‘I’m loving coaching these guys.’ Everything Calipari said after UK’s win over Stonehill.

Everything University of Kentucky head basketball coach John Calipari said during his press conference following Friday’s xx-xx win over Stonehill College at Rupp Arena:

Calipari’s opening statement:

To come off that game in Chicago, the enormity of the game and then not get in until 4 in the morning and then bounce back and have to play this kind of game when they are playing a zone and they are not going to stop playing, I was really proud of the guys. I think part of it, I love playing against zone as a coach because you have to pass the ball. You have no choice. You may not want to, but you have to pass the ball. And they passed it to each other. 26 assists, making 3s, and they stuck with it. They didn’t care. Like this is we’re hoping you start missing. And slow start in the second half. You know, Reed was tremendous, so was Rob, and there was a lot of good stuff. We should have had six guys in double figures, which is how we like to do this. A couple of too many turnovers. Like it’s not a crazy number but it’s 4 or 5 more than we normally get because we were just making the hardest play instead of just making the easy play.

Questions.

Cal, how beneficial is it to have somebody like Tre that if somebody is going 2-3 zone on you, you can just put him right in the middle and know that he is going to be able to start those hockey assists or get an assist of his own?

Yeah. We found that out in Toronto. Like when they went zone it was like bang-bang-bang basket. And he feels really comfortable in there. So what will happen is, it will open up behind him. Because if you do play a 2-3 you are not going to back away from him, you are going to push all the way up or you are going to push one of your guards. They way Reed shot it, Rob shot it, D.J. shot it, they all made shots.

Coach, you guys took Tuesday night the most 3s you’ve ever taken since you have been here. Tonight you made the most 3s you have made since you have been here. Just what is —

Probably because I have got a good shooting team. And when I haven’t had, we don’t take as many 3s. Here is the one thing you probably — like winning matters here a lot to a lot of people. To coach, sometimes you have injuries and here is what you are left with and this is how you coach. But we have got guys here that got a green light because they are really skilled. It is not about how you’re jumping, running. It is that you are skilled with that ball.

Just the skill and the ability to make it or are these guys making that extra pass going at the speed you want them to?

Let me — let me — you know, I — every year that I coach, especially here, but years at both the other two programs, there was an expectation that you were supposed to win and there was an expectation that individual players were supposed to be able to do XYZ. So the weight of the world, it’s always been here for every player. And I’m going to be honest, it will never change. There’s an expectation. Some guys will play like they have house money and other guys thinking a little bit too much. Every player that could really play that I have coached has been that way. And you know what? What I tell them, it’s not changing now. You have got to learn to deal with it. You have to learn to deal with it. It is not going away. Every game is someone’s Super Bowl. They are going to come in here and play out of their minds. Now guys go to the NBA. And they say, well, this guy could have been drafted. Yeah, they all, when they re-draft, they re-draft. Now they will say, well, they didn’t shoot it this much or didn’t do this or you played a certain way. How about this one? They all know how to deal with expectations and go in that level and none of that stuff fazes them. They are not — they go in that league. You are going to regret not taking that guy until then. And, so, this team is going through that now. And you know it. You can see it. It’s fine. It’s part of the process. They’re feeling the expectation. Another guy that’s, I’m just playing, house money, say his name.

(Question inaudible).

Say it.

(Question inaudible).

And who else?

And Reed.

And Reed. House money. And they are just playing. We have got to get a team full of guys with that mentality. Now, well, I come out when I make a mistake or miss. You played 30 minutes. Not true. The expectations are high and you are struggling to deal with them. That’s all of this team. Now, Rob and Reed start playing really well, we’re all going to...expect them to play that way and they’re going to have to deal with it. That’s what’s great about Kentucky. The guys that fight through that end up going and they succeed. Now, they were talented or they wouldn’t be there. But all of this other stuff, well, they were this and they were. That’s why I laugh when a guy like Cason, you knew what Cason was, you saw him here. So we’re going through that. That’s part of what I believe, I believe in every one of you, you have to believe in you as much as I believe in you. And then letting them play through some mistakes. It is hard. You know me. It is hard. Like today Robert had three turnovers in a row. I had to take him out. You can’t stay in, man. You walked twice. No, I didn’t. We’ll watch the tape. You walked twice. As a matter of fact, you took two extra steps. And then you drove baseline when all you had to do was swing the ball and dribble it out of bounds. Come over here and sit down. I told him, I am not going to stop coaching you because you could be really ridiculously good. But we’ve got a good group, man. I mean, just a good group of guys. Look, I am not — we need one of these big guys. We just have got to have a big guy. We get that and everybody will say, well, it will screw up you up. Let me deal with that. I’ll deal with that. I would like to have all three of them, to be honest with you. One more question. I answered 15 questions here.

(Laughter).

You were talking about the expectations and the weight of it all. Can you sense at all with DJ any of the I’m Dajuan’s kid, Milt’s grandkid?

He has had it on him the whole — his whole life. Each of them NBA players. He’s coming in, he was a No. 1 player, No. 4 player, whatever it is. But Justin and every guy, if they learn to deal with it and not push it. Own your performance, own it. I didn’t do it. You played 30 minutes. So don’t say about me. You played 30 minutes. Own your performance. And then — I keep telling all of these guys, if you talk more, and this again I’m talking mind stuff so you guys won’t understand what I am saying, but when you -- your mind, you can’t do three things at one time. So if you’re talking on defense, you can’t think about how bad you are shooting the ball. You can’t. You can’t do it. Come on, what are we doing? Ah, I’m not -- yeah, you could stop and you could think of that. So I’m trying to get them to be more aggressive, talk more, get out of your way for all of these guys, not just D.J., not just... But that’s part of coaching. And you don’t get that every kid comes in here. And I will be honest with you, folks, there is a lot at stake. That’s why I don’t take this lightly for these kids. A lot at stake. How do I get them right? Can I do it for them? I can put them in situations. I can teach and do and then you put them on the stage, they have got to go. They have got to be that star. They have got to come out and really do their thing. That’s what’s crazy about where this team is right now. Like today I thought D.J. played better but all of a sudden Rob and Reed played so well you just... Justin did some good things. He is still not where he is going to be. Get him going. But I’m telling you, I’m loving coaching these guys. I walk in the gym every day, I know they want to be coached. If you ever were able to watch a practice, which none of you will, but if you were able to you would know that just looking at these guys. And it is not me screaming, yelling, throwing balls, kicking. It is you are doing coaching and you can see they are locked in. So, you know, hey, let me say this, they played well. They never got out of synch. St. Joe’s team is coming up. Every player back from last year. Player of the year in their league preseason, guard, they shoot 35 3s a game. If they make 20, you lose. But they are taking 35. And, so, we are going to really have to be locked in on how we are playing. I haven’t watched the tape yet. They are 4-0. I think they won tonight. 5-0. So we have a hard game against an Atlantic 10 team that’s going to be one of the — so we will see where we are and how we do.

Thanks, folks.

Reed Sheppard gave everyone in Rupp Arena a night to remember. ‘And he deserves it.’

Shot chart from Kentucky basketball’s 101-67 victory over Stonehill College

Box score from Kentucky basketball’s 101-67 victory over Stonehill College

Five things you need to know from Kentucky’s 101-67 win over Stonehill College

First Scouting Report: In Saint Joseph’s, UK will face a team with which Cats have a past

Reed Sheppard leads Kentucky’s 3-point barrage in blowout victory over Stonehill College