Johnson’s Attacking Mentality Provides Needed Boost
Kentucky was in need of some energy Friday night.
Keldon Johnson happily provided it.
“I was just staying aggressive, kept attacking and just kept attacking,” Johnson said. “Eventually it opened up. It opened up by the end of the game and I was getting easy buckets.”
As shots refused to fall and the No. 10 Wildcats were mostly unable to find a rhythm early, Johnson kept on attacking. The only thing that could stop him – because visiting Tennessee State certainly couldn’t – was the final buzzer. When it sounded, Johnson had a career-high 27 points – thanks in large part to 13-of-18 free-throw shooting – and UK (5-1) a 77-62 victory over the visiting Tigers (2-4).
“He was seeing gaps and he was seeing opportunities to go at the basket and was strong at the rim and did a pretty good job,” John Calipari said.
Johnson missed his first four shots and didn’t make a field goal until 2:34 to go before halftime, but he wasn’t about to let that deter him. He still managed to lead UK in scoring at the break thanks to five made free throws in six tries before his persistence paid off after halftime with six made field goals in 10 tries.
“I would say getting to the free-throw line, that really got me going and just staying aggressive through thick and thin,” Johnson said. “It paid off.”
Not only was Johnson able to draw fouls on the opponent, but he also managed to avoid committing them himself as he continually attacked. Considering the way the Tigers sent defender after defender to get in his way, that caught the attention of their coach.
“He was poised,” Tennessee State head coach Brian “Penny” Collins said. “When he got in the paint, he didn’t just go in there and run people over. He was smooth when he got down there. He was able to be agile and get around our guards and our bigs and finish through contact. I think he’s going to be a big-time player for Kentucky this year.”
Johnson is well on his way, leading UK in scoring and minutes through six games. The last five of those have been wins for the Cats, but Coach Cal is still insistent on Kentucky improving defensively. With UK having five days before next taking the floor Wednesday vs. Monmouth, Calipari will be hard at work on that front.
“We, I told them, until we become a defensive team that people know, not only can we rebound, but we can make you take a tough shot until we become that team,” Calipari said. “All this other stuff offensively, doesn’t really matter until we become that.”
That’s not entirely true, because nights like the one Johnson had Friday are allowing the Cats to keep winning while they pursue improvement.
“It felt pretty good,” Johnson said of his career high. “The main thing, we got the win. That made it even better, celebrating it with my teammates.”
