Kentucky basketball’s ‘silent assassin’ operates effectively ‘under the radar’

There’s not a lot of attention-getting rah-rah with TyTy.

On Monday, that continued to be how Kentucky players and coaches spoke of freshman TyTy Washington.

“He almost has a triple-double and no one even knows it … ,” assistant coach Ron “Chin” Coleman said. “He gets 15, 16 points and it’s, like, it’s not ‘wow!’ because he’s efficient.”

Washington’s 15 points and season-high nine assists helped Kentucky beat High Point 92-48 last Friday. That followed 34 points in the previous two games. For the season, he’s made 19 of 46 three-point shots.

Before the High Point game, UK Coach John Calipari called Washington “a silent assassin.” He said Washington “tiptoes in and gets 15 and nine.”

Teammate Davion Mintz also spoke of a double-take quality in reaction to Washington’s contributions.

“You don’t even notice,” Mintz said. “He just floats under the radar and gets his, like, double digits every time.”

Washington’s cloak of anonymity took a hit later Monday when the Southeastern Conference named him co-Freshman of the Week. He shared the recognition with Jabari Smith of Auburn. It was a league-best third time he’s been so recognized.

Coleman spoke of Washington being able to contribute in multiple ways. He plays point guard and shooting guard. He defends.

“He wears a lot of hats for this team,” Coleman said.

Said Mintz: “He’s a very unselfish guy. I always know if I’m running in transition or I’m sprinting hard, there’s no doubt in my mind he’s going to throw it up the floor. And you really love playing with a guy like that.”

Mintz added that he had no doubt that Washington will play professionally some day.

Meanwhile, Mintz said he reminds Washington to play aggressively.

“The sky’s the limit for him,” Mintz said. “He hasn’t even gotten as deep into his bag as he can.”

Dale Brown Court

Before the game, LSU will officially unveil the name of its playing surface in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. It will be Dale Brown Court.

Given his preference, the former LSU coach asked that the name be unveiled prior to the Tigers’ game against Kentucky.

“When they did ask me when to (do the ceremony), I said there’s only one time: Kentucky,” Brown said Monday. “That’s who made our program better. That’s who we set our sights on to try to overcome.”

Brown was LSU coach from 1972-73 through the 1996-97 season. His win-loss record of 448-301 included an 18-33 mark against UK.

Among the memorable Kentucky-LSU games were:

▪ LSU winning 95-94 on Feb. 11, 1978. It was the school’s first victory over a No. 1-rankled team. It came in overtime despite all five LSU starters fouling out.

▪ Kentucky winning 99-95 on Feb. 15, 1994. The so-called Mardi Gras Miracle had Kentucky rally from a 31-point deficit in the second half.

▪ LSU winning 76-41 on Jan. 18, 1987. It remains the most lopsided loss Kentucky has had in Rupp Arena.

When asked his reaction to having the court named for him, Brown said, “This is not being humble and it’s not being modest. But in my entire coaching career, I never once (set a personal goal.)”

Brown said his goals were to make LSU a national basketball program and to help young people improve their lives.

“This is lagniappe,” he said using the French word for bonus or extra gift.

Numbers

Among Southeastern Conference schools, LSU had the best NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) ranking going into Monday’s play at No. 5. UK was No. 15.

UK’s opponent Saturday, Georgia, had the worst NET ranking of any SEC team: No. 245.

Stats savant Ken Pomeroy had Kentucky ranked higher than any SEC team at No. 8. LSU was fourth best at No. 13. Georgia had the lowest ranking at No. 215.

Home-away

LSU has an 8-0 record in home games. Kentucky is 1-2 in games away from Rupp Arena: losing at Notre Dame, plus beating North Carolina and losing to Duke at neutral sites.

Remember when?

Upon arriving on the court for last Friday’s game at UK, Tubby Smith shook many hands. One belonged to Coleman, who refreshed his memory of their meeting decades ago. Coleman was a high school coach in Chicago. As coach for Minnesota, Smith wanted to recruit one of Coleman’s players.

Then here they were in Rupp Arena, Smith the former UK coach and Coleman an assistant UK coach.

“The places this game takes you is priceless,” Coleman said.

Etc.

Karl Ravech and Jay Bilas will call the game for ESPN.

With swagger intact, No. 16 Kentucky sees itself as ‘road warriors’ at No. 21 LSU

First Scouting Report: Can Kentucky take down Will Wade and LSU in Baton Rouge?

Where to watch, how to follow Tuesday’s Kentucky men’s basketball game at LSU

These are the five most intriguing Kentucky basketball recruits going into the new year

Did inheriting ‘Pitino players’ make Tubby Smith’s job harder at UK?

Top Kentucky basketball recruiting links: Checking in on Reed Sheppard’s stats this season

Tubby Smith will ‘cherish forever’ being enshrined in Rupp Arena rafters