+ FIVE/FIVE: CALIPARI’S PLATOON EXPERIMENT
+ IN ACTION: RELIVE AARON’S BIG SHOTS
+ PROFILES: TYLER & DEREK
BIG BOYS THE
UK’S FRONT SEVEN
+ OCTOBER 2014 VOLUME 1
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Volume 1 | 3
ANDREW HARRISON POINT GUARD
6 ON THE COVER 8 2014-2015 SCHEDULE 10 IN ACTION: A LOOK AT SOME OF THE BEST PHOTOS 20 CALIPARI’S PLATOON EXPERIMENT: FIVE/FIVE 26 WILDCAT PROFILE: TYLER ULIS 30 WILDCAT PROFILE: DEREK WILLIS 34 CONTRIBUTIONS
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26
IBE R C S SUB MAG.COM
EEM 35 R H T B 7.65 5 . 2 859
E I S T R M ADVEKERNEL.CO
Y TI@K 7.2872 S I U AG 59.25 8
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SPOTLIGHT
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THE CATS’ FEATURE SEVEN FRONT COURT PLAYERS, AVERAGING 6-FEET-10 INCHES TALL, EXPECTING TO GET SIGNIFICANT MINUTES.
PHOTO | MICHAEL REAVES | STAFF
Volume 1 | 7
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Staff File Photo
11/02
PIKEVILLE
LEXINGTON, KY
7:00
11/09
GEORGETOWN (KY.)
LEXINGTON, KY
7:00
11/14
GRAND CANYON
LEXINGTON, KY
8:00
11/16
BUFFALO
LEXINGTON, KY
12:00
11/18
KANSAS
INDIANAPOLIS, IN
9:00
11/21
BOSTON UNIVERSITY
LEXINGTON, KY
7:00
11/23
MONTANA STATE
LEXINGTON, KY
6:00
11/25
UT ARLINGTON
LEXINGTON, KY
7:00
11/30
PROVIDENCE
LEXINGTON, KY
2:00
12/05
TEXAS
LEXINGTON, KY
7:00
12/07
EASTERN KENTUCKY
LEXINGTON, KY
6:00
12/10
COLUMBIA
LEXINGTON, KY
7:00
12/13
NORTH CAROLINA
LEXINGTON, KY
12:00
12/20
UCLA
CHICAGO, IL
3:30
12/27
LOUISVILLE
LOUISVILLE, KY
2:00
01/06
OLE MISS
LEXINGTON, KY
7:00
01/10
TEXAS A&M
COLLEGE STATION, TX
TBD
01/13
MISSOURI
LEXINGTON, KY
9:00
01/17
ALABAMA
TUSCALOOSA, AL
4:00
01/20
VANDERBILT
LEXINGTON, KY
9:00
01/24
SOUTH CAROLINA
COLUMBIA, SC
12:00
01/29
MISSOURI
COLUMBIA, MO
9:00
01/31
ALABAMA
LEXINGTON, KY
7:00
02/03
GEORGIA
LEXINGTON, KY
7:00
02/07
FLORIDA
GAINSVILLE, FL
9:00
02/10
LSU
BATON ROUGE, LA
7:00
02/14
SOUTH CAROLINA
LEXINGTON, KY
2:00
02/17
TENNESSEE
KNOXVILLE, TN
7:00
02/21
AUBURN
LEXINGTON, KY
6:00
02/25
MISSISSIPPI STATE
STARKVILLE, MS
7:00
02/28
ARKANSAS
LEXINGTON, KY
4:00
03/03
GEORGIA
ATHENS, GA
9:00
03/07
FLORIDA
LEXINGTON, KY
2:00
Volume 1 | 9
IN ACTION
three for the ages AARON HARRISON DRAINS THE GO-AHEAD 3-POINTER IN THE FINAL MINUTE OF THE CATS’ 2014 SWEET 16 WIN AGAINST LOUISVILLE. PHOTO | SAM RICHE | MCT
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+
Volume 1 | 11
IN ACTION
and again AARON HARRISON SINKS THE GAME WINNER AGAINST THE MICHIGAN WOLVERINES IN THE 2014 NCAA ELITE EIGHT. PHOTO | MARK CORNELISON | MCT
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+
Volume 1 | 13
IN ACTION
you’re kidding FOR THE THIRD STRAIGHT GAME, AARON HARRISON HITS A LAST-MINUTE 3-POINTER, THIS TIME BEATING WISCONSIN. PHOTO | RON JENKINS | MCT
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+
Volume 1 | 15
IN ACTION
get ready KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS AND MARCUS LEE HAVE FUN IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA AT THE CATS’ 2014 PHOTO DAY. PHOTO | MICHAEL REAVES | STAFF
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Volume 1 | 17
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Photos | Michael Reaves
Volume 1 | 21
CALIPARI’S PLATOON EXPERIMENT: FIVE / FIVE
COACH CAL GETS INNOVATIVE WITH HIS DEEP, TALENTED TEAM
J
