Kentucky Wildcats 95, Windsor Lancers 62: Postmortem
by Glenn Logan on Aug 15, 2010 9:45 PM EDT
in Kentucky Wildcats Basketball
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PrintWell, it's a little strange writing a postmortem in August, but once every four years isn't really that bad.
I think we pretty much saw what we would expect to see from a summer basketball game -- some good, some bad, some ugly, and some downright silly. Overall, though, I thought the players that were able to play gave a good effort, tried to play as a team and tried to execute the Dribble Drive Motion about 90% of the time.
This team, at least as constituted tonight, could not possibly be more different than last year's team. There was no Big Cuz dominating the paint, no Patrick Patterson intimidation, no Daniel Orton swats (although Josh Harrellson did block a surprising number of shots). This team has a completely different vibe from the sometimes surly but fun-loving Wildcats of 2009.
No, this team was all business. You saw very little high-fiveing, no 10,000 watt smiles, none of that. What we saw on the court, demeanor-wise, was very serious, very focused (for August), and very ... well, professional, at least in attitude.
Observations:
- Brandon Knight is really good. He has a lot of Wall-esque characteristics in the way he pushes the ball, but he isn't really a one-man fast break like Wall was. But he shoots the ball much better, and I think he handles it better than Wall, particularly in traffic. Knight got beat too often after trying to swipe the ball.
- We didn't get to see much of Terrence Jones, and I doubt we will see him much in the next two games. But in his short stint, he did a couple of impressive things. He can really handle the ball for a man his size.
- Doron Lamb really impressed me. He isn't like Knight and isn't likely to be one and done, but he has a great feel for the game and really ran the point nicely when he took that spot. He is a pesky defender and caused a lot of trouble for the Lancers with his quick hands and feet.
- Josh Harrellson looked good. Not great, but good. I think he may be a serviceable backup for Kanter.
- Darius Miller is a lot better, and I think he can get even better still. He seems much bigger, thicker and somehow more athletic than last year. He is unquestionably stronger, and looked very confident on the floor. He also got beat off the bounce too often.
- Stacey Poole has the furthest to go of the freshmen I saw, but he did have some good moments on defense and his energy never seemed to let up.
- DeAndre Liggins looked totally at home in the DDM. He slashed and attacked constantly, and showed the new kids what to do. He is becoming a leader, as hard as that is to believe, and his defensive energy was the same as last year.
- Jon Hood looked good. Not great, but good. I liked his rebounding, I liked the way he ran the floor, but he has to develop more consistency with his jump shot. He got beat off the dribble way too often.
Overall, this was a good exhibition and I learned some things about this team and the players. To me, it looks like they have embraced the DDM, and are attacking it with and almost grim determination. Unlike last year's team, there is very little celebration on good plays and not a lot of smiling and cutting up. I don't think that's necessarily good or bad, just different. It will be interesting to see what the extra dimension of talented big people will bring to the team when Kanter and Vargas are able to participate.
It's fairly obvious that these guys aren't quite comfortable with each other yet, but hopefully that will come. I am most pleased with the effort and level of skill we saw, less so with defensive positioning and communication, but those things are always the last to the party.
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He's really good.
I knew he would be, but I always like to see it for myself. He handles the ball better than John Wall. Not as fast, though.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
by Glenn Logan on Aug 15, 2010 10:05 PM EDT up reply actions
I am
willing to give up a little speed for 0 turnovers.
I woke up feeling BLUE this morning. It's gonna be a great day.
kywineman
Right. That was one of the principles of BB that A. Rupp demanded.
Happy days are here again,
The skies are Wildcat Blue again,
We've got the best recruits again,
Happy days are here again.
turnovers
I thought many of Bledsoe’s turnovers last year were because he was trying to be as quick as Wall and he would get himself in trouble. Like Wall, Knight seems to have a great feel for taking what the defense gives him. He blew through some really small holes to split the defenders. Wall was a master at that. Knight seem to have a great shot as well which makes him really tough to defend.
Bad FB News
WR Gene McCaskill out for season with ACL. Fortunately there is depth at WR.
"When the people fear their government, you have tyranny. When the government fears the people, you have liberty." — Thomas Jefferson
I had a bad feeling about that injury.
Bummer.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
by Glenn Logan on Aug 15, 2010 10:05 PM EDT up reply actions
they had a serious look about them tonight...
i think this trip will be very beneficial for the team’s growth.
Slower Traffic Keep Right!
I think
that the TV announcers were the worst I have ever seen. Talked more about themselves than about the game.
I woke up feeling BLUE this morning. It's gonna be a great day.
Yeah they did.
I agree with you.
