Kentucky Basketball: The Canada Trip and What it Means
by Glenn Logan on Aug 17, 2010 10:19 PM EDT
in Kentucky Wildcats Basketball
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PrintThe Kentucky Wildcats Tour of Canada ended with a 104-75 victory over the Windsor Lancers.
First off, a great big "Thank you!" to our Canadian hosts, who not only played hard, quality basketball but apparently treated the fans in attendance great. I could not be more pleased with the outcome, and our gracious hosts in Ontario are a big reason why. Thanks to all the natives of Ontario that made this trip such an unqualified success.
For the team, there isn't too much to take away from this that's truly substantive, but there are a few things:
- Brandon Knight is really good. No, let me restate that -- he is terrific. There was little doubt about that to begin with, but now, all doubt has been blasted away. Knight can score, dribble, run and jump at the highest level. And his leadership is already showing. In my judgment, he is likely to be a better college player than John Wall.
- An alien robot has inhabited the body of Darius Miller. There can be no other explanation for the transformation I have seen in his game. He looks like a world-beater.
- Doron Lamb is a classy player and can really score. I love his multi-dimensional talent. He got better with every game, and his confidence grew and grew.
- DeAndre Liggins is everything you could want in a player. He attacks the glass with a passion, he makes great decisions, and he defends harder than anyone.
- Josh Harrellson has progressed, but he is not quite there yet. He can be better than this, and he has little time to prove it and will face tough competition. I liked his hands, but he is still too soft around the rim.
- Stacey Poole Jr. has not quite figured it out yet, but he is a run-and-jump athlete with a lot of potential. He has a great attitude and work ethic, and he'll get into some games this year.
- Jarrod Polson has a chance to play this year. He is better than I thought. I'll wait to see him against good competition before making a final judgment about his potential, but he looked pretty good out there.
- Jon Hood got better each game. He still needs to be able to make the outside shot with consistency, but he has the kind of length and athleticism that will get him in games this year. He will contribute, but until his shooting form rounds out, he will be limited.
I really like what I saw, and it can only get better with the addition of Terrence Jones, Enes Kanter, and Eloy Vargas. Even though the teams UK played were not of the caliber of big-time college basketball in the USA, they were surprisingly talented and athletic.
I am revising my expectations upwards for this year's team. I think it can reach the top ten, and maybe even higher. These guys are really, really talented and skilled, and even though I have seen them all play at various times, they were a revelation in Canada. Brandon Knight, in particular, was even better than advertised, and he is going to be a nightmare for opponents in the Dribble Drive Motion, and on pick and rolls with Kanter and Jones.
This team has real potential, and my excitement about the potential of the 2010-11 Wildcats has taken a major upward revision. I know we can't take too much away from these extended practices, but we saw some things in this series that you just cannot teach. It is also remarkable how quickly they have embraced the DDM, and I could almost be said to be shocked at how good they looked at times, and how unstoppable the offense was. If they had been shooting well from the perimeter, it would have been otherworldly.
Of course, there was no zone allowed, and zones are going to be where this team separates itself from the pack. The DDM tends to bog down in a zone, and the first one they face will be the test of how well they will do.
Defensively, there were a lot of bad things, but there always are. You have to love their quickness, though, and how often they were able to steal the ball by poaching the passing lanes and grabbing or deflecting it in traffic, and I could not believe how they got on the floor after the ball. This team could be very good defensively, but their positioning in these games was abysmal, as most teams are this early.
Last year, it took about 2 months for the defense to gel. I wouldn't be surprised to see it take that long this year.
Overall, this was a great experience for Kentucky and puts them well ahead of the pack in preparedness for the season. I think John Calipari was right when he said this was the best $35,000 this school could have spent on the basketball team this year.
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The high praise is deserved-
These guys can ball…With Kanter, Jones, and Vargas in the mix, the sky is the limit. They seemed to be very focused. Their athleticism and quickness is unbelieveable. Darius Miller and DeAndre Liggins have become men and are leading by example. Brandon Knight looks to be a far better player than I was giving him credit for. So this is what the DDMO looks like. I loved last year’s team, but these guys are going to be awesome…
"You are what you are and you ain't what you ain't"
Kanter And Vargas
I hope K passes the NCAA Clearinghouse and V his academic hurdle to become eligible.