ohn Calipari is changing the game of college basketball again. First it was the dribble-drive. Then it was his “Player’s First” approach. Now it’s the platoon. To be fair, the platoon isn’t really new to basketball generally, or to college basketball specifically. NBA teams consistently bench their starters at the end of the first quarter for five pairs of fresh legs to start the second. But college basketball is not the NBA, and questions linger about how the true NBA-style system will work in the collegiate ranks.
guys go out. Five guys come in. Productivity remains steady and legs stay fresh. For UK, there’s also the likelihood the strategy keeps players happy. At the annual UK Alumni Tip-Off in Louisville, Calipari agreed. “Here’s what I would tell you: If it’s not about those guys, we’re playing eight of these guys and those other two or three, you’re out. But if we’re about them and all of them, this is the only way you can do it.”
Calipari’s platoon strategy works like the NBA’s system. Five
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Facing three teams with professional rosters, UK routinely wore down their opponents with distributed production and defensive variation. When it appeared as if the pros had figured a winning strategy, the Cats would throw in five new faces and a new defense. It worked all the way to a surprising 5-1 record. So as his teams looks to start the upcoming season using this radical substitution scheme, Calipari prepares to adapt it to the college game.
Many Cats fans will remember, at UK, Tubby Smith would often platoon, albeit usually as an anger-driven psychological tactic. Five bench players would enter the game at once, and their short-lived moments on the court would be used by the coach to motivate the starters. Sometimes it worked. Mostly it did not. And never was it in the vein of what Calipari has in mind.
in efficiency, and more interested in results. The Cats’ summer exhibitions proved the results can be good.
“… I’m studying and I’m doing everything I can to make this work so every one of these kids eats. And it’s not going to be easy,” the UK coach said. Perhaps it’s not the only way to do it, but it is most certainly an efficient way to manage it. Fans, however, are less interested
With loads of talent and months of preparation, it’s easy to see why Calipari is confident is his new platoon system. “Well, it’s never been done before. Well, it’s going to be done now.”
WILDCATS AVERAGING 20 MINUTES PER GAME UNDER HEAD COACH JOHN CALIPARI
2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14
5 PLAYERS 6 PLAYERS 6 PLAYERS 7 PLAYERS 5 PLAYERS
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WILDCAT PROFILE
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Photo | Michael Reaves
Volume 1 | 27
TYLER ULIS CHICAGO HEIGHTS, IL #3 WORDS NICK GRAY
F
reshman guard Tyler Ulis carries himself like he has something to prove.
He walks with intent, plays with purpose and speaks as to convince that he is a good basketball player. Never mind that Ulis was rated as a Top 40 recruit and was the most impressive player in the Bahamas this summer; he still carries around a chip on his shoulder that stands at least 5 feet, 9 inches tall.
A story around Joe Craft Center this summer floated around about Ulis standing up to former UK forward DeMarcus Cousins during a summer pick-up game. Cousins has led the NBA in technical fouls the last two seasons and did not mince words during his time in Lexington. The conflict did not surprise UK coach John Calipari, knowing Cousins’ tendencies, but it was a pleasant thing in the case of Ulis.
