Coach's teleconference notes

[matt colvin]

Per Matt Jones:

http://blog.kentuckysportsradio.com/?p=2954

[Will Lavender]

Carter...oof. NOT good.

Who's this team's center? Patrick Patterson, I guess. :shock:

[matt colvin]

The Curry flurry.


That is why I'll remain true to my assertion that Perry Stevenson could/should be the most important developement over this summer. If he'll bust his tail, he can alleviate some of the hole we have in the middle. We'll get a center for 2008 though. I'd give about anything if Morris had stayed, but he couldn't have done better than the deal he got

[Bird]

The Curry flurry.


That is why I'll remain true to my assertion that Perry Stevenson could/should be the most important developement over this summer. If he'll bust his tail, he can alleviate some of the hole we have in the middle. We'll get a center for 2008 though. I'd give about anything if Morris had stayed, but he couldn't have done better than the deal he got

I understand Morris leaving but it would have been great to have him back. Much like when Estill left. You are just left thinking, man, if he would have just stayed for another year, he would have been truly unstoppable.

[RaleighCat]

I've been saying for weeks and weeks that we'll play 3 guards/2 forwards most of this season. We must have a guy who guards the 5, but not necessarily play the 5. There's a difference.

Patterson and Stevenson aren't Centers in the purest definition of the term. But they'll be asked to guard our opponent's 5-man on most nights. Maybe it's Williams or Coury or Harris filling in here n' there. But PP and PS are going to have to guard the 5.

On offense, however, they don't have to be our center. UK might not play with one- at least like we're used to with Morris in the past few years. Hayes and Daniels formed a potent interior attack- but neither was a true offensive center.

I'm more concerned with our defensive/rebounding issues than who plays Center. Carter might be tall but he had a long way to go in terms of being able to control his positioning and defense. Jason Parker dominated the paint as a freshman because of his physical stregnth and nasty attitude. So did Tyler Hansbrough at UNC. Neither were "Centers."

[Bird]

I've been saying for weeks and weeks that we'll play 3 guards/2 forwards most of this season. We must have a guy who guards the 5, but not necessarily play the 5. There's a difference.

Patterson and Stevenson aren't Centers in the purest definition of the term. But they'll be asked to guard our opponent's 5-man on most nights. Maybe it's Williams or Coury or Harris filling in here n' there. But PP and PS are going to have to guard the 5.

On offense, however, they don't have to be our center. UK might not play with one- at least like we're used to with Morris in the past few years. Hayes and Daniels formed a potent interior attack- but neither was a true offensive center.

I'm more concerned with our defensive/rebounding issues than who plays Center. Carter might be tall but he had a long way to go in terms of being able to control his positioning and defense. Jason Parker dominated the paint as a freshman because of his physical stregnth and nasty attitude. So did Tyler Hansbrough at UNC. Neither were "Centers."

I think we could get away with Hayes and Daniels because they were good at finding and being around the ball especially with rebounds. Hayes just out worked people to the ball and Daniels was about as crafty down low as they come. If we are small in the paint then the boys will have to make it a personal mission to get every rebound or we will struggle in the paint without a big boy. From the reports of Patterson he is that active work horse in the middle that will rebound, which is nice.

[Will Lavender]

On offense, however, they don't have to be our center. UK might not play with one- at least like we're used to with Morris in the past few years. Hayes and Daniels formed a potent interior attack- but neither was a true offensive center.

The thing about Daniels, though, was that he could play like a center regardless of his size. He wasn't "true" at his position because of his height, but he could get the ball down there and flat-out operate on offense. And of course Chuck played like a true power forward. As Bird says, they complemented each other perfectly; Patterson will not have anybody as deft with the ball as Chuck was to help him get acclimated to an unnatural position.

From what I've seen of Patterson, he's a forward. He has very little back-to-the basket skill right now. The points he'll get will be from running the floor and floating around the rim; I wonder if you limit that a little bit if you put him at the 5.

