Kentucky’s Brandon Boston ‘working my tail off’ to overcome rough start
Brandon Boston confirmed Friday that he was in Kentucky’s practice gym at 2 a.m. recently. He was getting in extra shooting with teammate Cam’Ron Fletcher. He said he left about 2:30 a.m.
“Basketball is really all that’s on my mind,” he said. “So, that’s really the only thing that helps me escape reality.”
Harsh reality had come in the form of several subpar performances. A consensus five-star prospect, on the watch list for several national player of the year awards and projected as a first-round pick in this year’s NBA Draft, Boston’s would-be stardom dimmed. In the season’s first 12 games, he made only 34.7 percent of his shots (50 of 144) and 17.5 percent of his three-point attempts (seven of 40).
“I’ve been struggling,” he said, “But, you know, I’ve been staying positive. Staying in the gym. Working my tail off. And just keeping good spirits, knowing that I had a rough start. But everything’s going to change, I feel like.”
A change seemed to happen at Georgia on Wednesday. Coming off the bench for the first time, Boston made a season-high nine shots. His 18 points were two shy of a season high. His seven rebounds were three shy of a season high.
Boston embraced the spark-off-the-bench role.
“I feel I can see the game before it happens,” he said. “Watching my team go out there and start the game. … Just bringing the energy. But it really doesn’t affect me coming off the bench or starting. I still bring the same energy and same confidence.”
Assistant coach Joel Justus spoke of Boston evolving as a player. Good practices leading up to the Georgia game made Boston’s production in Athens no surprise, Justus said.
“BJ is doing everything he can to put himself in a better place mentally …,” Justus said. “So, the key now is to continue to work toward that.”
Ebb and flow
As Boston flowed coming off the bench at Georgia, Dontaie Allen ebbed in his first career start. Previously, the reverse was true as Allen provided a spark as a reserve and Boston struggled as a starter.
Justus put this contrast in the context of a season played during a pandemic in which it’s best to expect the unexpected.
Those lobbying for Allen to start should read no further. As Justus recalled, Allen approached John Calipari during Thursday’s practice and told the UK coach, “Maybe I feel better coming off the bench.”
Freshman phenom
LSU guard Cameron Thomas comes into the game averaging 22.0 points. That makes him the eighth-most prolific scorer in Division I and the top freshman scorer.
In two seasons for prep powerhouse Oak Hill Academy, Thomas became the school’s career scoring leader with 2,219 points.
If UK needs to foul late in a tight game, it would be best not to foul Thomas. He has made 92.9 percent of his free throws in Southeastern Conference play (52 of 56). Earlier this season, he broke Chris Jackson’s program record for consecutive free throws made by connecting on 42 in a row.
LSU Coach Will Wade saluted Thomas for having “as mature an approach as I’ve seen from a freshman just in terms of how locked in and how focused he is.”
Thomas has made 66 of his last 70 free throws.
A native of Chesapeake, Va., Thomas has not shot well overall: 41.5 percent (29.9 percent on threes). But his threat to score opens up opportunities for veteran teammates Trendon Watford, Darius Days and Javonte Smart.
“I think he’s an elite scorer,” Justus said of Thomas. “He can score at all three levels. He’s very confident, very aggressive on the offensive end. He presents an extreme challenge the second the ball goes from our possession to theirs.”
Defending Thomas will not be a “one-person assignment,” Justus said. It will be a “collective” responsibility.
Drag on recruiting?
Justus was asked if Kentucky’s 4-9 record could or had adversely affected recruiting. He downplayed that possibility.
“The biggest thing in recruiting is getting to know those individuals,” he said. “That’s the key. You’re talking about their seasons. You’re talking about their feelings, their dreams. What they want out of their experience at the University of Kentucky.
“For us, nothing has really changed. Whether we were 13-0 or zero and zero or whatever. We have a great product here, and our thing is to continue to communicate that to families.”
Etc.
Karl Ravech and Jimmy Dykes will call the game for ESPN.
