicly called for a new practice facility. Then, there were multiple times when Calipari expressed that the administration was not on the same page and that he was facing “headwinds”.

That said, Calipari is now at Arkansas, but those differences and some disdain remain. During an interview on the Kentucky Football pregame show, Barnhart seemingly took a shot at Calipari when asked about Mark Pope’s recruiting philosophy and prioritizing fit.

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“I tell people all the time, ‘Anybody can recruit, not everybody can evaluate,’” Barnhart said. “You can recruit. You can be phenomenal at bringing people to your program. But if it does not fit you, it’s really not helpful.”

Of course, Calipari is one of the best, if not the best, recruiters in college basketball history. At times, he prioritized talent and athleticism over fit.

Quite the coincidence.

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ESPN’s Jay Williams Gives Message to Kentucky Fans, “You’re Not Going to Like It…”

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7 days ago

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November 15, 2024

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ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Williams gives a message to Kentucky fans after the Wildcats win over Duke. "You won't like it."
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Back in April, opposing fanbases like Duke, told Kentucky fans to “cope with Pope” following the hire of Mark Pope and the corresponding initial shock. On Tuesday, those same fanbases had to watch as Mark Pope outcoached Jon Scheyer and Duke in the final minutes of the Champion’s Classic to get his first marque win in just his third game at Kentucky.

Of course, shortly after the game, Duke fans began to rationalize the loss by highlighting their team’s youth. While true, it sounded like an echo chamber of what Kentucky fans said for years under John Calipari. One notable example was former Blue Devil Jay Williams.

At halftime, while Duke was leading 46-37, Williams called this year’s Duke team the most talented since the 2001 team that he was a part of at halftime. To his credit, he complimented Kentucky on the comeback victory, specifically on their offense and maturity, but then 36 hours later he posted a message to Kentucky fans on social media.

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“Let me put you on to something,” Williams started. “Whether you like it or not, networks are going to sell Cooper Flagg. He’s going to be the number one pick in the draft. You’re going to talk about whether he won the or whether he lost the game, regardless of the outcome.”

“You’re not going to like it. There should be more kudos to Mark Pope and Kentucky,” Williams continued. “Regardless of whether you won the game or not, they’re still going to sell Cooper Flagg because he is selling the sport. Sorry.”

William’s statement is true. That said, it comes off as ‘sour grapes’ about losing. Cooper Flagg is a great talent and will likely be the first pick in the NBA Draft, but most Kentucky fans would say they would much rather have the win than the marketing.

Futhermore, Kentucky and its ‘brand’ has raised the level of multiple players and coaches, and will continue to do so. A deeper impact than Cooper Flagg will have on Duke in just one season.

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