Happy days are here again,
The skies are Wildcat Blue again,
We've got the best recruits again,
Happy days are here again.
My Postmortem
I posted most of this in the game thread, just after half time. Not much changed by the end of the game, but i did add some thoughts.
I like Josh and he works/plays hard, but i am afraid all of harrelson’s PT will be in the great white north once enes gets qualified and vargas is playing. hope i am wrong
Hood will be one of biggest beneficiaries of dodson not being back. Still not convinced he gets a lot of pt. however, as the game wore on, he seemed to belong. he did get beat off the dribble quite a bit.
Knight more under control than wall was (i guess zero to’s make me caption obvious). He may not be as fast, but he is as quick – sort of like bledsoe without the turnovers. When i could bear to listen to the annoucers, one comment i though was interesting was that they said wall looked for the assist more, but knight looked for the score. neither good nor bad, but interesting. We need to stop comparing him to Wall, but i guess that is natural.
FTs still an issue (except for knight). scary since cal has made a big deal about practing them – maybe he needs to get macy off the color comentary and on the coaching floor
also steals will be play a bigger role and blocks a lesser role. as was discussed on the game thread, steals will probably lead to more points.
Miller is looking more and more like a leader. Liggins is looking more and more like an elite college basketball player (maybe not AA, but all SEC). at least one will stay for his senior year and it will prove huge for leadership
none of the other freshmen really stood out – probably because i was still trying to figure out who was who. i guess i could rewatch the tivo, but will probably clear out the space and get ready for tomorrow night….
ultimately, i believe depth will hurt us at least one game maybe two this year…..
only one rule in my house - uk has to be your favorite college bball team
by memphis wildcat on Aug 15, 2010 11:13 PM EDT reply actions
It is natural
to compare Knight to Wall just like we compare last years team to this one. What will be unfair is to expect Knight to be Wall. I loved Wall but this one game already makes me feel that Knight might be more efficient in running the team. Time will tell.
I woke up feeling BLUE this morning. It's gonna be a great day.
Knight seems to have a more complete skill set ...
… and less naked size and athleticism.
But not a lot less.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
Macy And Minniefield
Both great PG at UK.
Very different skill sets.
Perhaps Wall and Knight, too?
by FortyYearCatFan on Aug 16, 2010 10:52 AM EDT up reply actions
talent vs. experience
Living in Canada I can’t make a valid comparison between John wall and Brandon Knight, seeing it on tv and watching live isn’t a valid basis, i mean on tv you can watch the same play from different andgle and in slow moton, I’ll leave that to others.
What i saw tonight was a Windsor team which has two freshmen and three fifth year players take on a Kentucky team only 5 players were are not freshmen on the games roster. In the first half The Lancers kept it close, even taking the lead momentarily a couple of times, while Kentucky struggled to work out their team play.
The second half saw Kentucky start to figure out what they were supposed to be doing, and especially on defence, and the talent started to bury experience. They proceeded to put on a clinic.
Windsor had no one who could handle Brandon Knight, as shown by his stats, and when he switched it into high gear they had to let him have his shot or foul him.
Jon Hood blossomed as the game went on and was instrumental in the second half on both ends of the fast break, both in clearing the rebound and feeding others, and racing down the court and being fed in return.
Josh Harrellson was a big presence in the paint, keeping in mind the paint in Canada is the international basketball shape, not the typical rectangle of the American game. And no one on the Windsor team could hope to move him, their biggest player is only listed at 220#.
Even Jarrod Polson got some good minutes at the end of the second period, and once he got over the feeling he should pass everytime he got the ball, he scored , got a rebound and at least one assist, much to the pleasure of the Kentucky fans.
The 2500 fans were mostly in Blue, and will probably be the largest crowd the U of W Lancers will have all season prior to the CIAU playoffs. For Kentucky it will be the smallest crowds they see all year no doubt. Many of the Kentucky fans were really pleased having tickets for three games at $10.00 @, and not a seat which would be out of the lower bowl area of Rupp. My seats were in the first row of the North bleachers, which actually made them the third row, as there were two rows on the floor reserved for the handicapped in front of me. I only wish I could get free to go to the other two games (sigh).
by blenheim bard on Aug 16, 2010 12:15 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
blenheim bard...
Excellent observations. Hood is a lot quicker and more agressive on the boards than I at first thought. Coming out of HS that was one of his biggest assets. At 6’ 6" he plays much taller on the boards. It’s nice to see a “good old Ky. boy” doing so well.
Knight was in a zone. Just couldn’t be stopped. We are very blessed to have gotten him. And just think, they are only going to get better.
Go Big Blue!
Happy days are here again,
The skies are Wildcat Blue again,
We've got the best recruits again,
Happy days are here again.
