Knox Accepts Coach Cal’s Challenge, Busts Slump
Kevin Knox knows he’s important to his Kentucky team.
His skill and shooting – all in a 6-foot-9 package – can’t be duplicated by anyone else on the roster, so he needs to play well for the Wildcats to click. That knowledge comes with pressure.
That pressure, however, was eased in late December.
Over back-to-back games against Louisville and Georgia, Knox couldn’t get a shot to fall or a thing to go right. But in spite of his personal struggles, UK picked up a pair of victories.
“I know I went through a rough two games, but that’s what my teammates are for,” Knox said. “We fought through it as a team.”
Knox shot just 4 of 18 over the course of those two games, including only 1 of 7 from 3-point range, and had two of the only three single-digit scoring performances of his career. Thankfully, he had his teammates and coaches to pick him up, both on the floor and off.
“They helped me get through it,” Knox said. “Coach Cal, Coach KP (Kenny Payne), all the coaches walked me through it, talked me through it and just made sure I kept playing hard and just focused on winning and focus on the team.”
That meant the last thing Knox needed to think about was the fact that his shots weren’t falling and he wasn’t scoring as he normally does.
“Cal challenged me not to focus on offense so much and focus on defense and rebounding,” Knox said. “I took the challenge.”
The challenge Calipari issued isn’t anything complicated. It’s a simple shift in mindset.
“So I’m just trying to get his mentality – most cases it’s trying to get guys to think different,” Calipari said. “You’re trying to help them create new habits. You’re not trying to break old habits – you just won’t. You’re trying to create new habits when they’re in situations this is how they’ll react. You have to put them in those environments daily to get them to react the way you want them to react.”
Knox has apparently reacted well, as he put an end to his struggles in UK’s win over LSU on Wednesday. He came out firing, drilling all four of his first-half shots, including a pair of 3s, and scoring 10 points. Knox was just as pleased with his eight rebounds though.
“I think I was thinking too much when I was going through my two(-game) stretch,” Knox said. “Last game, I came out and focused on defense and rebounding. I think I had eight rebounds in the first half, so if I can just focus more on defense and the team, and not focus so much on offense I think that’ll help the team out.”
Needless to say, his teammates were happy to see him return to offensive form after he finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
“I think it was big for him,” Gabriel said. “I think that was big for us as a team too. Coming through here, you’re going to have your ups and downs as you play through here. You’re not always going to play great the entire time. So I think it was good for him to know that even when he wasn’t playing good, the confidence in his teammates to step up and really pull through with a couple big wins while he was in sort of a slump. It’s good to have him back now and we just gotta keep playing for each other.”
The Cats will certainly need that all-for-one attitude come Saturday at 9 p.m. No. 17/14 UK (12-2, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) will travel to Knoxville, Tennessee, to face No. 23/22 Tennessee (9-4, 0-2 SEC).
“They lost their last two and of course they’re playing Kentucky, so they’re going to go out there and give it their all,” Knox said. “I know it’s going to be a great game. I know every player is going to play their best because one, they’re 0-2, and two, they’re playing Kentucky and everyone plays their best against us.”
The game will be played in Thompson-Boling Arena, where the Cats haven’t won since the 2014-15 season. Just as he embraced Calipari’s challenge to focus on defense and rebounding, Knox is excited to take on that hostile environment.
“I love road games, I love when we play against other teams, I love the crowd and all that yelling,” he said. “That’s what I like to see. It’ll be another good test for us and hopefully we can get there, fight through it and win as a team.”
