Barbee on changing role, UK team

By: LARRY VAUGHT

LEXINGTON — In his role as an administrative assistant, Tony Barbee was not allowed to do any hands-on coaching at Kentucky last season when the Wildcats went 38-1 and lost in the Final Four.

However, he still observed the players daily and knows that will help him now that he has been promoted to a full-time assistant coach for coach John Calipari.

“It was hard sitting there every day and not being able to help the guys in that role, but obviously got a great feel for all of the returners and what they bring to the floor as players,” said Barbee.

He certainly was impressed with the freshman season that point guard Tyler Ulis had. Ulis is also the player Calipari said he would turn the team over to next year.

Barbee said Ulis’ composure impressed him more than anything.

“It was uncanny for a freshman point guard at this level to play with the composure that he plays with. It’s not natural. And that’s one of his unique talents,” Barbee said. “He doesn’t get rattled by anything. He’s fearless. And I think we all saw that last year.

‘College basketball is about guard play, for the most part. If you’ve got good bigs and good guards, then you’re going to be one of the best teams in the country. So when you start with a point guard like Tyler, then you’re starting at a pretty good place.”

He believes recent junior college signee Mychal Mulder will fit in well also even though he has not seen Mulder play in person.

“Just know the reputation. Looking at his stats, big-time shooter, a guy that shoots well over 40 percent from the 3-point line, can really score it from that wing position, guard/wing position,” Barbee said. “So we expect him to step in and do what he did at Vincennes and do that for us.”

He also expects Alex Poythress, who missed most of last season after tearing his ACL in practice, to be at full speed.

“We haven’t seen him now for a couple weeks, since he went home for the summer, until he comes back for summer school. But he looked good. He was walking good. The gait looked good,” Barbee said. “So I know he’s still in the middle of his rehab, and the best thing about it is he’s got time and he’s doing his due diligence as he works through the rehab to get back healthy.”

Two players who could figure into the mix depending on how their offseason workouts go are in-stae products Dominique Hawkins and Derek Willis. Hawkins played more as a freshman than last year, but Barbee predicted both players will have an “opportunity” to earn minutes.

“The way they work, I think they’ll be ready for that opportunity as well,” Barbee said.

Willis, a 6-8 forward, could be a major plus with his outside shooting and all-around versatility. However, he admitted last year during his sophomore season that he didn’t always work hard enough to get on the court.

“I’ve only been around him for the one year, but he’s a competitor. He brings it every day. He just got caught up in a numbers game, playing behind some very talented, future NBA draft picks (last season),” Barbee said. “So now, obviously, the depth of talent isn’t there like we had last year.

“Derek will have an opportunity to compete for minutes. And what he brings to the floor with his size, athleticism, versatility, his ability to stretch the floor with his shooting, he’s going to have an opportunity to be in the mix (for playing time).”

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Barbee initially said that Calipari has not changed much from the coach he played under until today.

“He’s as intense today as he was when I played for him when he was 30 years old. So I’m probably dating him. But no, the intensity’s still there, the passion’s still there, the love and the competitive spirit for winning; the passion he has for teaching and helping these young men grow on and off the floor; the love that he has for them,” Barbee said. “I haven’t seen any change. Just a couple more gray hairs.”

Barbee said he spent last year trying to learn and grow just as he always had during his career as an assistant coach and head coach.

“If you’re not trying to grow and learn then you’re going to become stagnant. So, I’ve always been a student of the game, fancied myself as that. So, took the opportunity to really study tape, study other teams, obviously study opponents we played and then watch Cal and some of the things that he’s really changed where I wasn’t around him on a day-to-day basis for eight years when I was a head coach and to really see how he changed,” Barbee said.

So Calipari has changed?

“You see how coaches change and grow, I think that’s one of his strong points: that he adapts every year to his personnel. Seeing how he did it with this team (last year) was unique,” Barbee said.

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Calipari made national headlines with his recent comment that his goal last year was to have eight players drafted, not win the  NCAA championship. However, Barbee made it clear that the loss to Wisconsin in the Final Four that ended UK’s perfect season his Calipari hard.

“I doubt he’ll ever get over it. I don’t know if any of us will,” Barbee said. “It was such a special, historic season, and that one loss doesn’t change that. But when you have your eyes on that one prize, and you come up that short and it’s that close, it hurts.

“But I’m sure, for him, it hurts more that he wasn’t able to help those young men achieve it.