CatsPause.com - Long Road Ahead

November 2, 2009

Matt May
CatsPause.com Senior Writer

John Calipari walked into Rupp Arena for his first game as Kentucky's head coach and couldn't believe the venerable old gymnasium was bursting at the gills for an exhibition game against a NAIA opponent.

Then he was nearly as taken aback by the way the Cats played in their first opportunity to lace up their Nikes against someone else. UK's 74-38 victory over Campbellsville wasn't unsightly by any means but it wasn't the rock 'em sock 'em affair many of the 21,384 fans probably expected either.

"When the popcorn is popping, the lights are turned on and people are screaming guys start playing a little different," Calipari said. "It was good, bad and ugly but again it was the first game. We just had a lot of guys who were a little bit tentative, which surprised me.

"I looked up with six minutes to go and a running, pressing team had 53 points. We've got a long way to go."

It wasn't as if UK failed to satisfy legions of fans who had waited seven months and one day since Calipari was hired to restore the program to its traditional place among the nation's elite. The Cats held the Tigers to 21.1 percent shooting, led 43-11 three minutes into the second half and controlled the proceedings for all but a short stretch midway through the final 20 minutes, but as Calipari had continually pointed out leading up the season there were plenty of sloppy moments along the way.

The work in progress Cats were all too willing to admit they're nowhere near being the type of outfit right now that they should be as the season moves forward.

"We've definitely got a long way to go and made a lot of mistakes but we're trying to take the best of it even though we all now we've got a lot of work to do," sophomore Darius Miller said. "Maybe not quite as many as we showed though so we know we're not where we are supposed to be."

Even through the disjointed play there was much to like about the latest batch of Cats. A heralded recruiting class didn't disappoint despite star John Wall sitting out as part of his conditional clearance from the NCAA for this season, doing most of the damage for the Cats until the closing minutes.

UK's newcomers scored 46 of the Cats' first 62 points and hauled in 26 of the first 40 rebounds in the rout, led by Darnell Dodson's 19 points and six rebounds. DeMarcus Cousins added 11 points, six rebounds and several rim-rattling dunks, while Eric Bledsoe and Daniel Orton also showed flashes of brilliance.

A day after telling reporters he wanted his team to play the type of suffocating, nasty defense his Memphis teams were known for Calipari watched the Cats hold Campbellsville to just 21.1 percent shooting, including a 3-of-31 start as UK built its 32-point lead. After scoring six points in the first five minutes of the game the Tigers managed only five over the next 18:40 of game clock. The statistical domination didn't impress Calipari.

"If they had 58 possessions we guarded 10 of them the way I want them to," Calipari said. "The problem was the other 48. They missed a lot of open shots, but there were other times I looked and said, 'That's exactly how I want them to play.'

Calipari's message wasn't lost on the players.

"We didn't play defense that well and have a lot to work on," freshman Daniel Orton said. "The main thing is we were all really silent and he wants us to be hopping around, talking and be active and we just weren't. We were worried about scoring and getting they're own buckets, but we'll get there. What's crazy is in practice we all talk so I really don't know what happened. We all just broke down."

As exhibitions go, the Cats seemed to get exactly what they wanted out of it - a decisive victory with a bevy of errors to learn from when they get back into the Joe Craft Center for practice. Even with all the kinks that must be worked out going forward UK left one basketball team shaking its head at the ultimate possibilities for the Cats.

"The main thing that surprised me is they're all freakish athletes," Campbellsville forward Joe Robinson said. "They don't have their chemistry as far down as they need to but they've only been practicing for two weeks. They're long, way long."

As long as the road the Cats must travel if they are to reach their desired destination.

Matt May is the basketball beat reporter for The Cats' Pause. If you have questions or comments about the Cats e-mail him here.

Kentucky NEWS

[More]

Latest Headlines:

Resources:

FEATURED PRODUCT