Gabriel Setting the Tone as UK Hits the Road Again
It’s flu season in the Bluegrass, but there’s one bug John Calipari and his staff wouldn’t mind spreading through their team.
They want whatever Wenyen Gabriel has to be contagious.
“We just had a staff meeting, and I said to Cal, ‘His energy, his effort and what he’s giving us on the floor, just the fight of it, is an example of what we need every player to do,’ ” associate head coach Kenny Payne said.
Gabriel and No. 18/16 Kentucky (14-3, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) are days removed from a game against Vanderbilt in which the 6-foot-9 sophomore had a fairly ho-hum line in the box score: seven points, nine rebounds and two blocks. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Kevin Knox were the headliners by scoring 22 and 17 points, respectively, but no one made a bigger impact than Gabriel, particularly in the biggest moments.
“I’m out there playing the game,” Gabriel said. “I don’t think about numbers while I’m playing. I just go out there, play with my energy. That’s just not the player I am, just straight numbers. I do different things on the floor. I bring energy, I talk, I try to help my teammates out.”
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| Kentucky at South Carolina | ||
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Tue., Jan. 16 – 9 p.m. ET |
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TV: ESPN |
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| UK | 2017-18 Team Stats | SC |
| 14-3 | Record | 11-6 |
| 4-1 | Conference Record | 2-3 |
| 78.3 | PPG | 70.9 |
| 69.6 | Opp PPG | 65.1 |
| .488 | FG% | .410 |
| .410 | Opp FG% | .411 |
| 38.3 | RPG | 38.6 |
| .362 | 3PT FG% | .327 |
| .294 | Opp 3PT FG% | .346 |
| .682 | FT% | .677 |
| 14.8 | APG | 12.8 |
| 6.4 | SPG | 5.4 |
| 5.5 | BPG | 3.5 |
Suffice it to say Gabriel is doing plenty of that.
The most – and in reality, the only – experienced player on a roster of freshmen has been indispensable through UK’s 4-1 start to league play in spite of scoring in double figures just once and averaging a humble 6.2 points.
“Oh man, it helps us 10-fold,” Sacha Killeya-Jones said. “He makes us so much of a better team just having his energy, his rebounding, his defense and his talking and everything out there. It brings our energy up, it brings our excitement up and everybody just wants to play in that winning time, not let anything happen, get stops, rebound and everything. He helps us a lot.”
Like so many Kentucky players, Gabriel arrived at UK last season with a five-star pedigree. His first-year journey was a bumpy one, though, with Gabriel fading into the background as the team made a run to the Elite Eight.
“This kid came here with a bunch of expectations, and it’s easy to get lost in what you are and who you are as a player,” Payne said. “He’s finally getting back to being the player that he is: an energy guy, a tough guy, a rebounding guy. Obviously we’d like him to make better decisions handling the ball – he has some unforced turnovers at times – but his energy and his fight and his determination to play winning basketball is really good right now.”
Gabriel agrees he lost sight of his identity last season, shooting for statistics rather than focusing on the things that don’t necessarily show up on the box score.
“Definitely freshman year, you get a little concerned with that,” Gabriel said. “But you start playing the game—here at Kentucky, I feel like I don’t believe it’s about numbers here, when you play at Kentucky. We’re on the biggest stage, so everyone, you’re watching the games anyway, so you just go out there and play your game. You don’t have to worry about the numbers.”
Perhaps the best example of that in UK’s win over Vanderbilt on Saturday came on a play late in the first half. After Shai Gilgeous-Alexander committed a turnover, Vandy’s Clevon Brown came racing at Gabriel in a one-on-one situation. Not only did Gabriel contest the shot, he also swatted it to himself, collected it and threw it off Brown before he fell out of bounds to give UK possession. The Wildcats would score three points on the ensuing possession.
Gabriel was only credited for a block on the play, but he personally accounted for a five-point swing that gave UK a nine-point halftime lead rather than a slim four-point margin.
“I think a lot of it, even with SEC play has helped me out a lot too,” Gabriel said. “Just going in there knowing that all you have to do is fight, let the game come to you, everything else come to you. I just go out there, play my heart out. It’s been working out for me today and I think I got the formula back.”
The Cats will be counting on that winning formula come Tuesday at 9 p.m., as UK travels to Columbia, South Carolina, for a matchup with the Gamecocks (11-6, 2-3 SEC).
“One of the things that we’re trying to do, we’re trying to be a great road team – a team that can go on the road and fight and get a win,” Payne said. “And that starts with guys like Wenyen – that kind of fight. That kind of determination to fight for a rebound. That kind of determination to block a shot at a pivotal time in the game. Take a charge. Dive on the loose ball. When you’re playing road games, every little situation on the court, every possession matters.”
Gabriel has never played at Colonial Life Arena, but he knows the challenge the Gamecocks present. Coached by Frank Martin, South Carolina has a reputation for toughness and making the kind of plays in which Gabriel specializes. A plus-5.8 rebounding margin and top-60 rankings in both offensive- and defensive-rebounding percentage according to kenpom.com backs that up.
“They’re definitely physical,” Gabriel said. “They try to bulldoze you and different things like that, being aggressive on defense. But this team, that’s what you need in SEC play anyway, that type of competition. We’re going to have to feed off of that this game. I think that competitors, you respond to that type of environment.”
Therein lies the next challenge for Gabriel: lifting his teammates to match his energy level. A sophomore who didn’t play double-digit minutes one time over the final five games of his freshman season would hardly be considered a candidate to lead at most schools, but not at UK. Not on this team.
