Calipari looking for more from Booker

By: LARRY VAUGHT



For three straight weeks, Kentucky guard Devin Booker has been named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week after his 18-point effort on 6-for-9 shooting at South Carolina on Saturday. It was the seventh time this season he’s led UK in scoring.

Even more impressive is that in four true road games, Booker leads No. 1 UK with 14.5 poitns per game and is shooting 56.3 percent from the field. From 3-point range, he’s 10 of 19 in UK’s four true road games.

Still, Kentucky coach John Calipari wants more from Booker, who is shooting 50 percent (36 of 72) from 3-point range overall this season and 83 percent at the foul line.

"Again, I want to see him attack the basket better. Right now when he attacks the basket, he doesn't avoid people. He's still flailing a little bit,” said Calipari Monday on the SEC coaches teleconference. “I don't want him to just be a catch-and-shoot player. I want him to be an offensive threat.”

“‘Do you remember me coming and watching you and your friends — 45-year-olds — playing against your son?' He couldn't guard anybody in that game. Now all of the sudden he's guarding,’” Calipari said he told Melvin Booker, who also admitted he was surprised by his son’s defense.

"So aside from where he's growing offensively, early in the year if you remember I made him get shots off quick. You can't wind it up. It's not high school. The guy guarding you is not 5-7. He missed a lot of shots early if you remember. Then he caught up,” Calipari said. “Now he gets it — it's a wing, man. He gets it, it's off.

“The second part of that now is, 'How do we make him aggressive?' If you saw Aaron (Harrison) last game, we're on Aaron for the same thing. 'Don't settle man. Take that thing to the rim. I'm not telling you not to shoot 3’s. Attack that basket, get to that foul line, put them in jeopardy.' We're doing different things to try to get him to that best version of himself."

Kentucky plays at Missouri Thursday. Booker’s father was an all-conference player there and current Missouri head coach Kim Anderson was an assistant at Missouri then. This is his first year back as Missouri’s head coach.

“Booker is playing way too good. He is playing too well,” Anderson joked Monday. “I don’t know Devin. I know we recruited him here last year. He is an outstanding player and has really been a key for them. Think about it. Shooting 50 percent from 3. That is pretty salty.

“The only thing I hope is that Melvin is here Thursday so I get the opportunity to say hello.”

The Kentucky freshman admitted after Saturday’s win at South Carolina that playing at Missouri would be special for him.

“I think (my dad) will be there, most definitely. It’s just, it’s kinda like the one at Rupp (Arena). I’m kinda close to the coaching staff and they recruited me since seventh-eighth grade and I still have love for Missouri because my dad went there and I’ve been up there plenty of times, so really it’s just another game, but obviously it’s kind of a rivalry for me,” Booker said.