John Calipari media day transcript
By Jason Marcum
Q. Jerry Tipton, Fox News. What
COACH CALIPARI: (jokingly) The Republicans have shut down the government, and the Democrats are trying to feed everybody. What is going on here? Go ahead.
Q. How would you describe the leadership qualities of Julius (Randle) in terms of playing hard or just being a good player? Is what components add up to a good leader?
COACH CALIPARI: Well, what’s happening right now, we’re playing him in a position as though he’s a two or a three. So he’s just now getting comfortable being starting from 20 feet out.
You still have to offensive rebound, which he is not. He’s not defensive rebounding the way he needs to. He is driving the ball better and recognizing better, trying to figure out when do I shoot jumpers, when do I drive?
Yet that being said, he’s still playing hard. Yesterday, the thing, we had an unbelievable practice until 15 minutes to go, and then they all backed up, and it starts with one or two guys. We didn’t finish the practice.
But he is you know, he’s 6’9″, 250, and he’s you know, he’s skilled. But I don’t want to play him under the basket. That’s not preparing him for what’s ahead for him. I could play him at seven feet and try to win college games, tell him, I’m really helping you, or I can make him play out on the floor like we did Patrick Patterson. Do you remember Patrick went from standing under the basket to playing at the top of the key offensively? So it’s going to take him time.
That’s probably why people walked in and looked at James Young. It’s more natural for him. He’s playing like he naturally would, and the other guys are still learning and try to get their feel, their feet underneath them about how they’re going to play this new way of playing.
Q. How much has it changed your approach, the idea that the rules and the way the game is called are going to change?
COACH CALIPARI: Well, I I’ve been saying, again, for ten years, I’ve said the same thing, and then everybody says, well, he’s only saying that because he’s trying to get attention. Scoring’s gone down because we foul more. So now they’re going to say you’re not fouling. If you put a body hip check on a guy dribbling full court, it is now a foul. If you hold a guy from getting open, it’s now a foul. It’s automatic.
Do you remember the charge block where I used to go crazy? You had to have your toe off the ground? Now if you’re in an up motion I don’t even have to jump yet. I’m in an up motion. If that man is not standing there, it is a block every single time. There’s no more flopping.
So he comes in, I drive, and I beat my man, and I raise the ball, you’d better be standing there, which means as a driver, your head had to be down to run him over because, if your head’s up and he’s standing and he’s there, unless you don’t know how to play, you’re not going to run the guy over.
So I think scoring will go up. It’s going to open the game up. Here’s what a press will be now. If you want to press and hold and bump, you’re going to foul out your whole team, but you can track quick and try to steal the ball, but if you don’t steal the ball, you’ve got to run back because, if you bump that driver, it is now a foul.
It’s according to what they’ve told us. The one I’m not sure of is post defense. That’s a little bit harder to decipher how they’re going to play it. If you don’t give the guy motion. If you put a hip, if you forearm in the back or two, they’re going to make calls. That one is a little less clear to me, but the others are clear.
You drive the ball and you get your head and shoulders by the guy, and there’s contact, where before they could sometimes say, well, the offense created it. No, the rule states, you get your head and shoulders by the guy and there’s contact, that’s a foul on the defense. It’s the new rules. Not my rules, it’s the rules.
If you drive and raise a ball and weak side defender comes as you’re raising the ball and his feet aren’t set and then you continue to jump, that is a block every single time. So I think it eliminates flops. I mean, you can’t get there. Unless you’re standing there and the guy has his head down and runs just bowls you over into cheerleaders and two officials.
So I think it’s good for the game, but we’ll see. They’ve got what we all say is they’ll call it in November and December. Are they going to call it in January, February, and March? They are convinced they are, and I think it’s good for the game.
Q. The last few years, you’ve had three guys with (Derrick) Rose, (John) Wall, and (Anthony) Davis, who won a National Player of the Year Award. Is (Julius) Randle in that group?
COACH CALIPARI: Yeah, he’s good, but we’ve got guys on our team playing better right now, but he is that good.
My thing will be I’ll give you an example. I come in last night. I’m in my office about 11:00. 10:30. He’s in there shooting. This morning, I hear blup, blup, blup, and I look out my window in the morning, and he’s got a full sweat going, and he’s going to practice today.
So when you ask me, does he have a chance at that? Yes, he does because of that. The only kid that worked like that that I’ve had has been a Brandon Knight, who willed himself in the league, willed himself to be a top five, six, seven pick because, physically, you look at him, and there’s no way, but he willed himself. This kid has got that body and he does it.
But listen, he’s we’re changing how he plays. So he’s not as confident. He doesn’t have the swagger that he had right now because we’re changing you can’t do it from seven feet. Now get out there and do it from the perimeter.