Alabama Slamma Fallout: Was it Calipari's coaching or the "Freshman Factor"?
By Paul Jordan
The fallout continues from the Kentucky Wildcat’s stunning loss to the 10-7 Alabama Crimson Tide on Tuesday night. No, I’m not talking about the media created mother bleeping controversy. Watch that Saint Coach K and see how many expletives he throws out a game. I am talking about the shots that are being taken at John Calipari and his coaching.
John Clay had a link yesterday to a Mo Eggerts post in which he had the assertion that this Kentucky team was poorly coached. Now I normally don’t link to articles critical of Calipari but I think Eggers did this piece without maliciousness and he raised some valid points:
"John Calipari is a good coach, and the UK Wildcats are a good team, but John Calipari’s 2011 Wildcats are poorly-coached. Did they nearly storm all the way back from a 20-point hole by outhustling Alabama and converting of Crimson Tide turnovers? Sure. Does it matter? No, because they played the first 25-30 minutes like they had just met each other immediately after being introduced to basketball. They have some elite talent, enough to win on most nights, but the shot-selection and decision-making by this team is awful, few Wildcat games take place without a player or two coasting through it, and they seem to have no idea who to count on to make big plays down the stretch. They get rattled on the road, and as incredible a talent as Terrence Jones is, he seems to have no idea how to work within the context of an offense. And his effort on defense is all-too-frequently non-existent. But more than anything, while their record (14-4) and roster are both still enviable, UK is not getting any better. They are not developing cohesiveness and roles are not being established. The comparisons to last year’s team were kinda silly from the get-go, but now are outright silly. Last year’s team did both of those things, all while developing a contagious personality that made them fun to watch. More than anything though, that bunch, as super-talented as they were, seemed to buy in to what their coach was selling. This year’s team, more than halfway through the season, has yet to do so."
I have to say that on some accounts, Egger’s analysis is dead on. Too many times this season, it appears that the Wildcats have been waiting for one particular player to hit a hot streak and then rode the hot streak out of trouble. The first 25 minutes of basketball last night were without a doubt, the worst period of basketball in the Calipari era. Players were confused and hesitant to step up, and at times, it looked like scenes from the Billy G era where the players stood way beyond the three point arc and seemed terrified to shoot the ball.
So far this season, this is not a good road team. And some of the allegations about Terrence Jones I agree with. But is this all a product of Calipari’s coaching? Or is it finally the dreaded “Freshman Factor” coming to haunt him? All last season, critics whispered about the dangers of taking freshman on the road and predicted that Kentucky would collapse under the heat from a SEC road record.
Kentucky went 7-2 on the road last season and won some thrilling games in the last minutes versus Vanderbilt and Mississippi State that made the team seem like road warriors. This season, the Cats are 2-3 and have not ventured into Florida, Tennessee, or Vanderbilt yet. Is this reason for a big blue freakout?
Personally, I think that last years team was a unique team that made everything look too easy. In reality, Kentucky should have had four or five road losses, but had the poise to pull them out. This year, Kentucky has not gotten the luck or bounces on the road. I would not blame Calipari’s coaching. The guy is 49-6. And he has done that with teams of primarily freshmen. TO blame his coaching at this point is a bit immature.
So what is wrong with Kentucky? Well for one, I think the DDMO tends to sometimes ask for players to make more chances driving with the ball which can lead to some bad shots or a seemingly out of control look. Last year’s team was more poised offensively yes, but they played less DDMO and had a true PG running the show. Nothing against Brandon Knight, as he has skills that are superior to John Wall. But at this time, he is not the floor general Wall was. And at times, I think Terrence Jones tries to do too much. Last year, DeMarcus Cousins had Patrick Patterson to reign him in and there is no such presence this year. So for this year, I would blame the youth and inexperience of the freshman rather than the coaching skills of John Calipari.
The one thing I do like about this team is the never say die effort they do give. Last year, we were concerned about the killer instinct of Kentucky. This years edition knows how to keep teams down when they have them down. We can debate this all day long, but you’re not going to find me a believer in the “Calipari can’t coach” camp. I think you will see the true colors of any team when their backs are against the wall. Last years team showed their freshman colors in game 38. For this year’s team, the defining moment of the season will come in game 19 … on the road against 3-1 South Carolina.
I think we will see how well this team responds to coaching on Saturday.
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