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  • Dominique Hawkins on UK defense and more

    By: LARRY VAUGHT



    When Dominique Hawkins signed with Kentucky, he knew it would be his defense, not his offense, that might give him a chance to play this season.

    “I’m trying to learn to become a better defensive player, definitely putting pressure on the ball and trying to be a defensive force for our team,” said Hawkins, a freshman from Madison Central.
    Kentucky coach John Calipari has been spending more time on defense as UK prepares to host Cleveland State tonight.
    “As a player, I really don’t know (how far the team has to go defensively), but as a coach, I’m pretty sure we have a long way to go because it’s still early and we’re working up on progressing and getting better on defense,” Hawkins said.

    He says he has dramatically improved his defense off the ball.
    “In high school I always had to guard the point guard and I usually didn’t have to guard the best player because my coach wanted me to get a little break and stuff like that. But now I’m guarding players off the ball and on the ball. I learned a lot of stuff from coach Cal, what he taught how to guard off the ball,” Hawkins said.

    Hawkins is averaging 1.4 points, 0.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 9.4 minutes per game for UK. However, in the last two games he’s averaged 15.5 minutes and 3.5 points.

    “I knew that I would get some playing time, but I didn’t expect to get early playing time. So I guess I’m kind of shocked that I got some playing time so early in the season,” Hawkins said.

    While Calipari has liked Hawkins’ defense and play backing up twins Aaron and Andrew Harrison, he’s not happy some other players are not showing they can be a lockdown defender.

    “With his size, James Young should be able to be that guy. Julius (Randle) should be able to be the guy. He got beat on the dribble four or five times again; stood straight up and down, didn’t really get down in the stance,” Calipari said. “But again, I’ll say this: Great bunch of kids; they really are, one of the greatest groups I’ve coached. But they’re kids. And we’ve got a lot of learning to do and a lot of habits to break, and it’s hard to break ‘em.”

    On UK’s national title team two years ago, defense was not a problem because Michael Kidd-Gilchrist’s intensity normally sparked the defense.

    “But also Marquis Teague would go guard. We didn’t have just one, and Anthony (Davis) was back there alert. He never was flat-footed,” Calipari said. “Terrence (Jones) and Darius (Miller) and Doron (Lamb), those guys — you had a lot of guys that were willing to defend and you had some veterans that were showing the others. Michael didn’t need to be taught about effort. That’s what Michael brought to the table. There’s just something lacking that we got to get out of them, and they got to accept it, as much as anything else.”

    The 6-0 Hawkins says UK has been working on a zone defense the last week.
    “I feel like we could be a good (zone) team because we’re long and athletic and everybody on the team could probably cover an area pretty good because of how long and athletic we are,” the freshman said.

    But he knows one thing Calipari wants no matter what defense UK is playing.
    “He wants to see me talking a lot more. I’m kind of a shy person and I don’t really talk that much, but he’s making me have to talk and yell out stuff because when I’m talking I’m usually quiet, I’m not loud enough. So he’s working on talking louder with me,” Hawkins said. “It is kind of a team thing because our communication on defense hasn’t been too good lately, but we’re working on it.”

    Hawkins says the weight lifting at UK has helped him — along with concentrating on just one sport.
    “I played football in high school, and the weight lifting here is way harder than it was in high school. They consider lifting at least twice a week, even if we’re playing and stuff like that. I feel like I’ve put a little more muscle on,” he said.

