Avoiding clutter, keeping focus, remain focal points for Kentucky

By: LARRY VAUGHT

Since Kentucky started the season ranked No. 1, coach John Calipari has worried about the “clutter” around the Wildcats.

Now that UK is 36-0 going into Thursday night’s Midwest Region Sweet Sixteen game in Cleveland against West Virginia, the outside distractions for Kentucky could only increase. Yet Calipari is not worried about his team losing its focus.

“I think they see what's happening for each other, and I think they'll stay the course, but believe me, I'll be feeling the pulse every day,” said Calipari.

He talked about how recently he stopped practice and told the players to “stay on the path you’re on” and don’t change.

“Don't let someone tell you now is the time to go crazy. Just be the best version of you right now, and that's good enough. I'm just on it every day. They get tired of hearing it. We turn our phones off at dinner, and let's be together. We try to touch throughout practice, touch each other, be connected to each other,” Calipari said.

“This has been a ball for me. And, again, it's because they've allowed it. Everybody saying, it's got to be the toughest job of getting these kids to play with their egos. They talk about their egos. These kids are just great kids, and I'm coaching them hard. I'm probably harder on Karl-Anthony Towns) than anybody on this team because I see how good he could be.”

Calipari keeps no secrets from players about the clutter when he recruits them.

“The kids that I recruited know what I'm saying. It's no secret. I think other coaches know when I walk in and say, this isn't for everybody. You're everybody's Super Bowl. If you do something stupid, they do a 30 for 30 movie on it. This ain't for everybody. If you're here to run around and drink and smoke and go nutty, you don't come here. You come here to get better,” Calipari said.

“If you want to be the face of the organization, you want to shoot all the balls, you want the whole offense to go through you, you don't come here. You come here because you want to get better. You want to take your game from point A to point B to point C. I will coach you. I was in the NBA. I wasn't afraid of those guys. Now, I did get fired, but I was in the NBA. I mean, I'm not afraid to coach you and tell you when you're wrong.

“It's funny, they all say, we like it because he keeps it real until I keep it real with them personally, and then they don't like it. But any time you're trying to get stars together to do something, it all starts with what you do right away in the recruiting process or as you bring them together. If you tell everybody they're all shooting 30 times and they're going to play ... there's no trust. The only way you create trust is right away say, this is how it is, and that's what we try to do.”

Calipari said contrary to what some think, he recruits character and feels this year’s team proves that.

“You can't do what we're doing if one guy doesn't care about anybody. Character to me is you care about other people. You have a caring heart. You're not about just yourself. That's character to me,” the UK coach said. “Having a kind heart, where you're trying random acts of kindness to other people. Those players play well for us because they know I'm fine with so and so's playing well. That doesn't bother me.

“The guy without the character, it's all ego, and it's also ego with everyone around him. How many shots, how many minutes. Instead of being the conduit to where they're going, you become the barrier. You're holding my kid back. I'd just rather not coach those guys.”

Calpari also factors in basketball IQ.

“The other thing is, when I'm watching, their feel for the game. Do they have any feel for the game? Are they trying to outrun you, outjump you? Do they have a feel for what's going on?” Calipari said. “And the last thing you're watching for, what I watch for is do they know when to take over a game? Like I want you to share until it's time to win and go win the game. Those are the guys that I'm looking for now.

“You notice I don't say a whole lot about free-throw shooting and all that stuff. So there are times I have bad free-throw shooting teams. It's not on the list of 1 to 20. I mean, we'll figure that all out. But the longer the better. I'd like to have everyone 6-9. The longer, the better.”