Fans Catch Glimpse of Cats at Pro Day
Even when Rupp Arena is nearly empty, the Kentucky Wildcats play on the biggest stage in college basketball.
UK moved its fourth annual Pro Day event to the roomier confines of Rupp Arena on Sunday evening. That allowed plenty of space for the 90 representatives from all 30 NBA teams to observe and evaluate this season’s Cats.
“Using elements from the NBA, we are going to put our players through drills and exercises that should give you a feel for their measurements, their agility, their shooting ability, their skill sets and more,” John Calipari said in a letter welcoming NBA personnel. “When you leave this weekend, my hope is you walk away with a solid foundation to evaluate our players during the upcoming season.”
While NBA personnel watched with their eyes a little farther down the road, UK fans watching at home on the SEC Network – because, of course, the practice was televised nationally – were thinking all about the 2017-18 season. The event allowed those fans their first opportunity to see their newest team on the floor together, save for Jarred Vanderbilt and Jemarl Baker sitting due to injury.
First came drills measuring agility and jumping, with the Cats cheering each other on along the way. When it was Hamidou Diallo’s turn, most everyone paused to watch how fast or high he would go. Sacha Killeya-Jones also had an impressive moment, jumping higher than the vertical measurement tool would register.
.@Diallo1Hamidou reaching for his dreams. #UKProDay #EmbraceDreams pic.twitter.com/Hgul9pHKuN
— Kentucky Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) October 8, 2017
Individual work would follow, with UK’s bigs and perimeter players splitting up on the two ends of the floor. The most notable happening there was the 6-foot-9 Kevin Knox working out with the guards and playing like, well, a very big guard. That could cause some problems for opponents.
Then came full-court drills, which is when Calipari kicked his coaching into gear. He’s just beginning to work his magic, recognizing this group has a long way to go, talented as it might be. He wasn’t afraid to stop and make corrections, which happened often. That’s understandable, considering this is his youngest team to date.
The team moved to five-minute shooting afterward. Interestingly, Coach Cal spent the first 90 seconds or so of Wenyen Gabriel’s time actively encouraging him to make 10 shots in a row. He would eventually drill 15 straight.
The real intrigue began when the Cats went four-on-four, which brought lots of interesting matchups: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs. Quade Green, Diallo vs. Knox, P.J. Washington vs. Gabriel and Nick Richards vs. Killeya-Jones.
Coach Cal was most active during this portion, taking every opportunity to hammer home the way he wants his team to play: “shoot it, drive it or get rid of it.” That means he’s trying to minimize the kind of one-on-one play UK’s freshmen used so often in high school and maximize the pressure the Cats put on the defense.
Kentucky’s talent and potential were plain to see on Sunday evening, but so was the amount of work the Cats have ahead of them. That won’t do anything to dull fans’ excitement after getting their first taste of Kentucky basketball in months. They’ll have more opportunities this week, with Media Day coming up on Thursday and Big Blue Madness unofficially kicking off the season on Friday.
