Will Kentucky play more of that CJ Fredrick-Antonio Reeves lineup? ‘It’s fun basketball.’
On three different occasions during his 15-minute press conference Monday night, John Calipari steered the topic of conversation toward a lineup combination that would surely delight a large chunk of Kentucky basketball fans.
CJ Fredrick and Antonio Reeves — undoubtedly the two most proven college three-point shooters on this UK team — got plenty of time together on the court in the Cats’ season-opening, 95-63 victory over Howard University.
After the game, Calipari was asked two questions about freshman guard Cason Wallace, another about Wallace and Sahvir Wheeler sharing point guard duties, and — all three times — the Kentucky coach pivoted his reply to highlight the Fredrick-Reeves combination instead.
It’s a concept — two (or more) knockdown shooters on the court at the same time — that a vocal segment of fans has been clamoring for. It’s something Calipari has acknowledged in the past, at times tweaking opposing coaches — and, in the process, some fans — regarding what he sees as an over-reliance on three-point shooting.
“You know, people talk, ‘You should just shoot threes.’ It’s not that,” Calipari said Monday. “It’s, ‘Make threes.’ Make threes. … Because if you’re taking 30 and you go 4-for-30, which you can do, you’re losing.
“This team though — got a lot of guys that can make shots.”
Reeves came off the bench to go 6-for-12 from deep against Howard, leading the Cats with 22 points. Fredrick was 2-for-5 from long range, second on the team in scoring with 20 points. They each missed their first two three-point attempts of the game, then went a combined 8-for-13 the rest of the way.
“I think we might have been a little pressed early on,” Fredrick said. “You know, first game, and they kind of hung in there a little bit. They’re a good team. … I think when we started to really run up and down and make shots, it put a lot of pressure on them.
“And then we were able to just keep getting out in transition and knock down shots. And it just opened the floor up so much.”
Once that Fredrick-Reeves lineup clicked, it was something to see.
The duo played a total of 11:27 together in the first half over three different stretches, outscoring the Bison, 34-21, during that time. They shared the court for another 5:36 stretch in the second half. Over those 17-plus minutes, Reeves scored 16 of his 22 points and Fredrick scored 11 of his 20.
The two players were sitting next to each other in the locker room after the victory.
“Man, it would be fun if we could play like that all year — just running up and shooting, making plays for each other, and just playing basketball,” Fredrick said he told Reeves. “Everything’s random. It’s not designed or anything like that. We’re just hoopin’. Running up and down. If we’re open, shoot the ball. If not, try to make a play for somebody else. It’s fun basketball.”
A new Kentucky combo?
Fredrick and Reeves have obviously been on the same team since the summer, but this is a dynamic that is likely far from reaching its full potential.
Calipari has kept his two top shooters separated for most of the preseason scrimmage sessions. They’ve become plenty familiar with each other’s games — often matching up in those scrimmages — but they haven’t had many opportunities to play on the same squad.
When they do get a chance to team up, it typically doesn’t take long to settle in.
“It’s easy,” Fredrick said. “Two shooters. Two guys that can also make plays. And when I’m out there, I’m looking for him. If he’s open, I’m throwing it to him. And it’s super fun, because in practice for the past month, we’ve been going at each other, competing every day. … That (was) a lot better than going at each other every day in practice.”
Reeves said he and Fredrick bring a shared confidence when they’re on the court together. Both players run as hard as they can to each corner, and they look to make plays from there.
“It’s just that connection that we have,” he said. “It’s very fun. And that’s the style I like to play. Just run, get to my spots as quickly as I can. I love playing like that.”
It apparently makes things easier for whoever is running the point, too.
On Monday night, that was Cason Wallace, who tallied nine assists and nearly had a triple-double in his first college game. The freshman credited the Fredrick-Reeves dynamic for part of his stat line.
“That’s why I had so many assists this game,” he said. “Just throw it to them, and tell them to shoot it. Because, more than likely, they’re going to make it. I trust in them, they trust in me.”
Six of Wallace’s nine assists went to either Fredrick or Reeves.
Calipari clearly liked the offensive impact of the Wallace-Fredrick-Reeves backcourt. “You got three guys that can score the ball and shoot the ball,” he said. But he added that the trio would need to show they can rebound and defend, as well.
And Calipari will have some tough decisions to make once his squad is back at full strength. The team’s offense will surely look different when Wheeler, Oscar Tshiebwe and Daimion Collins return to the lineup. Wheeler played 31.2 minutes per game last season, and when he’s in, either Wallace, Fredrick or Reeves will almost certainly be out. Tshiebwe is the reigning national player of the year, and the offense will often flow through him in the paint.
That might mean fewer instances of Fredrick and Reeves on the court at the same time, but — when they are out there — it could mean even more chances to score. Wheeler excels at discombobulating defenses and kicking out to open shooters. Coaches and teammates have spent the preseason praising Tshiebwe’s improved passing ability, especially his awareness to recognize double-teams and find open players on the perimeter.
“Everybody on this team is a great player,” Reeves said. “And if we share the ball, we could be a really good team. … That’s the mentality we have going into every game.”
Fredrick was a 46.6-percent three-point shooter over two seasons at Iowa. Reeves shot 39.0 percent from deep at Illinois State last season, and he’s combined to go 30-for-65 (46.1 percent) from three over Kentucky’s seven preseason exhibitions plus Monday night’s opener.
Only twice in Calipari’s 13 seasons at Kentucky have the Cats had two players take at least 100 three-point shots and make at least 40 percent of them. (Doron Lamb and Darius Miller in 2010-11. Jamal Murray and Derek Willis in 2015-16). Only eight players total have hit those two benchmarks in Calipari’s tenure. It’s reasonable to think that Fredrick and Reeves could join the club this season.
Calipari said after Monday’s game that this is probably a Kentucky team that could take 24-25 threes per game, if they show they can make them. That would be a relatively major shift in the Calipari era. To this point, no UK team under his watch has averaged more than 19.9 three-point attempts per game.
On Monday night, the Cats made 11 of 24 from deep.
Where the Fredrick-Reeves lineup goes from here remains to be seen. For one night, at least, they got to run together after weeks of battling behind the scenes.
“We’ve been separated for the past — there’s always that month before the season that’s just a gauntlet. Every day is just a grind,” Fredrick said. “And those days, we’re always going at each other. And that’s what makes this place so special, and that’s how you get better. You come in every day, and you’re playing against dudes that push you to get better. And that’s what you want as a basketball player. You don’t want anything easy. You want it hard.
“And having a guy like that who makes it hard on me — he gets me better every day. And hopefully I do the same for him.”
Next game
Duquesne at No. 4 Kentucky
When: 7 p.m. Friday
TV: SEC Network
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1
Records: Duquesne 0-0, UK 1-0
Series: UK leads 2-0
Last meeting: UK won 93-59 on Nov. 20, 2016, in Lexington
