Kentucky Basketball: Calipari’s New Full-Court Press
John Calipari and the Kentucky basketball team implemented a full-court press during Saturday’s 93-86 victory over Virginia Tech.
Dirty, malicious four-letter words. We all know them. We all make sure our children aren’t running around the house screaming them. But to Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari, the most despicable four-letter words just might be ‘zone’.
Playing zone doesn’t help prepare his star players for the reality of playing defense in the NBA. Cal sits on couches, talks to parents and recruits young men to the Kentucky program based on the assurance that he will prepare them for the NBA. So let’s not waste time discussing Calipari and a half-court 2-3 zone. Instead, let’s focus on the new, exciting 2-2-1 full-court press that he recently add as a defensive tweak.
Following the very first basket scored by the Wildcats on Saturday, Calipari had his team in a full-court 2-2-1 press with Nick Richards defending the paint. PJ Washington and Hamidou Diallo were up front applying the immediate pressure. Quade Green and Kevin Knox were the second level of pressure, denying passes and getting into the gaps. The very first time Virginia Tech saw this from the Cats they threw an errant pass that was picked off by Kevin Knox, who was fouled just prior to a dunk attempt.
After a Green layup, the Cats hopped back into this new pressing defense. This time the Hokies missed a quick, contested three-pointer. Diallo then hits a pull-up three-point shot and the Cats went back into their press. Virginia Tech threw the ball out of bounds and turned the ball over for the second time in three possessions. The Rupp Arena crowd exploded! Richards was chest bumping with Sacha Killeya-Jones and Wenyen Gabriel on the sidelines. The players and the fans displayed a heightened sense of energy and excitement.
Calipari’s 2-2-1 press brought a change of pace, a new surge of energy and excitement, as well as an element of surprise and unpredictability. About 3 minutes into the 2nd half, the Cats found themselves down 51-47. After Knox a made free-throw, the Cats hopped into their press, forced a turnover, then Diallo threw a transition alley-oop to PJ Washington for dunk that brought down the house! UK hopped right back into the press and forced yet another turnover. The Hokies were off their game and the Wildcats took advantage. The fans at Rupp Arena could feel it and the fans at home could sense it.
Several Kentucky basketball fans have expressed problems getting excited to watch this year’s team. It seems like the 2-2-1 press could be an exciting tweak for the fan base. The press was the defining element in the game versus Virginia Tech that help lead the Wildcats to victory. Will we see it more? I sure hope so. Do the players love it? Sure seems like it. I’m excited to see this new pressure defense dismantle Louisville on December 29th.