Kentucky Wildcats Basketball: Hawkins or Polson?

Some fans are talking about whether or not Coach Cal should use Dominique Hawkins or Jarrod Polson in the line-up as the back-up point guard to Andrew Harrison.  So far, it seems as though as Hawkins is winning the battle for who gets the role as back-up point guard.

Both Hawkins and Polson are crowd favorites.  Hawkins is from Richmond, Kentucky, where he earned the honor of Mr. Kentucky state basketball and lead his Madison Central Indians to a state title.  Polson, however, is from Nicholasville, Kentucky and he also took his West Jessamine County Colts to the sweet sixteen tournament.  Therefore, both know what it means to play for Kentucky.

Ideally, it would be great to see both Polson and Hawkins get playing time.  As a fan, I personally would like to see that.  However, depending on the opponent, either Hawkins or Polson may match-up better with defenders.  Therefore, I believe it is important to choose which fits best in the line-up for each game.  Kind of like what Micheal Kidd-Gilchrist and Darius Miller did a couple of years ago.  By doing so, it give more depth to an already loaded Kentucky team.

Coach Cal knows what he is doing.  In fact, this could be a motivator for Polson and older guys to go harder in practice or to simply get a point across.  Why Coach Cal is not playing Polson more could be for any reason.  But, Coach Cal knows what this team needs to succeed and how his team matches-up with other teams better than anyone, simply because he is the one working with and coaching this team.

As far as Hawkins goes, it is great to see him playing the way that he is.  This early in the season, what stands out to me is his unselfishness.  Hawkins is not afraid to share the ball and the Cats need more of that if they are going to continue to improve.  Hawkins, in my mind, sets a great example for the younger players of how they should share the ball.  Hawkins is also a hard worker, he is only going to improve as time goes on.

Polson on the other hand, started several games for the Cats last season, he’s a senior and could add some quality experience this season.  I like how Polson is more of a “true” point guard and how he shares the ball as well.  But, what sets Polson apart from everyone else is that he is a veteran on this Kentucky team.  Polson has been on a national championship team and has been on a team that went to the NIT and lost in the first round to Robert Morris.  Therefore, he can add some much needed experience to the team and help coach his teammates through the ups and downs of the season.

Both add something that Kentucky needs this season and both deserve to be on the team as well as to get playing time.  Right now, Kentucky needs someone to play with a lot of heart and dedication to the game.  Who ever can step-up in practice will probably get the minutes in games.  However, when it is all said and done, it is still up to Coach Cal to make those decisions and he has a good reason for decisions he makes.