As someone else said, I think Stevenson is more suited to play that position. But Perry has a long way to go, obviously. I think it's possible that this team can mold itself into the kind of a squad that doesn't need a true 5, but teams who can consistently win with such a hodge-podge of interior players are few and far between.

But yet again, what we're really talking about here is Tubby Smith's recruiting.

[RaleighCat]

I think it's possible that this team can mold itself into the kind of a squad that doesn't need a true 5, but teams who can consistently win with such a hodge-podge of interior players are few and far between.

But yet again, what we're really talking about here is Tubby Smith's recruiting.

That's exactly what I'm driving at. UK simply doesn't have much of a choice for the 5 this coming season. We just don't. Even with Carter there are question marks. We're going to have to improvise with our forwards getting the bulk of the work.
But again, we don't need a pure Center on offense. Really great dominating Centers are hard to find. How many will we face this season? No many by my count. Maybe having smaller/quicker guys like Patterson and Stevenson on the blocks will cause problems for the opposition.

(And I couldn't agree more with your final sentence)

[DCWildcat]

I've been saying for weeks and weeks that we'll play 3 guards/2 forwards most of this season. We must have a guy who guards the 5, but not necessarily play the 5. There's a difference.

Patterson and Stevenson aren't Centers in the purest definition of the term. But they'll be asked to guard our opponent's 5-man on most nights. Maybe it's Williams or Coury or Harris filling in here n' there. But PP and PS are going to have to guard the 5.

On offense, however, they don't have to be our center. UK might not play with one- at least like we're used to with Morris in the past few years. Hayes and Daniels formed a potent interior attack- but neither was a true offensive center.

I'm more concerned with our defensive/rebounding issues than who plays Center. Carter might be tall but he had a long way to go in terms of being able to control his positioning and defense. Jason Parker dominated the paint as a freshman because of his physical stregnth and nasty attitude. So did Tyler Hansbrough at UNC. Neither were "Centers."

Very good post (maybe because they're my thoughts exactly :big_grin:)

[RP_McMurphy]

Looks like the Coach isn't sold on him either. I want him to have a great time at Kentucky but he might not have the body to take the pounding that a major college basketball must take.

[Caveman Catfan]

http://kentucky.scout.com/2/659028.html

[matt colvin]

http://kentucky.scout.com/2/659028.html


Thanks Caveman. Good read. Hopefully Jared can get healthy once and for all, despite however much time it takes. I'd love to see him get a least a chance to show us what he's got.

[BigblueDrew]

Not having a true 5 will hurt this team. I just hope it will not cripple us. Fortunately there aren't an over abundance of quality 5 players in the SEC next year(IMO). I think where the lack of a center will really hurt is at NCAA tourney time when we will have to play some really good centers to advance to the level we all want. I'm afraid that we have at least one more season ahead of us of being forced to play people out of position. I think we will still have a good team I'm just not sure it will be a great team. I'm pumped about next season anyway.

[DonnieKat]

The one positive in UK's favor is that 'certain' players that rebound well for their position. While Joe and Ramel aren't great rebounders for their respective positions, Jasper, Porter, Meeks and Stevenson are all above-average rebounders. Add in the growth of Stewart and Ramon Harris and I think we'll be OK. When Villanova ran the 4G lineup, they had Curtis Sumpter (a beast) and four good rebounding guards. I think UK will likely run a 3G/2F lineup and keep at least four good rebounders on the floor at any one time.

[DCWildcat]

I saw big Mr. Williams today coming out of Young, and he seemed to have trimmed down a bunch. Still, it wasn't that long ago that he was in the father/son practice game and looked really underdeveloped with his footwork and body positioning. The recent summer report from KSR reported basically the same. Maybe he'll be able to contribute something nice.

[Dwight Schrute]

I have a bad feeling that Jared Carter's days at UK are numbered.

[matt colvin]

I have a bad feeling that Jared Carter's days at UK are numbered.

Same here, unfortunately. Sometimes players just don't get a chance to show there true stuff due to plaguing injuries (Bowie in NBA).