UK will need their 6-11 frames against Div I teams.
by FortyYearCatFan on Aug 18, 2010 6:50 AM EDT up reply actions
Clipped From AP Article Today
The victory came without three post players expected to provide Kentucky’s interior presence this season. Freshman Enes Kanter did not make the trip while the NCAA reviews his amateur status, freshman Terrence Jones sat out the final two games after an MRI indicated a stress fracture in one of his ribs and junior college transfer Eloy Vargas has yet to enroll at school.
by FortyYearCatFan on Aug 18, 2010 7:01 AM EDT up reply actions
Kanter and Vargas
FortyYearCat Fan, I always appreciate your comments.
However, Kanter has been cleared by the NCAA Eligibility Center with his academics, He is awaiting clearance on his playing for the pro team inTurkey. I forsee no problem because of the recent NCAA rule change on foreign players and foreign pro teams.
If Vargas completes his requirements for his Associates Degree at Miami-Dade, he will have no academic hurdles to his eligibility. If he does not meet those requirements, he will not be eligible.
I was in Windsor for the exhibition games, we will need both Kanter and Vargas. They are the missing pieces for another outstanding season.
By the way, been following the Cats since I was 9 years old……makes me a 52 year Cat fan. LOL!!!
Hope So (On Both)
Will NEED both to play Div I teams.
by FortyYearCatFan on Aug 18, 2010 11:25 AM EDT up reply actions
We probably won't here about Kanter's eligibility until October
AllBlueCat brought that up a few days ago and it makes perfect sense. Didn’t UK get Wall’s status in October, last year? Apparently the NCAA is currently working on football, first.
I would bet Kanter will sit a few games, just so the guys up in Indy can show UK who is in charge.
No matter where you're at, there you are
These things always take a while
especially when your dealing with an athlete from a foreign country. No conspiracy … this time:)
Excellent summary of the Cats trip to Windsor!
After watching these guys play over the last three days I am really excited about the 2010-11 season.
Obviously this was not upper echelon competion but they were well coached, played hard and didn’t back down from a superior UK team.
Despite their youth, a lack of a full squad and the fact that this is August, these guys really seemed to play under control, good solid basketball. Very impressive! Now not every possesion looked flawless but all-in-all I was extremely happy with what I saw.
Knight is the real deal, this kid is going to be fun to watch lead this team, Miller has tranformed into a guy playing w/o the hesitation that has seemed to plague him his first two years and Liggins was a beast, constant hustle on D and showed the ability to get to the rim whenever he wanted. I loved the play out of these three guys!
October/November just can’t get here fast enough!
Great Teaser for a Great Season
Knight is going to put up a better stat line than Wall. I’m pretty much sure of that. Knight is just more of a college player than Wall, while Wall’s speed boost is crucial in the NBA, Knight’s ability to score is worth so much more in the college game. I know people are saying not to compare the two, but it’s hard not to. Just like it will be hard to not compare Kanter to Cousins and even Jones to Patterson.
Miller has the potential to have a superb season this year. Last year the SF position was the team’s weakest mainly due to a lack of an immense talent or an experienced player. Miller is gaining the experience and showing a good amount of talent in doing it. After these exhibitions I’d think a lineup of Knight – Lamb/Liggins (depending on Offense/Defense) – Miller – Jones – Kanter could be one of the strongest overall 5 in the nation.
All good comments. And I agree.
I was totally shocked at how Miller played the post. He reminded me so much of Chuck Hayes and Dan Issel. Of course there are pivot men on the schedule that he won’t be able to match up with. But it won’t be because of a lack of heart.
This year’s team has a really good group of 3 point shooters. Eventually they will have a
game where 3 or 4 of them are knocking the bottom out of the basket. Then it’s rock-a-bye baby.
I thought Jorts played extremely well most of the time. He still needs to take the ball to the hoop more agressively. His rebounding and shot blocking were super and he can play defense. For a player who has never started, and if we get Kanter he still won’t, the young man has picked up his game very well.
Very, very nice to be a Big Blue fan!
Happy days are here again,
The skies are Wildcat Blue again,
We've got the best recruits again,
Happy days are here again.
Ditto
I couldn’t agree more with your analysis. I will be anxious to see the growth on defense and if this team can protect the ball against quality competition and if their confidence level and effort remains so high. Looks like Wildcat fansmay be in for another fun year.
Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.
Good pair of guards
I think Knight and Lamb are going to compliment each other really well. There won’t be a better pair of guards in the country and it will be a real luxury to have Liggins at the same position. That will be our strong suit. I suspect our biggest weakness will be a lack of depth in the post. Nonetheless, it should be another fun year.
Vaught And Clay: Canadian Insight
Knight may have played too well.
Terrence Jones is tough.
Kenny Payne pays dividends.
Ten observations+.
"When the people fear their government, you have tyranny. When the government fears the people, you have liberty." — Thomas Jefferson
I don't even think
the games would of been fair if we had the whole team in Canada. These guys are much more business like. You could call them more mature. I don’t think we will have all of the nail biters we did last year. Knight and Lamb are a very nice guard combo and should not have any problem replacing Wall and Bledsoe. Kantner if eligible and if he his all that we are hearing should do nicely replacing Big Cuz. Jones and Miller could be as good as Patterson and Miller last year. The bench will be the key with Liggins and Vargas being the first two off the bench with Hood being the third guy in. This team could be every bit as good as last year just because of the maturity level. I am going to go drink some kool aid if you all don’t mind.
Grasslands
I have seen some clips of Kanter when he played in some sort of world competition for his age group. Believe me, he’s the real deal. An absolute monster around the basket. When he got the ball in the paint, it was “Try and stop me now baby.” Haven’t had a chance to see Vargas but what I’ve read about him is extremely positive.
Happy days are here again,
The skies are Wildcat Blue again,
We've got the best recruits again,
Happy days are here again.
ASOB
Congrats on making the front page of CBS Sports Mens Basketball
Hey, thanks.
I didn’t even know it happened. :-)
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
I'm thinking
Truzenzuzek needs to start using his real name. Matt what’s his name should drink his chocolate milk and lay down for his nap. Let the adults do the UK analysis.
No matter where you're at, there you are
Yeah ...
… I do need to do that. I just haven’t gotten around to doing it yet. It will happen, though.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
you could start
using your “real” picture right now. That wouldn’t take too much time or effort and would really help people identify with you. ; )
New ESPN 2011 Rankings
Gilchrist #1, Rivers 2, Teague 3, Davis 12…12?, Benahan 73.
"When the people fear their government, you have tyranny. When the government fears the people, you have liberty." — Thomas Jefferson
Don't Like That One?
Try MaxPreps. Gilchrist still #1 but Davis 6, Teague 9 and Benahan 51.
"People unfit for freedom -- who cannot do much with it -- are hungry for power. The desire for freedom is an attribute of a 'have' type of self. It says: leave me alone and I shall grow, learn, and realize my capacities. The desire for power is basically an attribute of a 'have not' type of self." — Eric Hoffer
How About Behanan?
Who’s the Benahan guy?
(j/k)
by FortyYearCatFan on Aug 18, 2010 3:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes, BEHANAN Is
But there is no one named Benahan.
by FortyYearCatFan on Aug 18, 2010 10:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Move Over Erin Andrews
There’s a new sideline superstar: Dom Papa! Facebook, Twiiter et al. Like the Cats, Dom got better as the series progressed — or perhaps it’s just that my standards were compromised.
"When the people fear their government, you have tyranny. When the government fears the people, you have liberty." — Thomas Jefferson
3 pt. shooting still a problem
In Canada, only Miller really shot the 3 well, 9-15. Hood, so-so, 3-8. Lamd, not too bad, 4-10. The others were terrible. Knight, 4-15. The only real negative on his play there. But, we also didn’t defend the 3 well, IMO. Hardware torched us time and again.
This team should be very good next year, but will have the same probs in the tourney. Hey, let the games begin! GO BIG BLUE!
Way too early
to come to that conclusion.
I woke up feeling BLUE this morning. It's gonna be a great day.
I agree...
but then I think it’s way too early to come to pretty much any of the conclusion above. ;-)
Granted, it's only 3 games
But the similarities to last year’s team make me nervous. Very athletic, but not good shooters. These guys may not see a man defense all year. We’ll see come March. I guess.
by bigbill992001 on Aug 19, 2010 4:40 AM EDT up reply actions
I think this is a better shooting team than last
but we’ll have to wait and see. I think it’s so early and guys are not quite in shape yet, trying to play at a very fast pace.