    “I played football in high school so half of my year was football and then the other half of the year was basketball. This year it’s been all basketball so I’ve been able to be in the gym more and get up more shots and be able to get some training in.”
    Comments 24 Comments
    1. dan_bgblue's Avatar
      dan_bgblue -
      I hope the other players will learn from him on how to go full speed all the time. Watching Hawkins play is fun..
    1. badrose's Avatar
      badrose -
      I don't know that going zone will succeed. Defense is more mental than physical. The idea that your guy will not score on you is paramount either way except with zone 'your guy' can change several times during a possession.
    1. uk-4-the-win's Avatar
      uk-4-the-win -
      if you think you have to play zone because of the twins...........Cal its much easier to just play Hawkins at point, Young at 2 and Aaron at 3... allowing Andrew to come in and give all 3 a breather. Much easier than taking practice time to teach a zone.
    1. ShoesSwayedBlue's Avatar
      ShoesSwayedBlue -
      I hope that the alpha males begin to feel a little ashamed at how much harder Hawkins plays than they currently are.
    1. Krank's Avatar
      Krank -
      This sort of insight into Hawkins is great to hear for us UK fans who love to see the Kentucky kids succeed.

      When I saw him at the second Kentucky/Indiana All-Star game, I was excited to just watch after the little bit I had seen before, the lotta that my most trusted in-person basketball "guru" (I call him "Dad") had told me about, and a few other Commonwealth connects had been so high on him that they PROMISED he was ready to be more than an afterthought at Kentucky. It was about his effort, about how he led his team, about how he tried to get his team involved in first halves and, if he didn't get enough help that way, how he would take over second halves.

      What I kept hearing was ONE big word… "WINNER", thus he TOOK the State Championship, becoming a TRUE Kentucky legend.

      Even with all of that, I wanted to see him with my own eyes for a whole game, on the court against top-notch talent. Would this kid live up to that at UK (not saying become some surreal superstar, just be that same winner, with that same will to do what it takes, etc., that we ALL want to see)?

      So when he straight went OFF on the many many five and four star players from Indiana, put up 33 (easily leading all scorers on both teams), driving, shooting from all over, dishing, AND defending… hey, I dunno, I got that really GOOD feeling about his future at UK. I tried to describe it in the article I wrote after the game, but it was hard to capture.

      I am so glad everyone is getting on board Hawk's gravy train because he's JUST the type of kid the BBN has gravitated to forever, be it a guy like Epps or Hayes or name your fave spark plug, your fave "will not back down" guy.

      DHawk is THAT kid. I don't care how much he scores. His impact will always be felt regardless. JMO.
    1. CitizenBBN's Avatar
      CitizenBBN -
      He says he has dramatically improved his defense off the ball.
      “In high school I always had to guard the point guard and I usually didn’t have to guard the best player because my coach wanted me to get a little break and stuff like that. But now I’m guarding players off the ball and on the ball. I learned a lot of stuff from coach Cal, what he taught how to guard off the ball,” Hawkins said
      .

      This is why these guys can't play much defense. They were coached to almost avoid it and rest on defense b/c they were so vital to be on the court. Didn't want foul trouble or wearing out, so their HS coaches put others on the best players. So they really dont' know how to get down in a stance and lock a guy down, they weren't on a guy they had to worry much about scoring. Forget AAU ball where defense is rarely played by anyone.


      It's not lack of desire to do it, they just don't know what to do. Bad habits, no habits, whatever, this team is clearly having to learn what high D1 effort looks like. They're still stuck in AAU ball.