“I think I have more of a role this year, more opportunity for me to do that here on this team,” Gabriel said. “I have the younger guys looking up to me here too, so I feel like I have some type of responsibility when I’m out on the court.”
Gabriel is working on the vocal component of leadership, but he’s got the example-setting down pat of late.
“We need that from more than Wenyen, but he’s an example of why we show film and show the players, the younger guys especially, ‘Look at what he’s done,’ ” Payne said. ” ‘Look at how he fought to get this offensive rebound and he was outside of the 3-point line.’ “
No. 21/20 Kentucky Earns Another Tough Road Victory
In a league ranked among the best in the nation, every win is likely hard to come by, particularly on the road. That notion proved true yet again for the young No. 21/20 Kentucky Wildcats, who pulled out a hard-fought 74-67 win on the road at Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Kentucky, playing with just seven players for the second consecutive game because of back injuries to starting point guard Quade Green and reserve forward Tai Wynyard, fended off multiple rallies by the home team for its fourth win in a rigourus start to league play.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, starting in place of Green, played 39 minutes. He delivered a game-high 22 points, six assists and four rebounds in another stellar outing. Kevin Knox added 17 points, including five straight late, which helped UK (14-3 overall, 4-1 SEC) pull away in the closing minutes. PJ Washington and Hamidou Diallo chipped in with 10 apiece. Washington and sophomore Wenyen Gabriel combined for 17 rebounds.
The Commodores (6-11, 1-4) took the lead at 56-55 with 7:58 to go, their first advantage since the early stages of the first half. The Wildcats wasted little time in regaining the lead as Gilgeous-Alexander found Washington for a dunk on the very next possession. Vanderbilt would not go away and eventually tied things at 59 apiece on a traditional three-point play from Joe Toye. Kentucky again responded, this time with a 5-0 personal run by Knox and then a tip-in from Gabriel lifted the Cats to a seven-point lead it would not relinquish.
Vanderbilt had its chances as UK’s youth narrowly escaped a turnover and a foul on a 3-point shot, but Riley LaChance missed all three attempts and the ‘Dores would not get any closer than 77-60 the rest of the way. Knox sealed the game with two more free throws with three seconds to go for Kentucky, which is in the midst of four of five on the road.
NOTABLES:
• UK had seven blocks, its most since swatting eight vs. Monmouth on Dec. 9. The Wildcats’ season high is 10 vs. Kansas
• Kentucky won the points in the paint 36-26. UK is 10-1 this season when scoring more points in the paint than the opponent
• UK shot 53.5 percent from the field, making 23 of 43. UK is 7-0 this season when making at least 50 percent and 11-0 when making at least 46.4 percent. Kentucky has shot 46.2 percent or better in four consecutive games.
• UK outrebounded Vanderbilt 35-30. The Wildcats are 13-0 this season when winning the battle of the boards.
• Kentucky committed only 11 turnovers. UK is 7-0 this season when committing 12 or fewer miscues.
• UK was 25 of 37 from the foul line. Kentucky has shot 34 or more free throws in back-to-back games and has 22 or more makes in consecutive outings.
• Kentucky limited Vanderbilt to just 38.2 (21 of 55) percent shooting from the floor. It was the lowest field-goal percentage for an SEC opponent this season against the Cats. It was the lowest percentage by a UK opponent since Louisville shot 34.8 percent
• The Commodores committed only seven turnovers, matching the lowest by a UK opponent this season. UIC also only turned the ball over seven times.
• Gilgeous-Alexander reached double figures for the fifth time in the last six games. He had six assists and has had at least four in seven straight games. He also had a hand in 13 of the Cats’ 23 baskets combining his assists.
• Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 17.3 points, 4.8 assists and 4.3 rebounds over the last six games.
• Knox scored nine of UK’s final 15 points, including the last four points of the game at the charity stripe. He made all seven free-throw attempts.
Gilgeous-Alexander Named SEC Freshman of the Week
Kentucky freshman Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week after leading Kentucky with 19.0 points per game in wins over Texas A&M and Vanderbilt last week.
With starting point guard Quade Green injured and missing both games this week, Gilgeous-Alexander stepped into the starting point guard role and played 39 minutes in both victories. Gilgeous-Alexander performed at a high level for the Cats leading them to a one-point win over one of the preseason favorites to win the league in Texas A&M and then followed that up with a gritty road win at Vanderbilt.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the Cats in scoring at 19.0 points per game in the two wins, while also dishing out a team-best 5.5 assists per game. He also contributed 5.5 rebounds, 1.0 blocks and 0.5 steals per game running the show. He shot 61.9 percent in the victories.
Against Texas A&M, he had 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists, a career-high two blocks and a steal. On the road at Vanderbilt, he boasted a game-high 22 points. He also chipped in with six assists and four boards. He’s dished out four more assists in seven straight games. Gilgeous-Alexander either scored or assisted on 13 of UK’s 23 made field goals in the game.
Gilgeous-Alexander has been particularly fantastic of late, benefiting from the annual Camp Cal, where a number of individuals surge with school no in session. He’s averaging 17.3 points, 4.8 assists and 4.3 rebounds over his last six games beginning with his MVP performance in a rout of rival Louisville.
The honor is the first of the Canadian’s career and the second weekly honor of the season for the Wildcats. Hamidou Diallo previously earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors following a win over Virginia Tech in mid-December.
