‘A little bit better fight.’ UK displays more toughness in second exhibition.
Kentucky led by 24 points at halftime Friday night. And John Calipari was, uh, animated in the locker room exhorting his players to do more.
“He was on my case about not getting rebounds,” Nate Sestina said after UK defeated Kentucky State 83-51 in its final preseason exhibition. “It started a little bit of a fire under some guys’ butts.”
Calipari was not angry, Sestina said. “Coach Cal holds everybody on our team accountable,” he said. “It’s not a bad thing. I think it’s something everybody needs to be able to play the way we need to play to win games.”
Perhaps the UK coach was looking ahead to Tuesday night’s season opener against Michigan State, a program with physical play as its signature approach to basketball.
“I mean, every possession they’re going to come after us,” Sestina said. “And we’re going to come after them. And it’s going to be a dogfight down low to see who can come up with the most.”
Assistant coach Joel Justus, who subbed for an under-the-weather Calipari in the postgame news conference, said UK showed progress. In the opening exhibition, Georgetown College outrebounded the Cats.
“I think for our guys, you saw a little bit better fight,” Justus said.
With Nick Richards sidelined with a sprained ankle, Kentucky got a long look at its front-court depth against Kentucky State. Foul trouble zapped Kentucky State’s front line early, which suggested a big night ahead for UK’s “bigs.”
Sestina flirted with his second double-double of the two-game exhibition season. The graduate transfer from Bucknell, who started in Richards’ place, scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds. That followed 11 points and 10 rebounds against Georgetown College last weekend.
“He’s that guy that’s going to hold us together,” freshman Kahlil Whitney said of Sestina. “He’s, like, the glue to this team. He’s going to communicate at all times. The shots are not falling, he’s going to come up to you, pat you on the butt and say, ‘Let’s get going.’ He’s that guy you want on your team. He’s everything.”
Foul trouble hindered EJ Montgomery, who did not score until a dunk inside the final six minutes. He finished with eight points and four rebounds in 25-plus minutes. That followed five points and five rebounds against Georgetown College.
Not to worry, Sestina said. “Offense is going to click for him,” he said of Montgomery. “The dude is a dangerous scorer.”
Even if Calipari saw the need at halftime to push for more, Kentucky dominated in the paint. The Cats outscored Kentucky State 46-12 there. UK also seized on the opponents’ mistakes to roll up an 28-10 advantage in points off turnovers. The latter helped UK to a 37-6 advantage in fast-break points.
But Michigan State, which is ranked No. 1 to UK’s No. 2 in several preseason polls, will be a sterner test.
“They’re a very tough team,” said Sestina, who played against the Spartans in his junior season for Bucknell. “They’re very gritty. Guys are diving on the floor for loose balls. They’re hitting you on rebounds. … They had some guys that were physical monsters.”
Before the first television timeout, Kentucky State’s starting center, Jordan Little and his backup, Jan Bennett, each had two fouls. The third-string center, Michael Drynan, had one foul at that point.
Sestina led the way early in taking advantage. Billed as a “stretch four” forward with an ability to shoot and make three-pointers, he looked comfortable posting up.
“For me, if I need to play down low or if I need to stretch the floor a little bit, I can do that,” Sestina said.
‘Locked in’
Kahlil Whitney contributed 15 points, two shy of Immanuel Quickley’s team-high 17. Against Georgetown last Sunday, Whitney went scoreless and didn’t grab a rebound.
“My game is based on athleticism and being active, running the floor, taking what the defense gives me,” he said. “That game I wasn’t really crashing the boards. I wasn’t really locked in.
“I had to do some self-reflecting. That’s won’t happen again.”
118-84
The three UK players made available for postgame interviews did not need reminding how Kentucky fared in last season’s high-profile opening game. Duke smashed the Cats 118-84.
“We haven’t really talked about it too much,” freshman Johnny Juzang said. “I kind of know what happened a little bit. … We’re going to go out and compete (against Michigan State) and take it on the chest. It’s a great opportunity.”
Whitney said the 118-84 loss to Duke was “all about confidence.”
Yes, he said, he watched that game.
“The whole world probably watched that game,” he said.
Even-keeled
Juzang made three of eight shots (three of five from three-point range) and scored nine points.
Those modest numbers compared favorably with his shooting in his first two public appearances. In the Blue-White Game and exhibition against Georgetown, he made seven of 17 shots (one of seven from three-point range).
“It’s definitely something you think about,” he said of those shooting nights. “You know of go back. ‘Am I doing this right? Am I doing that right?’”
But Juzang said he was not overreacting.
“I know I can shoot,” he said. “I know I work hard. I know I’m putting up the hours, putting up the shots. … So I don’t overthink it too much.
“Just like if I’m making threes one night, I’m not going to celebrate. So same thing. If I’m not doing well … I’m not going to get super low either.”
