Kentucky sees unity — not individual stardom — as its path to salvaging this season
During a teleconference Monday that began at about 10 a.m., Kentucky assistant coach Joel Justus said he had already participated in three meetings. UK coaches also held a group call at halftime of the Super Bowl (presumably not to talk about the ageless Tom Brady).
Yes, Kentucky continues to search for ways to salvage a season that has so far seen 12 defeats in the first 17 games. More than once, Justus suggested that the reclamation project rests on how the team responds to what seems like inevitable adversity.
“Instead of us fracturing, right now we come together and we rely on the team and we rely on each other,” he said. “That’s the toughest thing to do, I think, for young teams is when difficult things happen, that we don’t kind of get into our own little worlds.”
In a sense, five-star players have been conditioned to think of themselves as galaxies unto themselves.
But in college, the competition is better, thus putting a premium on a collective effort.
Justus described the mindset of someone drenched in recruiting hype and high school stardom as “I want to win. I can go make this play,” he said. Or “I’m a good player. I have confidence. I want to make this play.”
Justus’ conclusion was, “When you’re the best player on the floor, you can just put your head down and go make a play. … It’s them not knowing or not understanding … it’s going to take a team effort.”
With a program dependent on one-and-done players, Kentucky is familiar with transforming a collection of individual standouts into an effective unit. Complicating the process for this season was the coronavirus pandemic and limits placed on preseason workouts.
“So much of basketball is me and you playing together,” Justus said. “And I know what you’re going to do, and you know what I’m going to do. I think you’re going to zig, and I zag because we haven’t played together.”
With the next game coming Tuesday against Arkansas, Kentucky continues to look for fixes for all-too-familiar manifestations of problems: ill-advised shots, poor execution in the final minutes of close games, careless turnovers.
“For us, it’s still continuing to figure out what best fits this group,” Justus said.
When asked what ideas haven’t already been tried, Justus quipped, “I can check my mailbox every day to see if that Coach 101 book came in. I’m hoping that might be in the first chapter of that book.”
Meanwhile, Kentucky repeats what seems like a basketball ritual: play the game, review the video, suggest corrective actions, encourage a repeat of positive actions.
Arkansas brings a 14-5 overall and 6-4 record in the Southeastern Conference into Rupp Arena. Although Kentucky is in 10th place at 4-6 in the SEC, Eric Musselman cautioned against assuming a victory.
“I think Kentucky’s capable of beating any team in the country,” Musselman said during a teleconference Friday. “They’re long. They’re athletic. They have excellent shot blockers.”
Going into Monday’s play, Ken Pomeroy ranks Kentucky’s defense at No. 18 in efficiency.
When asked if Arkansas was preparing for the “good Kentucky” or the “bad Kentucky,” Mussselman said there was no choice but the former.
“I have great respect for Kentucky,” he said. “They’ve had a lot of close games that could have gone either way. You know they are a young team, and with young teams sometimes that happens.
“But they are overly, overly talented. They are very well coached.”
Of course, Kentucky has played competitively. In its last three games, all against ranked teams and all losses, UK was in one-possession games late against No. 9 Alabama, No. 18 Missouri and No. 11 Tennessee.
“We talked even yesterday a little bit about it,” said Justus, perhaps suggesting that resolve and belief can come from such performances. “We’ve been in these games (against) arguably your top teams in the league. And you’re in the games (and) having success.”
Musselman spoke of concern about Kentucky’s size around the basket and his team’s need to reduce UK’s opportunities to score in transition.
Plus, Arkansas has its own issues. Although winners of four of its last five games, the Razorbacks have not played since last Tuesday.
“They’ve had a really tough schedule, for us,” Musselman said of Kentucky. “I’m as concerned about us being out of rhythm more so than who Kentucky is playing.”
When asked to describe the mood of the Kentucky team, Justus said, “Obviously, there’s frustration. There’s disappointment because they don’t like to lose. I think that would be from top to bottom. …
“They’re trying. They’re listening. And we just need some success.”
Tuesday
Arkansas at Kentucky
When: 7 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1
Records: Kentucky 5-12 (4-6 SEC), Arkansas (14-5, 6-4)
Series: Kentucky leads 33-11
Last meeting: Kentucky won 73-66 on Jan. 18, 2020, in Fayetteville, Ark.
This story was originally published February 8, 2021 at 12:51 PM.