      This is a super talented team, and I like their attitudes b/c they are wholly unselfish and team oriented, but it is by FAR the least experienced and defensively fundamental (b/c they weren't taught) team I have seen since the Bombinos, maybe starting off behind even that team b/c at least they had Hanson.
    1. Philly Cat's Avatar
      Philly Cat -
      Still gotta be in a defensive stance to play zone, especially on the perimeter. It's just choosing to die by a different poison. The straight-backed perimeter guys on a zone would get destroyed.
    1. cattails's Avatar
      cattails -
      Quote Originally Posted by uk-4-the-win View Post
      if you think you have to play zone because of the twins...........Cal its much easier to just play Hawkins at point, Young at 2 and Aaron at 3... allowing Andrew to come in and give all 3 a breather. Much easier than taking practice time to teach a zone.
      Why on earth would you take out the #1 freshman PG in the country?? Hawkins has worked his butt off, but he is not even close to the player Andrew is right now. Did you read Andrew's stat line last game? This team has length and can cover a lot of area with those long arms and how tall they are. Granted effort and position has to improve, but Hawkins has been beat off the dribble just like the others have, it is a learning process.
    1. cattails's Avatar
      cattails -
      Quote Originally Posted by Philly Cat View Post
      Still gotta be in a defensive stance to play zone, especially on the perimeter. It's just choosing to die by a different poison. The straight-backed perimeter guys on a zone would get destroyed.
      +1!!!
    1. CitizenBBN's Avatar
      CitizenBBN -
      I think Cal is looking at zone seriously b/c of speed, which it could help hide, but Philly is dead on that you have to play any defense with max effort or you're getting whipped. So the basic problem of being in a stance and having the right attitude and effort level has to be solved the old fashioned way. Like these guys have to learn, there are no short cuts to hide poor effort.
    1. Krank's Avatar
      Krank -
      Originally Posted by uk-4-the-win
      if you think you have to play zone because of the twins...........Cal its much easier to just play Hawkins at point, Young at 2 and Aaron at 3... allowing Andrew to come in and give all 3 a breather. Much easier than taking practice time to teach a zone.


      Quote Originally Posted by cattails View Post
      Why on earth would you take out the #1 freshman PG in the country?? Hawkins has worked his butt off, but he is not even close to the player Andrew is right now. Did you read Andrew's stat line last game? This team has length and can cover a lot of area with those long arms and how tall they are. Granted effort and position has to improve, but Hawkins has been beat off the dribble just like the others have, it is a learning process.
      Agreed, CT.

      Much as I love Hawk, no way does Andrew come off the bench unless there is an extraordinary attitude issue that pops up or a "lesson taught" due to a bad practice or something.

      Dominique's contribution this season will be more than many believed (meaning I think it is becoming more clear that helping the Twins with minutes ices his slot in the rotation, even late in the season IMO, just because that depth is good for team dynamics), but this is all about Hawk being an EXAMPLE to Andrew, Aaron, and James to play with more heart, hustle and possibly even SOME defensive technique.

      Taking either twin out of the rotation, permanently?… NO WAY. Period.
    1. cattails's Avatar
      cattails -
      Quote Originally Posted by Krank View Post
      Originally Posted by uk-4-the-win
      if you think you have to play zone because of the twins...........Cal its much easier to just play Hawkins at point, Young at 2 and Aaron at 3... allowing Andrew to come in and give all 3 a breather. Much easier than taking practice time to teach a zone.




      Agreed, CT.

      Much as I love Hawk, no way does Andrew come off the bench unless there is an extraordinary attitude issue that pops up or a "lesson taught" due to a bad practice or something.

      Dominique's contribution this season will be more than many believed (meaning I think it is becoming more clear that helping the Twins with minutes ices his slot in the rotation, even late in the season IMO, just because that depth is good for team dynamics), but this is all about Hawk being an EXAMPLE to Andrew, Aaron, and James to play with more heart, hustle and possibly even SOME defensive technique.

      Taking either twin out of the rotation, permanently?… NO WAY. Period.