I know it's only August....
and it was only exhibition/practice,but I was VERY impressed. Knight is really,really good. Maybe not as quick as Wall but I think he will be more of an offensive threat and fewer turnovers. Lamb is sneaky good and Hood really impressed me. I think he can help coming off the bench. You are right about Miller. He looked HUGE and even taller. He shot the ball well too. Liggins was great and no question the dribble drive is a perfect fit for him. And the dribble drive is a perfect fit for this entire team. Overall I think they are much quicker and more athletic than last years team. I loved the lineup with I believe Knight,Liggins,Lamb,Hood and Miller. Super quick.
He may be quicker than Wall.
But end to end, nobody in the history of the game is as fast as Wall with the ball in his hands, in my opinion.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
Wall was faster ...
… with the ball in his hands than anyone in college basketball was without it.
That is what a seminal talent looks like.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
Wall was faster....
I also believe that Knight is more mature in his fundamental knowledge of the game than JW. Zero, in the case of TOs, couldn’t be more perfect. He, Knight, looks like he is all that he was said to be.
Happy days are here again,
The skies are Wildcat Blue again,
We've got the best recruits again,
Happy days are here again.
Windsor POV
Christmas in August for UK fans.
"When the people fear their government, you have tyranny. When the government fears the people, you have liberty." — Thomas Jefferson
Great link Weasel
I am proud to be a lifetime member of the crazy Wildcat fan group. ’-)
Blue... there is no other color to Bleed !!!
+1 Thanks for the link
It was a good article — Basketball is to Kentucky as Hockey is to Canada. I am glad Cal chose Windsor for the “international tour”.
On a side note… tonight the dvr will be set for three hours! A good portion of the game got cut off at 2 hours.
Not complaining. Getting UK Basketball, in Ohio, in August! Ho Ho Ho.
No matter where you're at, there you are
Hey, Tru!!!
great description…“seminal talent”!!!…a whole different look out there last night…more pulled together and pro, IMO…but boy did UK need the look those kids gave us last year!!!…perfect timing…now we move onward and upward!!!
"Get your facts first, then you can distort them as much as you please."...Mark Twain.
What if I happen to like
10,000 watt smiles and fun-loving Wildcats? You all know I like to see the team having FUN!! :-)
I know…..winning usually generates fun too.
Blue... there is no other color to Bleed !!!
Nerves
Given what Cal said about Brandon almost throwing up before the game because of nerves, I would imagine that went for most of the team.
Hard to say what their chemistry will be from this early look.
I imagine that the next two games will show more now that they have the first-game jitters out of the way.
Great breakdown as always Tru!!
What a day to be a sports fan!!!
First, get to watch a pretty good PGA won by another guy no one’s ever heard of…….see another guy screwed by another silly rule of golf…..COME ON Tiger & Phil, we NEED you guys!!
Get to see a good NASCAR race where it looked like my boy JG would come from the back to win until he cut a tire….at least Harvick won and not the golden boy.
See a couple of NFL preseason games and again wonder why they play these things…..bet the Dallas running back totally agrees with that!! Later watched a DVR of the HBO Jet’s series and wondered if Rex Ryan would be able to string two sentences together without using a cuss word.
Finally get to watch our beloved Cats play b-ball in AUGUST and look pretty good doing it. They weren’t playing Duke but I think everyone will agree that a 30 point road win is pretty good against anyone.
Days like yesterday was why the good Lord made recliners and large screen TV’s!!! GO CATS!!!
You can't fix "stupid"!
Off Topic, On Topic (UK)
CoachCal.com got a face lift. You might want to give it a look. It’s been pretty much dead all summer so it may have sunk lower on your list of UK bookmarks.
And its free. Good thing, too. It was not worth the money when ASOB, KSR, NationofBlue, etc. are out there.
Actually, that might be a good thread one day — what are the worthwhile UK fansites? Heck, I still stumble upon a site that many of you folks probably knew about for years.
No matter where you're at, there you are
here's a link
http://www.coachcal.com/2010/08/13/coachcal-com-relaunches-for-new-season-with-new-partner/
No matter where you're at, there you are
Thanks cincy!
I can’t tell you the last time I went to the old (digiiii something ;-)) site. Checked my bookmark for CoachCal.com and it works.
But only ASoB gets checked (almost daily), even if I am mobile only. :-)
Blue... there is no other color to Bleed !!!
Heh.
Thanks so much for reading us. It is appreciated.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
Much better.
Cleaner. Less gimmicky. More about content than glitz.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
DVR'd it, haven't watched it yet
So…yeah…
Then it comes to be that the soothing light at the end of your tunnel, is just a freight train coming your way...
