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Men's Basketball

Practice Report: October 11th, 2021

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3 years ago

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Photos by Chet White | UK Athletics

Yesterday, the media, NBA scouts, and Dominique Hawkins had the opportunity to take a closer look at the 2021-22 Kentucky basketball team (just wanted to clarify since we are a football school now). My first impression, I seen a better basketball product yesterday than at nearly any time last season, with the exception of the Florida/Keion return game.

Let’s take a dive into yesterday’s practice.

Injuries

The most notable news from yesterday’s practice was Sahvir Wheeler’s injury.

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Towards the end of practice, transfer guard Sahvir Wheeler suffered a left ankle injury. While the severity of the injury has yet to be announced, Wheeler was helped to the bench, not putting any weight on the ankle/leg initially. Later, he was helped to the locker room, putting minimal weight on the ankle but walking with the help of others.

Lance Ware did participate in Sunday’s UK Pro-Day, but yesterday Ware only took part in pre-practice shoot-around, not in any part of practice.

CJ Frederick and Jacob Toppin participated in parts of practice, but were limited as they did not participate in any contact drills.

Daimion Collins

A five-star McDonald’s All-American coming out of high school, Collins is a freakishly long and bouncy big man. With that being said, temper your expectations.

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Collins has the tools to be a great player and while I believe he will make an impact, especially with his 7’5 wingspan (third-longest in the Cal era and just 3/4 in. shorter than Anthony Davis), I do not anticipate for it to be soon.

Collins seemed to play a bit timid in practice, which will improve as he puts on more muscle, but more worrisom was seeing his thought process with some defensive rotations. The positive part, this can be corrected with good coaching and we have some of the best.

Shooting and A Rejuvenated Offense

I know it’s just a practice and we have heard it from Calipari a hundred times in the past, but this team can shoot the ball.

Kellen Grady, Dontaie Allen, Davion Mintz, CJ Frederick, and TyTy Washigton. That is a list of five consistent perimeter threats on this team and that is something that no other team in the Calipari era has ever heard. With that being said, that list doesn’t include the perimeter threats in the frontcourt.

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In terms of the frouncourt shooting, don’t expect Tshiebwe and Collins to contribute much in that category, but Bryce Hopkins, Keion Brooks, and Jacob Toppin were shooting with confidence. At one point, Hopkins made 18 of 20 threes in the five-minute shooting drill.

Leadership

This is undoubtedly the most experienced team Cal has had at his time at Kentucky and there are several players that could fit the role of leader. The three that stood out today were TyTy Washington, Keion Brooks, and Bryce Hopkins. They were the first ones to pick up their teammates.

That’s not to mention Sahvir Wheeler and Kellen Grady who had leadership roles with their previous teams and are capable of being leaders in their own right.

With so many players with leadership skills, I expect this team to hold each other accountable to a level we have not seen before with Cal. Furthermore, If one player is having a bad night, it is good to know that we have others that can lead and pick the team up.

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Other Notes

  • I am not sure if Coach Rob Strong or Sahvir Wheeler was the shortest man on the court.
  • Spurs’ scout was very old fashioned, as he was the only scout evalutaing the players with pen and paper only on the sideline for practice today.

The football team is the focus of the Commonwealth at the moment, but basketball season and the Kentucky Revenge Tour is just under a month away as the Cats will play Duke on Nov. 9th.

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Men's Basketball

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

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17 hours 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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Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball Receiving High Praise in Power Rankings, High as No. 2 According to One Analyst

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2 days ago

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November 14, 2024

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The Kentucky Wildcats are the early surprise of the college basketball season, receiving high praise after a big win over Duke.
Chet White | UK Athletics

It was different to see Kentucky ranked 23rd in the preseason AP Poll, their lowest since the 2008 season. However, a week and a half into the season, they are already climbing the rankings.

Jumping to No. 19 in the AP Poll and No. 18 in the Coaches poll this week, the Wildcats will take another good jump when the updated polls are released Monday, after defeating sixth-ranked Duke in the Champion’s Classic 77-72. They will likely fall in the 11-14 range.

That said, some analysts believe Kentucky is a top 10 team, including one from CBS that has them ranked as the SECOND best team in the country.

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Let’s take a look.

CBS

2. Kentucky Wildcats (3-0)

It took all of three games for Mark Pope to capture a signature victory at Kentucky. UK outlasted No. 6 Duke on Tuesday in the Champions Classic, nailing 10 3s in the win and downing Duke despite a huge game from Blue Devils freshman phenom Cooper Flagg.

ESPN

8. Kentucky Wildcats (3-0)
Preseason ranking: 23

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At halftime during the Champions Classic, it was fair to question whether Kentucky could consistently get points in a half-court setting against a strong opponent. Duke was keeping the Wildcats out of transition, and after an early barrage of 3s, the team’s attack had dried up. Then Mark Pope made some smart tweaks offensively, using Amari Williams and Brandon Garrison as playmakers in the middle of the floor, and Andrew Carr created matchup problems. The Wildcats answered a lot of questions with their second-half showing.

If the Wildcats are able to maintain this momentum and keep themselves high in the rankings, they will truly be one of the best stories of this college basketball season. A storied program, with a new coach and an entirely new roster.

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Men's Basketball

ESPN Anchor Discredits Kentucky After Win Over Duke, “They’ve Already Peaked”

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2 days ago

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November 14, 2024

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An ESPN anchor is discrediting Kentucky after their big win against Duke. "Where does Kentucky go from here? They’ve already peaked."
Chet White | UK Athletics

The Kentucky Wildcats are coming off of a statement win against Duke. However, many of the national stories shortly after the game were about Duke and Cooper Flagg. Now one SportsCenter Host, Shae Peppler, is even discrediting the Wildcats, suggesting they’ve already peaked.

“It’s only their third game of the season,” Peppler said. “You talk about how he [Pope] totally rebuilt this roster from scratch and did it in such a short time. Now where does Kentucky go from here? They’ve already peaked, it feels like.”

To his credit, former Duke guard Jay Williams took up for the Cats quickly after they defeated his alma mater the night before. “No, no, they’re not peaking. You have a team full of veterans that know how to play.”

Mark Pope said postgame that he will be keeping the team off of social media, to prevent them from getting too high or low. This is a perfect example of why.

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In just a few weeks, the Wildcats will have another big test as they take on the fourth-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs in Seattle. They will look to prove themselves right, and prove the doubters wrong, again.

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