Articles by Category
For most players, almost getting a triple-double would be a memorable game. But not for Taylor County sophomore guard Quentin Goodin, especially not with Kentucky coach John Calipari watching.
Goodin had 11 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in a 65-56 loss to Lincoln County last weekend at Lexington Catholic. However, the 6-2 guard was only 1-for-13 from the field and that’s not what he wanted with Calipari watching him play in person for the first time.
“I waited until all the emotion was out of the air. I gave him a day and a half to get over it and then talked to him about the game,” said Chris Goodin, Taylor’s assistant coach and the guard’s father. “I felt like he played tense personally. Then he told me, ‘Dad, it was John Calipari. I felt I had to do everything right with them there.’
“I noticed every time he made a mistake he would look up to the (UK) coaches. He has played in front of coaches before, but that was the first time in front of coach Cal. I know that meant a lot to him and he wanted to be at his best. He always wants to do his best and when he doesn’t, he’s not happy. But he was really upset with the way he played.”
Goodin has scholarship offers already from Indiana, Tennessee, Oklahoma State, West Virginia, UAB, Western Kentucky and others, but not Kentucky yet. Still, his father says he should not feel pressure and he told him that.
“I told him most guys are coming to watch you play already know you can play,” Chris Goodin said. “They are coming to see other things. What is your body language like? How do you react with teammates? How do you take coaching? I told him they want to see you play, but they want to score a lot of stuff other than scoring. A lot of the choice is about character. I told him just to learn from the experience and now when any coach comes into the gym, just take it like a regular game.”
His father understands why it was easy to press with Calipari watching. Quentin Goodin has made it clear that if a scholarship offer from UK comes, he likely would take it.
“I can’t hold the way he felt against him as a dad or coach on the bench. That is a big deal to have like that come in whether it is Cal, Tom Crean (of Indiana) or Rick Pitino. It’s a big deal to have those guys come see you,” Chris Goodin said. “It means something and tells you the hard work is paying off because these guys appreciate how you play and want to spend time watching you.
“The thing I didn’t know until after the game was that he was one assist shy of a triple-double. He didn’t shoot well, but it’s not every day even a pro can get close to a triple-double. That brought me back to reality that maybe he didn’t play that bad overall. I thought he did a decent job of rebounding and getting teammates involved against a very good Lincoln County team that really impressed me because all those guys just did their jobs.”
Bobby Cassady, a Garrard County and Centre College graduate, is an engineer and minister who volunteers with both the Danville High School football and basketball teams. He went to watch the Taylor-Lincoln game and came away impressed with Goodin despite his 1-for-13 shooting.
“He is very athletic and handles the ball well. He gets about any shot he wants to take, but he passes well. He missed a lot of shots. Defensively, he’s everywhere on the court and gets places quick,” Cassady said.
Goodin’s father says he hears comments like that often about his son from fans, but always appreciates those who compliment his son.
“He just has to keep playing, improving his jump shot, playing good defense and working on his communication skills and he will be fine,” Chris Goodin said. “One off game doesn’t ruin your future no matter who was watching.”
KSR Twitter Feed
vBulletin Message