Calipari: Andrew Harrison at his best in 'attack mode'

John Calipari said Monday that no guard in college basketball is better than Andrew Harrison. But the Kentucky coach added a qualifier.

"When Andrew plays where he's attacking the lane — GET IN THE LANE! — he is a totally different player," Calipari said on the Southeastern Conference coaches' teleconference.

Calipari defined attack mode as being alert, being mindful of the next move before the ball arrives, playing with speed and pace all the time, throwing the ball ahead in transition and being ready (on the fly) for a return pass.

"When he does (that), and that's who he is, he's as good as any guard in the country," Calipari said.

Harrison, the frequent topic of conversation among UK followers, agreed.

"It's exciting," he said. "I feel I'm the best player on the court when I'm doing that. So it's fun."

Harrison has been on a roll lately. Arguably the best stretch of his two-year UK career included a nine-assist game against Auburn on Saturday. That tied a career high.

With one turnover in 27 minutes against Auburn, Harrison improved his assist-to-turnover ratio in the last four games to better than four to one (21 assists, five turnovers). In that span, he's averaged 12 points.

"That's how I'm supposed to be playing," Harrison said. "That's how I should have been playing all year. I just struggled a little bit right there in the middle."

Harrison spoke philosophically about the "slump" all players experience from time to time. He said the important thing was how a player responds to a dip in production.

"It shows what kind of person, what kind of man you are to persevere and get through it," he said.

Brother Aaron Harrison suggested that relaxing helped Andrew play better. During the SEC Media Days in October, Calipari noted that Andrew Harrison cared too much (and Aaron cared too little).

"Just going out and playing basketball," Aaron Harrison said. "It's not really a big deal. Just going out and doing what he loves. He just relaxed again and is going out and having fun."

Andrew Harrison noted how the player-coach relationship with Calipari has deepened and improved.

"I feel he trusts me more, and wants me to be a leader," Andrew Harrison said. " ... I think we're just starting to trust each other more. He believes in my ability."

Assistant coach Barry Rohrssen, who substituted for Calipari at an afternoon news conference, noted how Calipari prizes a fast pace over a careful avoidance of turnovers.

"He's not worried about Andrew making poor decisions," Rohrssen said of Calipari. "He just wants him to play fast, pick up the pace and get everybody involved."

Said Andrew Harrison: "That's just kind of how I used to play. Kind of a reckless abandon, and just playing as hard as I can."

Aaron, too

Calipari noted how an aggressive style can help Aaron Harrison, too.

"Driving the ball, not settling (for perimeter shots)," Calipari said. "Not expecting someone to always get him a shot. Go get your own ... Create your own shot."

Aaron Harrison acknowledged how he might have been taking too many three-point shots.

"I think I had been settling for jump shots, being a spot-up shooter, really," he said. "Just wanted to change that, really. Be more aggressive and attack like I used to."

Changing roles?

Quietly, Andrew Harrison is the more accurate three-point shooter of the twins. A more judicious perimeter shooter, he's made 35.5 percent of his three-point shots.

Aaron, the shooting guard, has made 30.1 percent of his shots from beyond the arc. In the last four games, he's made three of 19 three-point shots.

Andrew did not take a bow. He said of Aaron, "When we need a big shot, he'll make it."

'Karlito'

Rohrssen acknowledged coining the nickname "Karlito" for Karl-Anthony Towns' now-famous alter ego. The UK assistant saluted Towns' eagerness to learn and improve.

"If they were all like Karl Towns, more people would want to get into coaching," Rohrssen said.

'Exceptionally unbelievable'

When asked about the UK team on pace for a 40-0 record in his first season on the coaching staff, Rohrssen said, "Unbelievable. Exceptionally unbelievable. Hope it keeps going."

This story was originally published February 23, 2015 at 6:02 PM with the headline "Calipari: Andrew Harrison at his best in 'attack mode'."