“I’ve been going against that all my life, that I was too small,” Ulis said. “That just means I have to play my game that much more effectively.” The chip may come from where he was born and raised. The Chicago area has produced NBA All-star point guards such as Isiah Thomas, Derrick Rose, Tim Hardaway and Doc Rivers. To be a point guard from Chicago means to extend the history and legacy of those All-star caliber players. But those players were all above 6-feet tall. Ulis’ attitude toward his 5-foot-9-inch frame is not that his size is a physical disadvantage. Ulis instead uses the argument as motivation, that he will play well enough that his size won’t be an excuse for struggling in a large man’s game. He compensates with exceptional court vision for a college freshman and toughness on both ends of the floor. “I come up there and try to play my game, to get people involved,” Ulis said. “I always felt like passing is the right way to play (offensively) since I was a kid. I play a different way defensively (than most guards), being pesky and defending all 90 feet of the court.” 28 | B Three
“You’re gonna get in a situation like that with DeMarcus, and (Ulis has) got to know (Cousins) ain’t budging,” Calipari said. “He ain’t budging. So some of the stuff that I need to teach, he’s already kind of done.” Calipari referred to Ulis as the “little kid” during a preseason interview in September. “Your advantage is in the backcourt, in all cases,” Calipari said. “So you pick up (the opposing ball handler on defense). You make it bothersome for people anywhere you can.” Ulis better hope that large chip on his shoulder doesn’t weigh him down. All signs point to Ulis not letting that happen.
Photo | Michael Reaves
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WILDCAT PROFILE
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Staff File Photo
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DEREK WILLIS MT. WASHINGTON, KY #35 WORDS NICK GRAY
I
f you ask him, sophomore forward Derek Willis says he is satisfied at UK, no matter how much playing time he gets. Once head coach John Calipari slots players in positions, platoon or not, Willis’ satisfaction at UK may be tested as it was last season.
time in three games in the Bahamas than he did all last season. Willis showed a notable improvement defensively during the Bahamas trip with increased foot speed and athleticism. But he struggled to make perimeter shots in August, which, for a guy who relies on spotup shooting for offensive output, is not encouraging. Calipari is not treating him any different than any other player he has coached. “We’ll put you in a good position,” Calipari has said throughout his coaching career, “and you have to produce.” He had a similar message to Willis this season.
Willis’ playing time was marginalized as the 201314 season wound into conference play. His introduction to conference play was mostly in mop-up time, as three freshmen leapt ahead of him. Julius Randle has left, but this year’s freshmen Trey Lyles and Karl Towns have tightened the frontcourt rotation more than last year, at least on paper. But his satisfaction, at least before his second season at UK, has sustained. “I just want to win a national championship,” Willis said. “It doesn’t matter what kind of time I would get. Of course I’d like to play, but my main goal is a championship.” Willis benefited as much as any player by the team’s trip to the Bahamas. With Lyles and junior forward Willie CauleyStein out due to injury, Willis averaged 17.8 minutes per game in UK’s 10-man platoon rotation, getting more playing 32 | B Three
“You know I’m not throwing you under the bus,” Calipari said. “You know I love you. You know we’re going to develop you. You know we’re going to help you be the best version of you. But you are responsible for you.” Willis said he worked on moving around with and without the ball offensively. When he did play last season, Willis found himself standing on the perimeter, taking himself out of the play or crutching onto the movement of the basketball, which is a no-no in Calipari’s offense. If his offensive activity has improved, Willis will be much improved and capable of producing when his number is called. While he waits for that time, his mind is set in the right place toward his goals — making himself better and winning basketball games. “I’ll be prepared for when my number is called,” he said. “I have to keep working and keep improving, and what happens will take care of itself.”
Photo | Michael Reaves
Volume 1 | 33
CONTRIBUTIONS
EDITORIAL NICK GRAY CHELSEY GOODEN TAYLOR CLEMENTS JODY BEAMER KATIE SALTZ
PHOTORAPHY MICHAEL REAVES EMILY WUETCHER TESSA LIGHTY ADAM PENNAVARIA JONATHAN KRUEGER TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE
DESIGN JODY BEAMER BLAKE BEAMER MAY MAY BARTON UNDERGROUND DESIGN
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