Kentucky Basketball: 5 Takeaways from Wildcats' Early Practices
Despite the fact Kentucky football is off to a 5-1 start, the Commonwealth is still all ears when it comes to Kentucky basketball. Thanks to a couple early practices, football might be left in the rearview mirror as Big Blue Madness is set for this Saturday.
Kentucky has been on national television a handful of times already this year, despite the season not even getting started thanks to a trip to the Bahamas and a well-crafted idea by head coach John Calipari. With a team full of future pros, there are plenty of reasons to be excited for this Saturday when the season officially kicks off.
For now, though, we'll take a look at the five biggest takeaways from the Wildcats' early practices.
John Calipari Is the Smartest Coach in College Basketball
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John Calipari pulled arguably the greatest recruiting trick off when he decided to host a Kentucky-only combine in front of 90 NBA scouts this month.
Opening the doors to the NBA scouts and ESPN, the Wildcats made national headlines for having this sort of practice, which included his team going through various drills, a three-on-three game and a five-on-five game.
It proved yet again John Calipari continues to be the smartest coach in college basketball. He's a step ahead of everyone when it comes to recruiting. What top recruit won't want to at least take a visit to Kentucky if this a yearly combine?
Calipari continues to push his idea of a players-first school, in which he helps his players reach their ultimate dream of playing in the NBA. Other coaches may try to duplicate this process going forward, but with the talent Kentucky routinely has, there won't be any programs that can match what Calipari is doing here.
Tyler Ulis Will Be the Most Popular Player in Lexington
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Standing at only 5'9", freshman point guard Tyler Ulis isn't one of the names that pops into mind when thinking of future pros on this Kentucky roster. However, Chad Ford says that's not the case at all.
Being called the best basketball player on this team is quite an honor when you think about all the McDonald's All-Americans that Kentucky has in 2014-15. However, Ulis uses his basketball IQ to make him a better player.
Don't be surprised to hear the loudest claps in Rupp Arena when Ulis checks into a game or has his name called. He gets after opposing guards from a defensive standpoint and uses his size to stay low to the ground to help force steals on an errant dribble.
Offensively, he's a pass-first point guard who can also fill up the scoring section of the stat sheet. He has a good enough shot from outside that opposing defenders have to honor that but has a unique ability to finish at the rim as well despite his short stature.
Karl Towns Will Be the Favorite for the No. 1 Draft Pick
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When you're 7'0" and have the ability to stretch the floor with your shooting on top of an impressive trophy case that includes Gatorade High School Player of the Year, being the No. 1 draft pick kind of makes sense. At least that's how it is for Karl Towns.
Scouts came away from the combine with that thought too. Chad Ford again says in his column that right now Towns is his No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft.
He has an NBA-ready body and game, which has been the takeaway from Towns since he began playing on the Dominican Republic national team. He possess the ability to play in the post or stretch the defense as well as being an incredibly skilled passer for his size.
Defensively, he can protect the rim and expect him to be one of the leaders in most of the major statistical categories for Kentucky this season.
Derek Willis Will Be the Odd Man out
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There's a chance Derek Willis would see playing time for any other school in the country this year. However, at Kentucky he will be the odd man out with a roster full of talented big names in front of him.
Willis, a sophomore from Kentucky, has had fans clamoring for him to see more playing due to his shooting ability and the fact he's a local kid who is talented. But being the 11th or 12th man this year will cause him to see minutes only if there's serious foul trouble or in blowouts.
Even with a platoon system like Kentucky used in the Bahamas, Willis will be a backup on that. It might not be a total bad thing for Kentucky, though, as a year of battling talented players in practice will make Willis ready to break out during his junior year.
Andrew Harrison Is a Confident Leader
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There was criticism from Big Blue Nation for most of last year with the way Andrew Harrison conducted himself as a leader of the team. He was supposed to be the top point guard out of high school and the next great point guard under Calipari.
That didn't click right away though. However, when Kentucky began to make its run to the national championship game, something stuck out. Harrison was a different player. He began to play with more confidence and his mistakes began to diminish.
Expect a whole lot more of that Harrison as the 2014-15 season gets underway. In fact, the coaching staff has made it a point to publicly say that the Wildcats leadership falls directly on the shoulders of the sophomore point guard.
With a year under his belt and seeing the ebbs and flows of a college basketball season, Harrison should be ready to fire out of a cannon when the first game tips off. Coupled with the fact he has a serious challenger in Tyler Ulis for minutes this season, expect a more focused Harrison throughout the year.
