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ARLINGTON — Alex Poythress says Kentucky’s players never doubted that they could make a national championship run, especially if they learned to “focus and lock up on defense” better than they did during the season.
“People doubted us, but we knew we were still good and should not have been taken for granted,” said Poythress after UK lost 60-54 in Monday’s national title game to Connecticut.
“We are a lot better than some people thought. We just had to stay within ourselves and not listen to outside media and social networks. Just stay off Twitter and don’t listen to ESPN and stuff like tha. We had been doing a great job defending. We knew time was running out and we had to do it now or not do it at all. So we had to hurry up and do it to make this run and we just came up short.”
Poythress was a catalyst for UK’s postseason surge. His play in the last four minutes when UK was behind Louisville by seven points helped Kentucky win that game. He was solid against Michigan and then against Wisconsin Saturday he came up with big plays to finish with eight points and seven rebounds.
His heroics can’t match the late-game magic of teammate Aaron Harrison, but without his play off the bench — especially since the injury to Willie Cauley-Stein — the Cats would not have been in position to possibly win a ninth national championship.
“He’s been huge for us,” Aaron Harrison said. “He was playing like the Alex we see every day in practice.”
Poythress seemed to have made another huge play for UK early in the second half when he spun along the baseline and scored to cut the lead to 39-38 with 14:40 to play. However, the play was wiped off when he was called for a charge that brought a huge objection from coach John Calipari.
“I didn’t think it was a charge, but the ref did,” Poythress said. “It probably did change the momentum of the game, but it was a game of runs. But I don’t think I charged.”
Poythress is at peace with himself. He chose Kentucky over Florida and had a brilliant prep career in Tennessee that had many projecting him as a first-round draft choice after his freshman year, especially when he was dominant in his early games at UK. However, he seemed to lose confidence and focus as the season progressed.
He decided to return to UK, and even had to go from starter to coming off the bench this year. Yet Poythress says he’s happier than ever despite the way the season ended.
“It was real peaceful just playing basketball right now and trying to accomplish a goal. Just trying to win games and nothing else,” he said. “I am happy with my decision last year. I have matured and I was just doing what I could for my team. I am happy we are here and just wish we could have won this game.”
Poythress also likes school. He takes as much pride in making an A in the classroom — “School is getting harder, but you just do what you can do,” he said — and has one of the highest grade-point averages on the team along with his unique physical skills.
“People do kind of think too much and get too hyped for the one and done thing to the NBA. Some people do enjoy college. I like going to class,” he said. “It can be hard on your academics being gone so much (for basketball). You are not in class, so you have to keep up the best you can. But you can do it.”
Kentucky coach John Calipari has been hard on Poythress as he has pushed him to play harder, get in better shape and assert himself at key times like he has in recent games. Poythress said it was much like his high school coach, Al Cooper, was.
“Coach Cooper is like that. He gets mad all the time. My mom, too. That’s how she raised me. They all were on me to push me just like Coach had been,” Poythress said.
He noted that assistant coach Kenny Payne was available whenever “to talk and give advice” that helps.
“But coach Cal has always had my best interest at heart. He cares about us. He has made me better and helped me a lot, especially during this run we made,” Poythress said.
That’s because Calipari never quit believing Poythress could be special like he was Saturday when he went 4-for-4 from the field against Wisconsin while playing 29 minutes, his second most minutes this year. He was 11-for-11 from the field in the last three games and 14-for-15 in the last four coming into Monday’s game when he went 2-for-5 from the field and had four points and five rebounds in 17 minutes.
“The major thing is confidence. He is physically so far beyond where he was a year ago, it's not close. His skills have improved so much from last year. The only thing that holds him back is himself believing,” Calipari said. “We all look at him as a beast. There are things he does in practice, and these guys stop and say, ‘Do that in the game.’ He's got to believe like we believe in him. But it's hard, because last year was a struggle to get in shape, to get his mind right. But I'm telling you, he is a terrific player.”
He showed that against Wisconsin with two athletic plays at the rim — one on a lob, one on a follow shot. He also drove inside for a dunk much like he did against Michigan.
“Alex can do anything he wants to do athletically. If he puts his mind to it, he can do it,” Aaron Harrison said.
“When he really wants to, it's just he really goes for everything, every board, every block, every big block that we need. It's really just focus,” teammate James Young said
“He's had to realize how good he is and just play like that all the time,” Andrew Harrison said.
Kentucky’s surprising postseason run has even led to a jubilant Poythress on the court at times. He was on the bottom of UK’s victory pile after Saturday’s win and tweaked his knee. He had an ice pack on it after the game but said Sunday he was fine.
“It’s just the kind of guy I am to stay calm and collected,” Poythress said.
“Don’t believe that,” teammate Julius Randle said. “He can get as hyped and crazy as anybody.”
He was hoping to get hyped during Monday’s postgame celebration. Instead, he had to watch UConn players rejoicing as he walked off the court.
“It is my team. I am different around them. They are my brothers and around them I can be normal self. We are all hurting now. I just knew we were going to come back and win,” Poythress said. “We can look back at a lot of things, but we just didn’t do what it took to win.”
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