Wildcat Confidential: 2017-18 Wildcats Dish on Schedule, Kentucky, Team
In August, we sat down with 13 of the 14 Wildcats from the 2017-18 Kentucky men’s basketball team and asked them seven questions about their teammates, the upcoming season and Kentucky basketball in general. Below is part II of the players’ answers and, without divulging who said what, a few candid quotes that stood out from each subject. Yes, we got this idea from the folks at CBS Sports, who annually do a Candid Coaches series. (If an answer got 0.5 it indicates that the player couldn’t pick one answer.) You can read part I here.
Game you’re most looking forward to …
Kansas – 3
Louisville – 3
West Virginia – 2
Alabama – 1
UCLA – 1
Utah Valley – 1
Every game – 1
February games – 1
Favorite UK player of all-time …
John Wall – 8.0
Anthony Davis – 3.0
Devin Booker – 1
Tayshaun Prince – 1
Strength of this team …
Length – 4
Length/athleticism – 4
Length/defense – 2
Versatility – 2
Height/youth – 1
Quotes that stood out
Game you’re most looking forward to …
“Louisville. They say that’s the biggest game of the year. A lot of people say Kansas, but every fan I talk to says you can lose any game – of course they don’t want that to happen – but the Louisville game. They say it’s ridiculous. And it’s at Rupp this year, so that’s definitely a big game for us.”
“I would say Louisville just because of the hype that it’s getting and just talking to some of the previous players, they just say that’s the game. That’s the game you want to win, that’s the big game, that’s the game to be at.”
“(Kansas.) Big game. Quick game – I think it’s our third or fourth game. They’re a great team. We’re a great team. It’s always a battle of the blues.”
“There’s a lot of games I’m looking forward to. I think that Kansas game is going to be nice. Really all the big games are good because there’s so much energy in those games. It’s really why we play this game.”
“Honestly, the first game. I just want to see all of us gel together and go out and try to get a win.”
Favorite UK player of all-time …
“Probably John Wall. That’s when I started watching. I’m sure a lot of people will say John Wall, but that’s when I started watching UK basketball and he was the most exciting for me.”
“John Wall. I think his end-to-end speed is special and his ability to make his teammates better is really special. That’s what I like to model my game after.”
“Since I started watching NBA basketball I try to model my game after Anthony Davis a little bit. But to see what he did at Kentucky and see what he’s doing in the NBA right now is just crazy.”
“Tayshaun Prince. He’s really the first player I remember watching growing up. His five 3s back to back against Carolina, that was really special.”
Strength of this team …
“Length. You got 6-10, 6-11, 6-11 that can play 3, 4, 5. That’s just hard to get around.”
“Height and youth. Everyone always says it’s a weakness, but I’m saying it’s a strength. I just feel like we’re a young team. This team has no real identity right now, so I feel like it’s brand new and Cal can make it into whatever he wants it to be.”
“Versatility. We have a lot of guys over 6-9, 6-8 that can pretty much do anything. We’re positionless and I think that’s going to be an advantage for us this year. We can pretty much do anything.”
“Our length. We’re long at every single position. We can put lineups out on the court that are just intimidating for other teams.”
