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CINCINNATI — Jon Hood pulled up his jersey to show how he wears pads on his hips and pads on his thighs. He also wears a wrap around his midsection.
When you're a future Kentucky Wildcat, you apparently need protection.
“I'm tired of being hit,” Hood explained after a game in the adidas It Takes 5ive Classic here. “People poking me in the ribs.”
Hood, a 6-foot-7 high school senior-to-be, knows that committing to Kentucky carries a weight of responsibility. Already the fastest gun in Madisonville, he'd been told that committing to Kentucky would only further spur every player with a decent jump shot to test himself against the would-be Cat.
“Last year everybody told me I had a big target on my back,” Hood said. “It was huge.
“Now they say it got bigger.”
Hood noted how he's learned to take hits, verbal as well as physical, since committing to Kentucky earlier this year. Fellow participants in this team camp have tried to intimidate him.
“They talk trash,” Hood said, “saying ‘You're not good enough.' I think it's fun.”
Hood adopts a philosophical view of the taunts.
“You can't show somebody with your skills, you have to use your mouth,” he said. “I know talking trash can get a guy going. It's all in fun.”
Hood played well in his first game in this camp. He cut backdoor for a nifty layup, made three-point shots and became his team's point guard when the opposition's pressure defense wobbled his backcourt. He showed a steady hand, frequently dribbling between his legs to elude defenders.
“I like playing point guard,” he said. “I like being able to control the game.”
Hood acknowledged having to learn to control the impulse to make something happen.
“I'm learning to control that and keep the turnovers down,” he said.
Whether he ever plays point guard for Kentucky remains to be seen. During the recruiting process, UK Coach Billy Gillispie mentioned the possibility.
“I don't know if he meant play point guard or initiate the offense,” Hood said. “I'm happy to play wherever he wants.”
As for his jump shot, Hood credited his father, Brian. Hood noted how his father and mother, Kelly, played college basketball for Louisiana Monroe (then known as Northeast Louisiana). His father was a freshman reserve on a team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament. One of his mother's teams reached the women's Final Four.
His father coached Hood for five years on the AAU circuit, from ages 10 through 14. But the lessons started earlier than that.
“Like any father, you start with a small ball,” Brian Hood said. “You want to make sure the form is right. It doesn't matter if the ball goes in or not. You do that over and over.”
The lessons produced a UK-bound prospect.
When asked how much time he spent working with his son, Brian said, “Oh gosh. A lot of time. I couldn't begin to say just how much time.”
Hood did not concentrate solely on basketball. As youth-sports experts recommend, he diversified his athletic experience. He played baseball until 13. He played soccer until his freshman year of high school. He was a high jumper on the high school track team last season, continuing to jump despite a broken bone in his foot.
He's also overcome a broken wrist.
So with his pads in place, Hood seems well equipped to handle opponents eager to knock down the future Kentucky Wildcat.
• Jerry Tipton's UK basketball blog