In spite of leading Kentucky in scoring and assists to go with 5.0 rebounds per game, Archie Goodwin has not been immune to criticism 19 games into his freshman year. Goodwin has struggled with his outside shot in Southeastern Conference play and, at times, decision making. Fans, however, don’t get to see Goodwin every day in practice. They don’t get to see that he spends as much or more time in the practice gym than anyone on the team. They don’t understand that “He is his own worst critic,” in the words of Coach Cal.For that reason, Calipari wrote a post on CoachCal.com trying to explain that and asking the Big Blue Nation to remain steadfast in supporting Goodwin.

It’s hard for me to get upset with a player who absolutely wanted to play for me and Kentucky, and who has a focus to get better. Does he get overwhelmed sometimes by being a player here? Yeah, he’s a freshman at the University of Kentucky. Wouldn’t you be?At the end of the day, he cares about his teammates and he’s frustrated he’s not picking things up quicker. Old habits are hard to break, but he’s doing everything he can to break them, so let’s get behind him.I am totally with him and you should be too. Our fans should be there to help encourage him knowing how hard he works, how invested he is and how much he’s there for his teammates.

Coach Cal makes it clear that he believes Goodwin’s work with pay off and more performances like the one he turned in against Auburn are in the offing. In the meantime, fans should be patient.Link: Hard work will pay off; Archie will be fine