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Amari Williams Impressing in Kentucky Basketball Practice, “He Will Be More Valuable Than We Thought”

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4 months ago

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Chet White | UK Athletics

Amari Williams was the first player to commit to Kentucky as Mark Pope took over as head coach back in April, but he has been a player that hasn’t been talked about much this summer. However, now a few weeks into practice, the Drexel transfer has caught some eyes and is garnering some praise.

According to the voice of the Wildcats, Tom Leach, who has been able to attend multiple practices, Williams reminds him of another former Wildcat big who was a three-time All-SEC selection.

“He impresses me as a taller version of Chuck Hayes,” Leach said. “He understands seeing the floor and will be more valuable than we thought.”

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Hayes played for the Wildcats from 2002-2005 and was notably named SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2005. Williams comes to Kentucky as a three-time Defensive Player of the Year winner in the CAA. Showing both share a pride in defense.

However, arguably the more impressive part of Hayes’ game was his passing ability. With 292 career assists he ranks second in Kentucky history in assists for any forward or center, and 21st overall. Mark Pope recruited Williams because he believes that he can play a similar role in his offense as a facilitating big.

Averaging less than two assists per game last season at Drexel, Williams’ assist rate shows a better story. With an assist rate of 18 percent, he ranked top 25 nationally for big men. As a junior in 2023, he had an assist rate of 21.3. Both of those numbers are better than Hayes’ best, who had an assist rate of 15.2 as a senior (the first season in which assist rate was recorded on Stat Reference), albeit on fewer minutes.

Pope also has a track record of taking good passing big men and refining those skills, helping the team and improving their numbers.

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Williams’ assist rate as a junior of 21.3 percent was equal to that of Aly Khalifa, who Pope brought in and with his offense, made the best passing big in the country in the country last season. Khalifa averaged 4.1 assists per game on a 33 percent assist rate for BYU, both of which led the country for centers.

“He’s one of the special passers in college basketball,” Pope said about Williams when he committed back in April. “Amari can make all of the reads, all of the passes, all of the plays and he fits into exactly what we want to do on either end of the court.”

Expect Williams to be a focal point of the offense this season.

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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."
ESPN

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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