‘Numbers don’t matter.’ Calipari values UK players’ roles over point totals.
Cover your eyes, Ken Pomeroy.
And anyone else out there that seeks to divine wisdom from statistics should do the same after Kentucky Coach John Calipari said something that might shock you.
“If you do your job, the numbers don’t matter!!!” he said in that mock shout he adopts to emphasize his point. “Why are you worried about numbers?”
To support this contention, Calipari cited the Southeastern Conference naming Ashton Hagans as its freshman of the week earlier on Monday. Hagans had five turnovers (and made only one shot that wasn’t a layup) in UK’s victory over Vanderbilt. And when the SEC named Hagans its freshman of the week in late December, he had five turnovers against North Carolina that week.
“Why are you worried about numbers?” Calipari said. “They’ve never mattered here.”
But, of course, numbers are engrained in college basketball as well as other sports. In an age of analytics and fantasy leagues, numbers seemingly carry more weight than ever.
Without saying so directly, Calipari seemed to suggest that family members and other people who want individual college players to reach their NBA dreams invest too heavily in numbers.
“That’s for the clutter to understand,” Calipari said. “They think junior high school basketball is the same as high school basketball is the same as the NBA. As you learn this game and as you prepare yourself to be an unbelievable teammate, the numbers don’t matter as much.”
The NBA does not evaluate players based on how many points are scored or how many shots are taken, he said.
Then Calipari mentioned an ironic note on numbers. “The cream always rises,” he said. “The guy who should be scoring the most scores the most.”
UK players should concentrate on playing their roles as well as possible and not think that a lot of shooting is the ticket to the NBA, he said.
Hagans serves as an example of the importance placed on playing to a strength rather than looking to put up scoring numbers. He has been so good at stealing the ball — 22 in UK’s last five games — that Calipari has made him an exception to his coaching philosophy of having defenders not gamble. Normally, Calipari wants defenders to stay in front of an offensive player or steer him to a rim protector.
Of the freedom he gave Hagans to go for steals, Calipari said, “He has more room, and we let him know that.”
Similarly, Tyler Herro has also been given greater freedom to go for steals.
“His strength is his ability to disrupt an offense,” Calipari said of Hagans. “So let him go do it.”
There’s another UK player who can serve a similar function on the front line.
“That’s what Nick (Richards) does for us when Nick plays and he competes and battles inside and fights for position and he blocks shots and he rebounds above the rim,” Calipari said. “He’s a disruptive defender.
“You can’t come flying in there. They can’t shoot anything near the basket. He’s going to block it. We need to have him on the floor more.”
Graduate transfer Reid Travis downplayed the importance of scoring a season-low five points in the game against Vanderbilt.
“I don’t feel I’m playing as well as I’d like to play,” he said. “ As far as just understanding the whole process and journey, I can’t say I’m too discouraged about myself.”
Of the future, perhaps beginning with Tuesday night’s game at Georgia, Travis added, “I’m sure I’ll have better production than I’ve had in the last few games.
“Sometimes shots don’t fall. But as long as I stay aggressive and stay confident, I’ll always be encouraged with that.”
UK’s hope for more production from EJ Montgomery led Calipari to cite another number that does not come to his mind in games: playing time.
“I’m just trying to win,” Calipari said. “It’s not who hasn’t played enough.”
Tuesday
No. 12 Kentucky at Georgia
When: 7 p.m.
Records: UK 12-3 (2-1 SEC); Georgia 9-6 (1-2 SEC)
Series: UK leads 126-26
Last meeting: UK won 62-49 on March 9, 2018, in SEC Tournament quarterfinals in St. Louis
TV: ESPN
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1