Two Reasons to be excited about Kentucky Basketball’s Las Vegas Trip

A Chance for Players to Succeed

John Calipari has said it a million times, “Everyone wishes they had my problems.”

While undeniable, a litany of former five-star recruits that have come nowhere close to scratching their potential is still frustrating.

The come-and-go (and for most of the following players, just go) of success for Tyrese Maxey, EJ Montgomery, Kahlil Whitney, and Johnny Juzang has left Cats fans scratching their heads. If these players, or even just a couple, don’t tap their boundless potential then Kentucky simply cannot advance in March.

So, let’s look at a few of these troubled five-stars.

For most players, a 0% FG mark in the box score would likely indicate a bad game. However, for Tyrese Maxey, the point guard that came in as an elite scorer, it did not. Maxey left the floor happy because of his elite defense, singlehandedly shutting down Georgia Tech’s best player, Michael Devoe.

“Tyrese came in with a reputation as a big-time scorer,” Kenny Payne said today. “There’s a misconception about what it takes to play well in your sport. Tyrese shut down the other team’s best scorer. For the first time since he’s been here, there was joy in his face because of what he did on defense. He was happy about the way he performed other than his scoring.”

“Those are the kind of kids you want to coach.”

If and when – because there exists a general consensus that his struggles won’t last all season – his offensive capabilities kick in (like in Madison Square Garden), Kentucky’s offense will jumpstart and compete with some of the elite offenses in the country.

Next up, EJ Montgomery.

EJ backed up two career-high games with a 0-4 shooting performance against Georgia Tech. This is not a particularly bizarre occurrence for Kentucky’s highest-touted recruit in last year’s class, but it is nonetheless frustrating. Because of this, the Kentucky staff is making sure he holds on to the little confidence he has left.

“Just don’t panic. It’s hard,” he stated. “This isn’t going to be consistent, every night you’re going to get 25 points. You need to learn that bad things are going to happen, it’s life. Adversity is going to hit. It’s about how you respond. EJ Montgomery is a great player, very skilled. But it’s not about being skilled, it’s about playing with fight and energy, having a high motor.”

If EJ comes to the floor with confidence, he will slowly start to become more consistent. And with consistency comes success, the ingredient that both Montgomery and Kentucky need.

Finally, Kahlil Whitney.

Before coming to Lexington, Whitney was one of the most highly anticipated recruits. Above-the-rim dunks, freakish athleticism, and agility captured the eyes of Cats fans before Whitney even hit the court.

Since hitting the court, though, he has not found success. His struggles have been so bad that Coach Cal has been wary to give the 6 foot 7 athlete time on the hardwood. In Saturday’s game against Georgia Tech, Kahlil only saw seven minutes of playing time.

Despite this, Kenny Payne is preaching defense. Payne has so much confidence, he believes Whitney can be the best defender in the country. He certainly has the physical assets but has lacked the awareness to reach this level. To fix this, the coaching staff is showing him old tapes of DeAndre Liggins, the former UK basketball great.

“The last piece of the puzzle is Kahlil Whitney,” Kenny Payne said. “He could be the best defender in the United States. He’s a slasher, he can be a high-motor, high-energy type of player. Always guarding two players at the same time, thinking ahead. As you do those things, that can be your foundation. From there, we can work on shooting and being a better ball-handler. I showed him film of DeAndre Liggins.”

So long as Kahlil digests the information given to him, he has the capabilities to become great. Similar to Tyrese Maxey, once Whitney finds his defensive rhythm, the pieces will fall into place.

So Cats fans, be excited for this Las Vegas trip. If locked and loaded, Kentucky will not only climb the polls but prove they are among the elite in college basketball this season. Stay up late, you won’t want to miss a thing.