Knight is a much better shooter than he showed.
So is Lamb, and Jones is a good perimeter shooter.
Three point shooting is one of those things that gets a lot better with regular practice. I guarantee we will be fine from the three this year. Put it out of your mind. :-)
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
I'll stand with Big-Blue-Justice here.
Guys,
To suggest Knight is a better shooter than he showed in 3 games is probably unrealistic. Yes, he will get better. Yes, the team will get better. But the competition will also get significantly better. SEC and other high caliber opponents will bring a defensive speed and intensity that Knight has never seen.
lol man wall heard that exact
same stuff…who was #1 in nba draft again ?
"UK isn't a choice, you're born bleeding blue"
by kentuckywild on Aug 20, 2010 6:08 AM EDT up reply actions
Kentuckywild - With all due respect...
John Wall shot 55.9% over his first 3 games against the likes of Morehead, Miami (Oh), and Sam Houston – (Teams I content are comparable to Windsor and Western Ontario). Wall ended up shooting 46.1% for the entire season.
If Wall heard, “The competition will get better and your shooting will decline,” I’d say those people knew what they were talking about.
with all due respect
all we heard was how wall was not going to be able to dominate the game once he got to sec play and played higher caliber teams but yet he did… him having a drop in fg% is to be expected considering you miss more shots as the season takes its toll.. wall hadn’t seen that type of defense and intensity either but still was the most dominant pg last year…. not comparing knight to wall just saying we heard that same stuff and if knight did half of what he did durning this trip in sec play then ill be happy
"UK isn't a choice, you're born bleeding blue"
by kentuckywild on Aug 21, 2010 5:20 PM EDT up reply actions
i agree with 99% of every ones comments
except that our defense was lacking… thought our d looked darn good for having this be their fist time out… our guards were swarming and the only bad spots were giving up back door cuts which is pretty hard to defend when no zones were available.. add jones vargas and kanter and this team like last year has tons of potential … also it seemed we missed mor outside shots and freethrows from a fatigue factor… i believe this team will be better then last years in those catagories, also before this trip all i heard was knight wasnt as fast as wall, and he might be just a tad slower but it didnt show to me.. he was a lil bit more in control with his dribble then wall and i love his tony parker like tear drop shot…man watch out we need to call him knightqyl because he is going to put uk’s rivals to sleep
"UK isn't a choice, you're born bleeding blue"
I think the effort was there on D.
What was lacking was getting in proper defensive position. That comes with practice.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
also i can see a few different line ups this year
that uk could possibly work with…
knight, lamb, liggins miller, kanter
knight, liggins, miller jones, kanter
knight, lamb, miller jones, kanter
and with a combo of liggins,, lamb, poole, vargas, harrelson, hood coming off the bench then this uk team will actually be deeper and a more complete team then last years uber talanted group.. no key up the pointer sisters …" im so excited, and i just cant hide it
"UK isn't a choice, you're born bleeding blue"
now key up *
"UK isn't a choice, you're born bleeding blue"
by kentuckywild on Aug 19, 2010 6:56 AM EDT up reply actions
UK Basketball in August....The Differences
I had on a UK tee with a pair a shorts not a UK sweatshirt and my beloved UK flannel pants.
I was telling myself that I should be outside mowing the grass and not telling myself I should be outside shoveling snow from the driveway.
Because it’s August I wasn’t a wreck of nerves and cursing the refs. This time I was calm and cursing the refs.
And I really think,based on what I saw,this team is going to be very good and very fun to watch.
A SEA OF BLUE mentioned on ESPN,
“Which is all well and good. Kentucky fans should be super excited about Knight’s inherent ability; he appears ready to step on Kentucky’s campus and seamlessly take John Calipari’s point guard reins. Some exuberance is warranted.
Still, exuberance exists on a fine line between “warranted” and “irrational,” and Big Blue fans are already veering dangerously toward the latter. From the always-thoughtful Cats fans Truzenzuzex at A Sea of Blue: "
Yeah.
I appreciate Eamonn’s link, as always.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
Miller Lead Us
Glad to see Miller embracing the leadership role.
by Wildcat Wearhouse on Aug 19, 2010 3:17 PM EDT reply actions
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