Church no sanctuary to protect Kentucky coach from critics
Kentucky Coach John Calipari was leaving morning Mass recently when he may have sensed the need to remember to turn the other cheek.
“This guy says, ‘Stay strong, Coach. You’re going to be fine,’” Calipari recalled Friday. “I’m, like, what happened?”
What happened was another day in the Big Blue Nation, where Christian charity can depend on how many shots go in and by how big a margin Kentucky wins.
Neither has happened at the normal Kentucky rate this season, hence criticism directed at the coach. Calipari was philosophical about fans questioning his words and actions.
“That’s what coaching is,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what you do. There’s people who are going to say you can do it better or you could do it a different way. You could be playing man and be one of the best defensive teams in the country, and you should be playing zone.”
Not for the first time, Calipari said, “If I listen to what’s coming out of the stands . . . , I’ll be up there shortly. You just coach your team.”
The latest criticism involved kneeling with his players and fellow coaches during the playing of the national anthem before last Saturday’s game at Florida. In the wake of criticism, Calipari said after UK’s loss to Alabama on Tuesday that given the political climate, it probably was not “a real good time” for a peaceful protest during the anthem.
Critics interpreted that as the coach abandoning his players, a contention Jacob Toppin scoffed at.
“Coach Cal loves his players,” Toppin said Friday. “He treats us like we’re his sons. So, he’s never going to be against us. He’s always for us and he’s always supporting us no matter what it is. That was nonsense.”
Later, Toppin called the suggestion that Calipari’s comment about the timing of the protest being a criticism of the players “a false narrative.”
Calipari, who said he does not look at social media postings, tweeted a response to the contention that he had distanced himself from the players.
He said the reason he responded was because “the core of who I am is caring about kids. When that is questioned . . . anybody who knows me knows what I stand for (and) knows my beliefs. . . . I believe in these kids, and they know that.
“Again, you march on. You do what you think is right. Doing what’s right is not always popular and doing what’s popular is not always right.”
Justin Powell
North Oldham High School grad Justin Powell is a freshman at Auburn. He’s averaging 11.7 points and made 42.9 percent of his three-point shots.
Rated a four-star prospect by ESPN (three-star by 247Sports and Rivals), Powell has missed the last three games. Auburn Coach Bruce Pearl did not sound optimistic about Powell playing Saturday.
Powell has not made enough progress in the program’s concussion protocols, Pearl said. “So, therefore, you had to shut him back down. And he’s still day to day.”
Until Sharife Cooper became eligible, Powell played point guard for Auburn. He had a 47-26 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Oscar
Oscar Tshiebwe transferring from West Virginia to Kentucky has led to speculation of a strain in the friendship between WVU Coach Bob Huggins and Calipari.
A 6-foot-9, 260-pound sophomore with a 7-5 wingspan, Tshiebwe led WVU in scoring (11.2 ppg) and rebounding (9.3 rpg) last season as a freshman.
WVnews.com quoted Huggins saying of the transfer, “I think it’s the world we live in. It’s better to steal than it is to work and earn things. It’s take-the-easy-way-out, and I think there were some people involved who saw where they could benefit, maybe profit, and worked very diligently at trying to get him out.”
Huggins did not name names.
According to the website, Huggins tersely said his only exchange with Calipari about the transfer was a text.
Said Calipari, “People we talked to (about the player) were Bob Huggins fans. That’s why I never picked up the phone.”
As a transfer, Tshiebwe will not be eligible to play until the 2021-22 season. He is expected to arrive on campus within a week, Calipari said.
Tshiebwe, who is from the Congo, will be a practice player this season. Calipari likened his role to that of Enes Kanter and the late Ben Jordan, players who helped in the development of Josh Harrellson and Nick Richards, respectively, by competing in practice.
Block party?
Going into play Friday, Kentucky ranked first in Division I in blocks (6.4 per game) and Auburn ranked 11th (5.6).
Calipari spoke of challenging Auburn’s shot-blockers.
Pearl noted a matchup between UK’s Isaiah Jackson, who ranks sixth nationally with an average of 3.18 blocks, and Auburn’s JT Thor, a 6-10 freshman.
“Two really long, athletic dudes,” Pearl said.
Turnovers
If ball security is not highlighted, no one should be surprised.
Among SEC teams, Kentucky and Auburn rank 12th and 14th in turnover margin. UK averages 2.3 more turnovers than its opponents, Auburn 2.5 more turnovers.
Each has a negative assist-to-turnover ratio: UK 126-164 and Auburn 204-227.
Etc.
Karl Ravech and Jimmy Dykes will call the game for ESPN.
