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LEXINGTON — Kentucky coach John Calipari was not happy with Aaron Harrison at halftime.
His sophomore guard had missed his only shot, turned the ball over once and played just minutes against Vanderbilt in a game No. 1 UK eventually won 65-57.
After Harrison started the second half by missing a 3-pointer, Calipari seemed to try to motivate Harrison even more.
“I just want him to play and compete. I don't care about missed shots. They do. So they, the whole team, they miss a play, there's some other guys today, couldn't make plays, and then they just melted because they're so into offense just play hard,” said Calipari. “Just attack the basket. Make the plays.
“Can you make one dribble pull-ups, can't be guarded. Make 3s if they're there. Defend, dive, run. Don't stop playing and get beat on a back door. The shot goes up, don't look at the ball, block out your man. All things that they're capable of doing. He's as good as any player in the country when he's playing the way he played today in that second half.”
What Harrison did in the second half was score 14 points, including seven of UK’s final nine points. He hit two clutch 3-pointers just as he did in last year’s NCAA Tournament surge.
Was there something specific Calipari said to him during halftime?
“I told him I love him,” Calipari said.
Harrison paused and then laughed when asked if he felt Calipari told him he was loved at halftime when UK led 33-26.
“I mean, of course. I guess it’s really, really, really tough love,” Harrison said after going 4-for-7 from the field and 4-for-4 at the foul line. He also got two steals the second half.
Later he said he didn’t remember exactly what Calipari said at halftime and that he “didn’t want to get into that” when asked what Calipari said when he got on him during the game.
“I just wanted to do everything I could to win. I just had to get my energy together and really just play good,” Harrison said. “Every team is going to give us a best shot. I know if I was going in playing against the No. 1 team in the country, I know I would play my heart out as well and that’s what they did and that’s what every team’s going to do. You just have to be ready for it every night.”
Just as he did in NCAA play last year, Harrison took the late 3-point shots with no hesitation or fear.
“It’s just how I was raised, really. Just being fearless, kind of, and my dad really taught me that and my mom just about being fearless,” Harrison said.
He said while there is a lot of talent on the team, he knows at times he has to make big shots.
“I do think that sometimes the team looks to me at the end of the game and I want to make them proud,” Harrison said. “I just wanted to play better because I knew I had a rough first half. I just wanted to play better for my team in the second half.”
He credited Devin Booker for a “great extra pass” to set up his corner 3-pointer that Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said was the game’s key shot.
“I knew I had to make the shot and (be) ready and focused for it and I knocked it down,” Harrison said. “I think it’s fun to be in that situation and it’s fun to be the guy that people look to to take the big shot and make the big shot. So it’s just exciting.”
Sophomore Marcus Lee, who had six straight points in the second half, said Harrison’s late success was no surprise.
“I think it’s just his confidence knowing that no matter what happens in the first half, the second half, he can come back and do what he needs to do. There are some players who when a couple bad things happen they just go in a hole. He knows he’s good enough where he can just keep going,” Lee said.
Lee feels other players could hit big shots as well and those who have done in “their whole lives” so it is natural. However, he knows Harrison is special.
“He’s a fighter. That’s the best way to explain him. No matter what he’s doing, whether he’s having a good day or a bad day, he’s coming in and he knows he’s confident enough to get back into what he feels,” Lee said.
Harrison knew after his first half, he had to do more.
“We were just playing kind of flat. Coach was really letting us have it. I think we all just have to rally together and play for each other,” Harrison said. “That’s a really good offensive team and their system offensively is really effective. So it’s really hard to play them like we’re usually playing them because they have so many backdoor cuts and (are) so disciplined. So it’s just difficult to guard that team.”
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