by Alan Smith
Now that Kentucky basketball is back in the national limelight, many people on the national and local scene have been talking about the turnaround from last season. They have also been talking about the new head coach in town, a returning veteran player, and a good hard-working group of core players last year. Also, not to mention the stellar freshman class that has stepped onto campus in Lexington and is leaving footprints for future players to follow by raising the expectations. The one player UK fans had been raving about for so long was John Wall, who was expected to lead UK along with Patrick Patterson and return UK to the promised land. That fairy-tale ending has yet to be finished, or written for that matter. The national media caught on late to the hype and eventually boarded the John Wall Fanwagon. But they failed to look at the big picture, or at least the big person in the picture above, and realize that he is the one who has not only met but surpassed all expectations of himself and his teammates. Say hello to Demarcus Cousins.
Since signing with Kentucky in April, many UK fans had high hopes for the young freshman from Mobile, Alabama. Many critics though had pointed out that he had problems with his attitude and his work ethic. Even during this year’s Big Blue Madness, many people drew comparisons with former UK player Randolph Morris: a talented big man but had no motivation to work. Since then that has proved not to be the case. Although at times it seems that he might lose his cool, Coach Calipari has helped ease that. On ESPN, Cousins was quoted as saying that Coach Robic should be credited with helping him with his attitude during the game. He has had some close incidents in which his absence because of a stupid foul could have cost the Cats some games, but he has been fortunate thus far.
As far as his work ethic, it has been nothing but unbelievable at this point. He is averaging 16.4 points and 10 rebound per game. He has had six double-doubles in a row and ten so far this season. He has been the go-to-guy on offense more so than Wall or Patterson. And in the post he’s practically unguardable. He can get to the basket in a various amount of ways and scored every time. He leads the country in points and rebounds per minute. And at this point it’s simply astounding that he only plays a marginal portion of the game, sharing minutes with fellow freshman Daniel Orton and Patterson. If he has played more time and stayed out of foul trouble, he’d be averaging near 25-30 points and 15 rebounds a game. His draft stock is rising faster than Wall Street or John Wall on a fast break for that matter. He has been the target of his opponents and the opposing crowds every game, and he has managed to put that behind him and just play basketball.
So far, he is competing for: playing time with his fellow teammates, national spotlight with Wall and Patterson, SEC Player of the Year and National Player of the Year. Not only that, but he has been a target of criticism because of his “attitude”, or his lack thereof due to his competitiveness on the court. He has exceeded all of the expectations for himself and the freshman class. And has become a leader on the court along with Patterson and Wall. He is quite the example for the Player of the Year.
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