Polson and Dodson
Maybe overlooked with the basketball games, is that Polson was given a scholarship last week. Would one assume that this is Dodson’s, since three were already given to incoming 2011 players? What’s the story here?
UK Had 3 Open Scholarships
Polson got 1 of them.
by FortyYearCatFan on Aug 16, 2010 1:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Good for him.
He looks like he can play a little.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
I did a whole article on this over at wildcatbluenation
but here are my points FWIW
1) Knight is not faster than John Wall, but don’t ask me to use a stopwatch to figure the difference. My fingers don’t move that fast.
2) This team can play small ball, we just have to be ready to watch it because I believe the rest of the team is faster than last year.
3) And although they are faster, they play more under control.
4) Assuming all things remain equal, this team will not beat itself. You may beat them, but they will not do it for you.
5)When the rest of this team gets on the floor, we will be one very nasty team to face, freshmen or not, these guys are very talented.
6) Terrence Jones REALLY wants to be out on that floor. If Miller and Hood want playing time, they will have to fight for it.
7) Liggins has a new nickname. Tenacious D. Because he plays it like a man possessed. He may also qualify for the name Slash. If you did not see it, I couldn’t do it justice, if you did, explanation is not necessary.
8) The DDMO is very fun to watch when it is played correctly. Assuming you do not blink or try to read the numbers on those practice jerseys…..Sheesh!!!
9) In Canada, even walk-ons are hard to handle. Polson is a very quick guard. Plays a little out-of-control, but very quick.
10) I hate to say it, but I was begging for more commercials last night. Listening to Baker and Macy is a really tough assignment when they have to fill like they did last night. And those UK infomercials were horrible Kyle. You’re a veteran…..step it up.
Was the radio any better? I may be forced to go old school on this trip and pull a Cawood on the guys to keep my sanity.
I AM THE CAT......The Cat In The Hat!!!
I don't know
why everyone is knocking Dave Baker and Kyle macy. I like their talk. It’s much better than a lot of canned sports talk that we here from others. One note, has Tom Leach gained weight? The game was more than I expected from such a young team. They are going to be exciting.
Happy Days are here again! Wildcat's have #1 recruiting class again!
I'm sorry oldcat.....I just got really bored with them really quick last night.....its the first
game of the year, but maybe they can shake the rust off. Listening to them talking about what they drove up there, which I assume was another attempt at an infomercial of sorts was just bad. They didnt even get a new car from Paul Miller Ford??? I was really hoping to get some better insights on the players and their opponents to tell you the truth.
I AM THE CAT......The Cat In The Hat!!!
thought the same thing on the ford....
you would think they could have at least gotten a 2010 or 2011….
only one rule in my house - uk has to be your favorite college bball team
by memphis wildcat on Aug 16, 2010 1:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Had the same thought about Leach 70. They
were showing Cal a lot in the second half and in one shot…Leach looked huge. Maybe it was just an unflattering shirt!!;-)
You can't fix "stupid"!
When you are watching
a game with new faces and impossible to read numbers, the sportscasters are your only hope of keeping up with the game. Those guys dropped the ball terribly. They rambled on and on about meaningless drivel while the game went on and I got extremely frustrated with them. They failed their job performance miserably.
I woke up feeling BLUE this morning. It's gonna be a great day.
Per Coach Cal's Facebook
Terrence Jones has a stress fracture in his rib. I put a fan post up about it.
Of course its difficult, its a shortcut... if it was easy it'd just be "the way."
@ Memphis Wildcat
“ultimately, i believe depth will hurt us at least one game maybe two this year…..”
We will be as deep as any team in the NCAA. Its August! Some of these posts act like we are in the middle of the season? We have had what 14 practices and we should be a fine tuned machine? RELAX WE WILL BE FINE. Looking forward to tonight. Lets watch the development of these new Cats and enjoy the season. Its going to be a fun ride. DDO will be in full effect. Too much talent. REEELLAAAAXXX………….
@ Memphis Wildcat
“ultimately, i believe depth will hurt us at least one game maybe two this year…..”
We will be as deep as any team in the NCAA. Its August! Some of these posts act like we are in the middle of the season? We have had what 14 practices and we should be a fine tuned machine? RELAX WE WILL BE FINE. Looking forward to tonight. Lets watch the development of these new Cats and enjoy the season. Its going to be a fun ride. DDO will be in full effect. Too much talent. REEELLAAAAXXX………….
Well... we are 3 scholarships short of a full load
Yes, we’ll likely have an 8 man rotation when it all settles itself out; but that’s still a lot of holes in the roster.
Of course its difficult, its a shortcut... if it was easy it'd just be "the way."
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