Kentucky-UNC Asheville Postgame Interview with John Calipari
By Jason Marcum
Q. Only seven turnovers. Is that encouraging?
COACH CALIPARI: And they were like ‑‑ four of them were lob passes. But again, if you’re never throwing the ball and you’re just taking it and shooting it, it’s hard to turn it over unless you’re running somebody over. I just need them to ‑‑ I want them to make plays. This is hard playing the way we do. Attack. It’s not there, move the ball. Attack, go. If you have a play, make it. If the elbows are guarded, you don’t have a play. Pass it and cut so your teammate can drive, and we’re just not there yet.
Q. Could you talk a little bit about the way you thought Andrew (Harrison) played and also what you saw from Marcus? Is that what you want from him?
COACH CALIPARI: Yeah, he’s an energy guy. I mean, he did good. We missed ‑‑ well, Andrew was five assists, one turnover, and the only thing, again, there were plays where the ball movement will start with him, so he’s got to attack and then he didn’t have to make a scoring pass, just get us started. You know what I’m saying? This isn’t the showcase game. This is a basketball game. Try to make a play. You can’t make it, then move that ball, and it starts with him and Aaron (Harrison) and James (Young), and I grabbed all three of them after the game and told them.
James made one play where he swung it, it swung, they drove and he got the shot on the weak side. That’s how it is. You came up, you didn’t have it, you swung the ball, it went to the other side, they drove middle, you end up getting the shot. But you’ve got to trust that you’re going to get it back, and right now we’re still learning.
Again, I’ll say this: I don’t think they’re selfish in any way. I just think they’ve always played this way. If I get it, I try to take my man. If I’ve got to go three bounces, I’m going to try to do that. That’s done. You can’t play that way in a good college game.