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John Calipari to Emphasize Defense the Rest of the Season, “It Will Be 70% of What We Work On”

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10 months ago

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Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari reacts during the first half against the Marshall Thundering Herd at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center.
© Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Kentucky has struggled mightily on defense this season. After having a rough two-week stretch losing to South Carolina, Florida, and Tennessee, the main focus is now improving defensively. That is something that John Calipari said will be the focus from here on out.

“The emphasis for the rest of the year…. 70% of it will be defense,” Calipari said on Tuesday night after Kentucky’s win at Vanderbilt. On his weekly radio show on Wednesday, Calipari stressed that focus even more. “If you’re hurting us defensively, you can’t be in,” adding that players have been holding each other accountable.

A big issue on the defensive end has been defending the perimeter, as the Wildcats have given up ten or more three-pointers in four of their last five games, which include three losses. “We gotta guard the three-ball better,” Calipari said. “We shoot it so well, that should be our advantage. We can’t be even.”

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Kentucky being the top three-point shooting team in the country, shooting better than 41 percent on the season, they should have a significant advantage in that area for most games. With a little more discipline on defense, they can.

Another focus of Calipari’s will be winning the 50/50 balls. “If you’re not diving on that floor, I’m taking you out,” he said to his team before the Vanderbilt game. Of their six losses, the Wildcats have led or were within one score at the end of the game. While it’s easy to blame poor late-game execution, you could also point to lost possessions. Extra possessions can certainly win or lose close games, and as good as Kentucky is on offense, they can capitalize on extra possessions as well as anyone in the country.

Given Kentucky’s defensive struggles, Calipari’s acknowledgment and comments are promising to hear. With an elite offense, ranked 5th in KenPom efficiency, the defense doesn’t have to be at that level, but it has to be much better than 104th. As Calipari said it’s about getting “8-10% better every and going from there.

If Kentucky can figure the defense out, it could even improve their already great offense. A big part of why Rob Dillingham has played really well of late is his defense. “The biggest thing that’s helped him, is he’s defending better. He’s taken on pride of defending,” Calipari said. As much as this team likes to get out in transition, getting stops and rebounding, can create even more of those opportunities.

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Men's Basketball

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

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3 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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Men's Basketball

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

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5 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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6 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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