Kentucky’s Calipari sounds optimistic about Hagans playing in SEC Tournament
Kentucky won at Florida on Saturday despite the absence of lead guard Ashton Hagans. Whether UK will have to do the same at the Southeastern Conference Tournament remained unclear Monday.
Speaking on a SEC teleconference, Kentucky Coach John Calipari said he had not yet spoken to Hagans. UK said “personal reasons” led Hagans to stay home from Florida.
“I think he’ll be fine,” Calipari said of Hagans before adding, “whether I start him or not, I don’t know.”
Calipari said the next few days of practice will be a factor in deciding how or if Hagans plays in the SEC Tournament, which begins Wednesday in Nashville. As the No. 1 seed, UK’s first game is Friday afternoon against the winner of Thursday’s game between Tennessee and Alabama.
After saying that he had not spoken to Hagans yet, Calipari alluded to the pressures that come with playing for a program like Kentucky that has been a launching pad for many NBA careers. Of course, playing in the NBA means the potential for financial riches for players and their families.
“I just want him to be healthy and in a great frame of mind,” Calipari said. “This stuff is so hard for these kids. What they have sitting on their shoulders. What they feel they’re responsible for. It’s like a grown man at age 18 and 19. And they have the weight of the world on them.”
Although Kentucky beat Florida without Hagans, other SEC coaches spoke of him as an exceptional asset.
“Obviously, everybody knows that Ashton Hagans, when he’s right, is the best perimeter guy in college basketball,” Ole Miss Coach Kermit Davis said. “And he leads in a great way.”
Hagans leads all SEC players in assists overall (6.4 apg) and league games (5.6 apg). He’s also among the leaders in steals in all games (1.9 spg) and league games (1.8 spg).
While pointing out that they do not have a day-to-day connection, Texas A&M Coach Buzz Williams saluted an intangible Hagans provides.
“It seems as though his spirit as a leader is sincere,” Williams said. “I don’t think it’s based on selfishness or ego. … You can see it. You can feel it. And I think it’s sincere and what’s best for the team, not necessarily what’s best for him.”
Trip canceled
Mississippi State had scheduled a trip to Spain next summer to play exhibition games. Because of concerns about the coronavirus, Coach Ben Howland decided about a month ago to cancel the trip.
Howland questioned this country’s response to the virus.
“How can South Korea be giving 15,000 tests a day, and the United States of America (has given) 1,500 thus far, period,” he said. “It’s ridiculous for the richest country in the world to not be better prepared to test people.”
The coronavirus might not be a big factor in preparation for the SEC Tournament, Howland said, “but it’s a valid concern for all of us.”
▪ The SEC released a statement Monday afternoon saying it is continuing to monitor developments associated with the coronavirus but has not modified the tournament’s schedule of events in Nashville.
League officials said several health precautions would be implemented involving disinfecting game balls, locker rooms, benches and other areas. Additional hand sanitizers will be available at arena entrances and throughout the concourse.
‘Pretty good note’
No team will go into the SEC Tournament riding a longer winning streak than … Vanderbilt?
The Commodores have won their last two games: at Alabama and against South Carolina.
The only other SEC team that has won its last two games is Texas A&M.
Vandy Coach Jerry Stackhouse said his team would be coming into the SEC Tournament “on a pretty good note” and was enjoying “a little bit of momentum.”
Of course, earlier this season, Vandy set a record for consecutive losses in regular-season SEC games.
UK favored
Two online betting services have made Kentucky the favorite to win the SEC Tournament.
SportsBetting.ag made Auburn the second choice, Florida the third choice and LSU the fourth choice.
BetOnline.ag made UK a 7-4 favorite. Auburn was the second choice at 11-4 followed by Florida at 7-2 and LSU at 11-2.
Auburn Coach Bruce Pearl said Kentucky had “demonstrated they are head and shoulders above the rest.
“But, beyond that, I think anybody is capable. . . . I do think it’s a wide-open field. And I think all the teams are still playing. They’re still engaged.”
Quick or Nick?
Questions about who should be voted SEC Player of the Year came up. Of course, that might come down to the challenge of deciding between two Kentucky players: Nick Richards or Immanuel Quickley.
Tennessee Coach Rick Barnes offered a way to choose.
“You have to simply say, if you took the guy off the floor, how good would they be?” he said. “ … When we cast our vote, that’s how we would look at it.
“That’s tough. What you hope is when you have two players like that, the vote around the league doesn’t get split where the right person is not rewarded.”
