John Calipari says he usually wouldn’t put a player back into a lopsided game just to set a record, but the coach made that move last night in the 104-61 win over Hartford with John Wall.
And Wall got the two assists he needed to reach 16 and break Travis Ford’s 17-year old single-game school assist mark.
Calipari said he did that because of how Wall approached the game. In a game that the Cats were expected to win convincingly, Wall came out and dished out 11 assists in the first half while scoring just five points.
It’s interesting to look at Wall’s numbers in the big games that went down to the wire versus the ones in which the Wildcats won easily. Wall’s points-per-game average is about five points higher in those tougher games than the others. And in the games in which UK won easily, Wall’s assist total went up. The message? Rather than pad his point total against inferior foes, Wall uses those kinds of games to look to set up his teammates.
Greg Anthony of CBS Sports was the point guard to those great UNLV teams of the early 1990’s, so he knows a thing or two about playing that position. And when Anthony worked the Kentucky-Indiana game, he picked up some of those team-first aspects of Wall’s on-court persona.
“I just like his demeanor. Get beyond the physical skills–because they’re immense–but his emotional control and his feel for how to play the point is what’s been impressive,” Anthony told tomleachky.com. “He’s got supreme confidence and an amazing work ethic. He wants to be great and he’s got an engaging personality and a magnetic charm about him that the other guys migrate, too, and that’s what makes him special. When the guys love competing for you as a point guard–and that’s the sense I get for this team–(you’ve got something). He doesn’t live in the hype. He’s about competing and going out and helping his team win basketball games.”
To whom would he compare Wall’s game?
“He’s a bigger, more athletic version of a guy like Isiah (Thomas) in terms of what he can do in the halfcourt. He’s kind of a hybrid. He’s got Jason Kidd’s open court speed and vision but he’s got a great ability to score and finish at the rim. He’s a combination of a lot of different guys. It’s unique, though, that you see a guy that’s a physically capable as he is with the skill set that he has,” Anthony said. “And the scary thing is that he’s still got a long way to go and a lot of growth. And in talking with coach Calipari, the guy is a sponge–he wants to learn. It’s amazing that a guy can be that young and be that polished.”
While Anthony is impressed with Wall, the commentator is equally taken with the approach Patrick Patterson takes to the attention that Wall gets.
“John Wall is as special as it gets, but Patrick Patterson deciding to come back was instrumental. Number one, I think it took pressure off some guys. I think that’s where it started for this team,” Anthony observed. “When your leader and the guy that everybody looks at as being the anchor of that team, the fact that he’s all about winning and competing, that has really gone a long way (toward Kentucky’s success). This is a really young basketball team and leadership is going to be vital.”
Anthony worked several UK games last season and he says the contrast between the two teams is dramatic.
“It’s night and day, from the standpoint of the talent, the enthusiasm. I thought the kids last year gave their all, but that team did not have a wealth of talent. And with coach Calipari coming (to UK), there’s just that renewed sense of vigor. I think, chemistry-wise, he was a really good fit for this team and this university. It’s come together a lot quicker than I envisioned,” he said.
“And when they’ve had their struggles, what’s been impressive is they’ve found a way to win games. I think the future could get brighter for this team because they still have yet to reach their potential,” continued Anthony. “As solid as Demarcus Cousins has been, he’s still got a lot of room to improve over the course of this season and if that happens, this team has a legitimate chance to win a national championship this season.”
