Seniors’ Play, Tournament Experience a Boost for Cats

INDIANAPOLIS – The recipe for John Calipari and Kentucky is much the same as in recent years.

The Wildcats have ridden a young roster – the youngest still playing for a national title – to a high seed in the NCAA Tournament, primed to make a deep run after sweeping the Southeastern Conference regular-season and tournament championships.

There is a new ingredient added to the mix, though: three seniors playing important roles.

“This is a team that I’m really proud to be coaching, a young team, but you’re also seeing three seniors up here who carried their weight, took over this team when they needed to, were able to step back when they needed to,” Coach Cal said. “Servant leaders, all three of them.”

The trio is made up of a pair of Bluegrass natives – Derek Willis and Dominique Hawkins – and a junior-college transfer from Canada, Mychal Mulder. While their younger teammates have claimed most of the accolades and still do the bulk of the box-score damage, the seniors have made themselves indispensable.

Willis – set to tie the knot after proposing on Senior Night – has played his way into the starting lineup by marrying his floor-stretching outside ability with an improved presence as a defender and rebounder.

“I think it’s just coming down to the postseason,” Willis said. “I want to crack down on a lot of things, try to limit the defensive lapses that I would have in the earlier part of the season, even towards the middle. So kind of have a little bit more sense of urgency this time of the year, and it’s kind of last go-around. So, like I said, just want to limit all those lapses and make the most out of the games and carry on with the experience that we have.”

Flanked on the podium for UK’s pregame press conference ahead of a NCAA Tournament first-round matchup with Northern Kentucky on Friday by his coach and fellow seniors, Willis’ explanation drew an entertaining rebuttal. 

“Tell him the truth,” Calipari said. “You got engaged and your fiancé said you better start guarding people. All of a sudden, he’s gotten better.

Said Willis in response: “I try and do — ever since I got engaged, I’ve been playing better, and we’ve been winning. Hopefully, it keeps going.”

Willis has 13 blocks and is averaging 7.2 rebounds since his engagement, but even he can’t match the way his roommate and fellow Kentuckian is playing.

Hawkins was incredible in three games at the SEC Tournament, earning All-Tournament team honors with unmatched defensive energy and an offensive game that has him looking like a different player than the one who arrived on campus four years ago.

“It’s been unbelievable,” Hawkins said. “This season has been my best season. A group of guys that actually wants me to be successful is what motivates me. My teammates want me to do good. I want to do good for them. I’ve got the whole state of Kentucky behind me. Kentucky kid. Everybody’s rooting for me to do good.”

More often than not of late, Hawkins and the seniors have. Willis and Hawkins are both averaging well over 20 minutes in recent weeks, while Mulder seems to make a big shot whenever he has the chance. And perhaps even more importantly, the three provide the kind of steadying presence you’d expect of players who have seen so much.

Willis and Hawkins, especially, are important on that front. UK has played in 13 NCAA Tournament games during their first three seasons, so they know what’s in store over the coming weeks.

“I think it’s all coming down to just energy,” Willis said. “Back to what I was saying last weekend, it was just dogfights. You gotta win the dogfights. If you want it more than the other guy, that’s really what’s going to end up coming out with it in the end.”

They also know what they need to do to best help their younger teammates through it all.

“A lot of it is just kind of leading by example,” Willis said. “A lot of the games we’ve been in, especially the SEC Tournament, I feel like that was definitely a good learning experience for us being in that kind of environment, leading into this weekend.

“So just being out there, staying calm. I’ve been there in past seasons. Whether I was playing or not, I at least got to watch it. Then with last year, I had a little bit of experience with the rounds we’ve made it in.”