UK Basketball: The Season Begins With A Bang……And A Flop

Normally I have this nice big picture of the point of my articles and I share some whimsical quip about the subject matter and how I am going to get my point across later on. Not this time. At least not my first point. Because the fact is that Fox Sports South has a copyright on their logo. The Cats had their way with ETSU on Friday night and I really enjoyed watching it. All but the last 1:38. While savoring our play and lamenting on the small things we will need to get fixed before Maui, this orange blob comes on my screen with it’s arms stretched wide and it screams into the camera. I almost had a heart attack. Made me sick to my stomach. I am not sure who caused that particular little program glitch, but let me assure you, you have had your mulligan for this season. Don’t let it happen again. So much for the flop.

As for the bang, we saw a very efficient and organized team on the floor Friday night, and to be perfectly frank, it was what I expected to see. Coach Calipari has addressed concerns about toughness, rebounding, and overall intensity during the game in practice sessions since the Cats first exhibition matchup, and it seems to be working. Fresh off of the news the Enes had not been freed, the Cats went out and pushed a good ETSU team up and down the floor, pretty much at will. With another week to prepare the Cats and a stop off in Portland beforehand, I expect Maui to be a good trip for the Cats, and a hard fought one to boot.

We are going to see a lot of things from these Kittens early on. Cal has not hesitated to become the college basketball version of Sparky Anderson, and pulling guys quickly and constantly in and out of the game. The Cats stayed fresh throughout the contest, and Terrance Jones showed a fire reminiscent of DeMarcus Cousins as he took over the scoring and emotional leadership of the Cats in the second half.

Which leads me to what I think is going to be a key to this team. Brandon Knight is showing that he can be a leader. He makes better decisions each and every game. But this team needs a heart, and that heart has shown itself in Terrance Jones. His eyes got sharp and his face got stern in that second half. He saw what was a game of youth versus experience and turned it into a grudge match in his head. He seems to like playing with a chip on his shoulder much like Cousins. When he flipped that switch that Coach Cal seemed to install at halftime. That makes him a very dangerous man. He wants the ball when its time to play for the big money.

With the schedule we are going to have to play, we will need that fire to get us through tight games and out of tough situations. Every successful team has someone like that. They are not all the same, nor are they all predictable or always even controllable. But I like the way he responds to Calipari’s particular style of coaching. There were no bench outbursts, no yelling or screaming, just hard, intense basketball. Kentucky fans like that sort of play. They love to watch a player take over a game and make it their own.

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