      Krank I really like this Hawkins kid I really do and next year unless Cal brings in someone else he battles for the PG spot. Hawkins and Willis could be a very important parts of this team next year. Hawkins play will be determined late in the season by how much the twins progress. If the twins progress like they should Hawkins will get very limited time on the court, JMO. Lee and Johnson are in a battle for front line duty, matchups and progress will have a lot to do with that. I still expect Cal to be down to a 7 man rotation when it matters most. UNC and UL will be interesting games.
    1. ajp40505's Avatar
      ajp40505 -
      Quote Originally Posted by cattails View Post
      Krank I really like this Hawkins kid I really do and next year unless Cal brings in someone else he battles for the PG spot. Hawkins and Willis could be a very important parts of this team next year. Hawkins play will be determined late in the season by how much the twins progress. If the twins progress like they should Hawkins will get very limited time on the court, JMO. Lee and Johnson are in a battle for front line duty, matchups and progress will have a lot to do with that. I still expect Cal to be down to a 7 man rotation when it matters most. UNC and UL will be interesting games.
      I think Cal will continue to play a 9 man rotation. Hawkins and Lee are energy guys, but they also produce stats when they play. In other words, they're not out there just taking up space while starters are getting a blow on the bench.
    1. bigsky's Avatar
      bigsky -
      I think Andrew will play more minutes than anyone.
    1. cattails's Avatar
      cattails -
      Quote Originally Posted by ajp40505 View Post
      I think Cal will continue to play a 9 man rotation. Hawkins and Lee are energy guys, but they also produce stats when they play. In other words, they're not out there just taking up space while starters are getting a blow on the bench.
      apj, what stats has Hawkins produced? What I have seen from him is energy and a quicker defender. His stat line is 9 MPG, 37.5% from the field, 1 reb per game, 1 assist per game and a little less than 2 PPG. Like I said and I agree he does come to play, but like our other guards he needs to get down in a better stance (name one that doesn't on this team). The stats are not what Hawkins brings, it is his energy and hard nosed play.

      Lee on the other hand does bring some stats to the table, serious stats, in just a little over 10 MPG he has some sick numbers like 13-16 from the field and almost 2 blocks per game. But and I repeat but that is against weak competition, against Mich St he didn't do anything but he only played 1 minute. When we play UNC and UL it will tell a lot about both players and the team as a whole. I could see Lee stretching the rotation to 8, but more than anything I think the battle will be between Johnson and Lee for minutes.

      Andrew is one shot under 50% from the field and almost 64% from the 3, 78.6% Fts and almost 2/1 assist to T/Os. And yes like our other guards he is getting beat off the dribble which is very fixable. The rumor about him getting beat by a mailbox is true, but it was a really fast mailbox (hi Jeeep ).

      In summary, if we do go to a 9 man rotation my hope is that we just can't keep the extra two players off the floor and not because we don't have the energy and defense where it should be.
    1. KeithKSR's Avatar
      KeithKSR -
      Quote Originally Posted by CitizenBBN View Post
      I think Cal is looking at zone seriously b/c of speed, which it could help hide, but Philly is dead on that you have to play any defense with max effort or you're getting whipped. So the basic problem of being in a stance and having the right attitude and effort level has to be solved the old fashioned way. Like these guys have to learn, there are no short cuts to hide poor effort.
      That, and Cal wants to apply more full court pressure. The most effective presses are zone presses, and falling back into a zone out of them is easier for young players than matching up in man. I prefer the 1-2-1-1, 2-1-2, or 1-2-2 full court zone press then fall back into a 1-2-2, 3-2 or 1-2-1-1 half court defense, I also like to run a 1-3-1 and run traps out of it.
    1. cattails's Avatar
      cattails -
      Quote Originally Posted by bigsky View Post
      I think Andrew will play more minutes than anyone.
      And IMO you would be right.
    1. cattails's Avatar
      cattails -
      Quote Originally Posted by KeithKSR View Post
      That, and Cal wants to apply more full court pressure. The most effective presses are zone presses, and falling back into a zone out of them is easier for young players than matching up in man. I prefer the 1-2-1-1, 2-1-2, or 1-2-2 full court zone press then fall back into a 1-2-2, 3-2 or 1-2-1-1 half court defense, I also like to run a 1-3-1 and run traps out of it.
      In 1-3-1 you have Lee and WCS on the court with WCS back and Lee at the point, Lee can guard any position.
    1. KentuckyWildcat's Avatar
      KentuckyWildcat -
      Quote Originally Posted by cattails View Post
      In 1-3-1 you have Lee and WCS on the court with WCS back and Lee at the point, Lee can guard any position.
      That would be fun to see them try.
    1. cattails's Avatar
      cattails -
      Quote Originally Posted by KentuckyWildcat View Post
      That would be fun to see them try.
      Don't think it would be fun for the other team!!!
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