Lance Ware put up his dukes last summer, but not when bumped by Florida
Late in Kentucky’s victory against Florida on Saturday, Lance Ware appeared to sling Myreon Jones to the floor as they competed for a loose ball.
Seeing this, Phlandrous Fleming approached Ware and gave him a don’t-do-that bump.
When asked about this sequence Monday, Ware downplayed its significance.
“It’s basketball,” he said, “especially in, like, high-level games. They honestly want to beat us. We want to win. …
“They’re trying to do anything to win. We’re trying to do anything we can to win. Emotions get high.”
After Fleming’s bump, Ware moved away with a smile on his face.
“It’s all love inside the sport,” he said. “Stuff happens. But the main goal is to play hard. If we want to be boxers, then we’d go box.”
Speaking of boxing, Ware said he went to boxing classes eight or nine times last summer.
“Just in case,” he said. “Just in case things happen, I can be prepared.”
The boxing classes helped him improve his foot speed, Ware said.
When asked how good his jab was, Ware said, “my left jab is pretty decent. Just like everything else, you’ve still got to work on it.”
James “Bruiser” Flint, whose title is associate to the head coach, applauded Ware’s work ethic and attention to detail.
When asked about Ware’s competitive spirit in games, Flint said the player has the same approach in practices.
“He’s a hard-nosed, hard-playing kid,” Flint said. “That’s the bottom line.”
Flint lauded Ware’s willingness to accept a backup role and patience.
“Every roster needs a player who comes in and plays his role, and plays it very well,” Flint said. “If you’re going to be a really good team, everybody needs that.”
Statistically, Ware contributed four points and seven rebounds to UK’s 78-57 victory over Florida. After the game, UK Coach John Calipari noted how playing Ware with starting big man Oscar Tshiebwe helped turn the game into Kentucky’s favor.
Ware came into the game averaging 1.9 points and 6.7 minutes. He credited his family for his patience in waiting for a chance to contribute more.
“That obviously comes with my family, always keeping me humble,” he said. “To know no job is too little. Everybody has to play a role. …
“Not being so much content with it, but knowing that’s where I’m at, and always looking to grow. When you have to earn something, it feels so much better than when it’s given to you.”
Rather than put up his dukes when Fleming bumped him in front of the Kentucky bench, Ware smiled and eased away.
Flint saluted Ware’s ability to smile.
“He wasn’t going to let them affect him …,” Flint said. “And he wasn’t going to let it escalate. Cooler heads prevailed.”
Flint said he was “a little odd” how Ware and Jones got entangled going for the loose ball. Flint also suggested that a technical foul can be called when a player intentionally bumps into an opposing player.
Earlier in the game, Florida’s Brandon McKissic dove into the lower left leg of TyTy Washington in another scramble for a loose ball.
“I thought they should have at least called a foul on the TyTy play,” Flint said. “… I don’t think the kid (McKissic) was doing it intentionally. I just think it was a loose ball.”
As for Ware, Flint painted him as an example of a player breathing life into Calipari’s “preaching” about players waiting their turn and making the most of it when it comes.
“You never know when it’s coming …,” Flint said. “Be ready when your time comes. I think Lance has taken advantage of that. Yeah, it’s hard (not playing much). He knows how hard it is.
“It’s a tough situation at times. But (Calipari) preaches that: be ready for your opportunity.”
Tuesday
No. 4 Kentucky at No. 16 Tennessee
When: 9 p.m. Tuesday
TV: ESPN
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1
Records: UK 21-4 (10-2 SEC), Tennessee 18-6 (9-3)
Series: UK leads 158-75
Last meeting: UK won 107-79 on Jan. 15, 2022, in Lexington
This story was originally published February 14, 2022 at 1:24 PM.
