UK ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
MEN’S BASKETBALL
CALIPARI WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCE
JAN. 28, 2022
JOE CRAFT CENTER | LEXINGTON, KY.
Head Coach John Calipari
On the status of TyTy Washington Jr. …
“No. He didn’t practice yesterday. Daimion (Collins) didn’t practice yesterday. Jacob (Toppin) didn’t practice yesterday. Orlando (Antigua) wasn’t at practice yesterday. So, we were down to two and the rent was due.”
On the outlook for their availability on Saturday …
“You ready? I haven’t seen them yet.”
On the keys to the game against Kansas …
“We have to do our stuff better than they do their stuff, because it’s really similar. They take 20 3s a game. They shoot them at a high percentage, especially a couple of the guys that they know to get them off. They do a great job. Bill’s (Self) always done a great job of creating post areas for people to score so that they get easy baskets. They play really fast. They’re running dribble drive. This is the ultimate challenge going to Allen Fieldhouse. They’re a top-five team. And saying, ‘Alright, let’s give ourselves a chance and how do you do that?'”
On Washington’s ability to create a shot for himself and if that matters against a higher-quality opponent …
“Well, it doesn’t matter. When it comes down to it in the last three minutes, its players making plays. Not offense creating a shot for a player, because we all scout each other. If their post player creates more space to get a shot then you do to close it down, or to fight him catching the ball outside of his scoring area, then he made a basketball play. If the guard beats you on the dribble and gets to the rim and shoots a floater or shoots it over you, he just created a shot for himself. That’s these kinds of games. Now, if TyTy is not 100% this isn’t a game you play a guy at 80%. It’s just not. The same with Jacob. It’s kind of like when we’re at Auburn and did to Sahvir (Wheeler) and just said, ‘Hey, four minutes to go and we’ve got a chance, but if you can’t go don’t go.’ The kid has unbelievable courage, now his neck was killing him. Let me say this, so now we have the entire team responsible if he’s picking up full court to let him know that there’s someone there and Coach Chin (Coleman). I told Coach Chin, ‘You get a technical and run out on the floor if he doesn’t hear it. I’d rather you get thrown out of a game than him get hit again.'”
On how important shot form is for a player and if a player should know if the shot is going in or not based on his form …
“You know what? I’ve seen guys shoot it like this and it goes in. I’ve seen guys shoot it like that and it goes in. I’ve seen guys shoot it like that. I’ve seen Devin Booker shoot it like that and it goes in. If you want to be a confident shooter, you’ve got to be in the gym and build your confidence. It doesn’t come from a coach. ‘You’re so hard on him.’ It does not come from a coach. It is repetition, repetition, repetition. You convince yourself that this ball is going in. The guy that thinks he’s going to make it, even after he misses two or three, has a chance at making it. The guy that ball fakes because he missed two and drives in and turns it over, or takes the worst shot that you could ever see, doesn’t have confidence. It doesn’t come from the coach. So, you’ve got to get in the gym, and the biggest thing I tell all of these guys and they’ll tell you. Shoot it straight. I don’t care what your form looks like. If the ball goes straight, you ready? You’ve got a chance. If it goes crooked, left or right, you have absolutely no chance. Now, I’ll give you another one. Rebound attempts. Oscar (Tshiebwe) was in the 90s last game. Do you think that’s why he got 23 rebounds because he got fouled on the last play, thrown to the floor, that should have been 23? No call, but that’s ok. If your rebound attempts are at 60 or 50, you’re not going to rebound. If you don’t attempt to rebound, you won’t believe this. You’re not going to get a rebound. So, it’s the same idea. Shoot it straight, don’t care how you shoot it. Be confident. If you pass up shots, you guys know now. If you pass up an open shot, what am I going to do? You pass up two and I’m taking you out. Shoot the ball. Don’t want to hear it. If you are 0 for 10, it’s on me. Get back in the gym and work on your shot.”
On his confidence in Dontaie Allen, Bryce Hopkins and Lance Ware …
“Well, I got a note from one of my players who played for me, congratulated me on the wins. By the way, Rick Pitino’s got 799 going for 800 I think tonight or tomorrow. So that’s a great thing. I wish him well. He (the former player) said to me, ‘You know Coach, you believed in me more than I believed in myself.’ And he said, ‘I went on the court not wanting to let you down because of that.’ And I would hope when I’m trying to raise the bar and I think guys are better than they think they are, when they look back and say, ‘You believed in me even more than I believed in myself. I had people around me telling me I was soft, or I knew this would happen. But you got me on the same mode of you are better than this. You are capable of this. I am holding you to a high standard.’ So, I don’t know how I got started on that but its one of the things I’ll tell you with this group. I have more confidence in Dontaie shooting the ball than he does. Now, he and I have about the same confidence in his defense. His is about like mine. But offensively, I told him when he walked in that game, ‘You keep shooting the ball. Shoot it.’ I’m trying to get Bryce minutes and just do all of the little things. Fall back on your training. Not your individual work training with somebody, your training that we give you every day in practice. Fall back on that, and if you fall back on that you can play with confidence. So, Daimion was out. I’m hoping to see today. This is a rough-house game. This will be, again, I want him in there, but it’ll be a rough-house game.”
On if Shaedon Sharpe is to the point where he could play if the team needed him …
“I’d rather not right now only because I think he needs more time to elevate the intensity, the fight, all of the stuff that you need. I’m going to show them. What you do at Kentucky is learn to fight, to create your own space. You learn to fight. Because every game we play, Larry (Vaught) is someone’s Super Bowl. Yeah, it is. And they’ll act like it’s not a big game and all that. Ok. Ok, great. But it’s someone’s Super Bowl. And you learn to fight, or you look to make excuses or people around you look to make excuses. You learn to fight. So, an NBA coach hit me today and said, ‘I’ve watched your team a little bit. They’re doing great and I like your team.’ I said, ‘But we’ve got to work on this, that and the other.’ He said, ‘Ok, but just keep getting better and you’re going to be in good shape.’ Then I said, ‘How are you?’ He said, ‘You know, we’re not as good as we were, but my team fights. So, I’m good.’ See, if that’s your plan then you’ve got to learn to fight. And our guys, that’s the thing – ‘Well, you’re going to come in and only two guys are going to shoot and you’re going to be the main man and you’re going to get all of the balls.’ No. Here is you’re going to have to fight. You’re going to have to create your space. You’re going to have to earn your way. This team, when people watch them what do they say about this team? They say two things. Do you guys watch the games or anything? What do you think they say? Everybody that hits me. Well, let me say this. Basketball Bennies, people that watch the game. Man does your team play hard and fight. Second thing, they are so unselfish it’s fun to watch them play because they pass it to each other. Well, that’s why I’m happy every day when I walk in practice. Now, when we have guys out, I worry. I worry because there’s a couple of guys more important than a couple others but it’s like that on every team. But we’ve got a good group of guys.”
