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Kentucky Basketball - LIVE BREATHE BLUE - Smoke and Mirrors
Just when you thought injuries sunk the season, Coach Mark Pope calls Collin Chandler a "difference maker" down the stretch. Dr. Michael Huang photo
I’m not sure how Mark Pope is pulling it off. The first-year Kentucky head basketball coach took a hastily constructed roster from scratch, survived a plethora of crippling mid-season injuries—all while navigating an SEC minefield.
After an impressive 82 – 61 victory over Vanderbilt, the Wildcats now stand at 18 – 8 overall (7 – 6 SEC). Objectively speaking, they’ve overachieved. Even if the team subsequently crashes and burns as the season plays out, what Pope has accomplished less than a year after John Calipari flew the coop is quite remarkable. Call it smoke and mirrors, but Pope has somehow taken this ragtag group of sub-elite talent and parlayed it into a unit that can still make some substantial noise in the postseason.
I never thought that was a possibility until last night. Most pundits agreed that unless Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson returned to action, there wasn’t a chance in France this team could make a successful tournament run. The consensus was not just that Kentucky misses Butler, Robinson (and Kerr Kriisa for that matter) running the offense. But defensively, the Wildcats are also still a work in progress. Holding Vanderbilt to 21 points in the second half, however, may just be a harbinger of good things to come. Just a couple of weeks ago, Kentucky’s KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency rating was in the triple digits. They’re now up to No. 68 and hopefully trending in the right direction.
That improvement hasn’t gone unnoticed, especially from Pope himself.
“Well, there’s a lot of room for improvement because we’re not great,” Pope readily acknowledged in the postgame media session. “We are getting better. With this new group, we’re getting better.”
This new group includes freshman Travis Perry, Trent Noah—and now—Collin Chandler stepping up into major roles. That most likely wouldn’t have happened had not the aforementioned injuries set in. Understandably, it’s taken all three of them some time to adjust to their new-found court time. Perry is still frequently a defensive liability. Noah can occasionally be serviceable as he demonstrated last night guarding Vandy’s leading scorer, Jason Edwards. Chandler, on the other hand, has a much higher upside.
“To be out there on the floor, you have to have the coach’s trust that you can go out and guard your man,” said the 6’ 5 guard from Farmington, Utah. “To bring energy to the team disrupts the opponent’s offense a little bit, and that’s what I can continue to bring.”
Pope is counting on more than just career-nights stuffing the stat sheet (15 minutes, 7 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals) from Chandler during what he coined “a brand-new season.”
“The more comfortable he gets on the floor where he can do some things on the court that are unique for us that are going to be really impactful. He can be a guy that you watch down the stretch once we get to tournament play that is a difference maker.”
It’s perhaps unrealistic for Chandler to turn into the team’s defensive stopper, but the affable young man with the curly locks, piercing eyes, and the athleticism and energy levels to match seemed up to the challenge.
“It’s a big responsibility with our guys being out,” Chandler responded. “It puts a big defensive weight on our team to be distributed. I’m glad to take some of that load and step into that role and hopefully execute every night.”
After all is said and done, basketball is a team game. The individual players do not exist in a vacuum. Butler’s shoulder and Robinson’s wrist have robbed the Wildcats of their most potent points of attack defensively. Understandably, it’s taken players like Chandler time to adjust to playing without their teammates and morphing into their expanded roles.
Should the starters return, the team will be stronger than ever. That may still happen, but I’m not counting on it. For the time being, I’m just going to enjoy this new season, this new group, and the never-ending passion that is Kentucky Basketball.
If Mark Pope keeps pulling rabbits out of his hat, who are we to question the illusion?
Dr. John Huang is a retired orthodontist, military veteran, and award-winning author. Currently serving as a columnist for Nolan Group Media, he invites readers to follow him on social media @KYHuangs. Explore his debut novel— “Name, Image, and Murder”—and all his books at https://www.Amazon.com/stores/Dr.-John-Huang/author/B092RKJBRD
After an impressive 82 – 61 victory over Vanderbilt, the Wildcats now stand at 18 – 8 overall (7 – 6 SEC). Objectively speaking, they’ve overachieved. Even if the team subsequently crashes and burns as the season plays out, what Pope has accomplished less than a year after John Calipari flew the coop is quite remarkable. Call it smoke and mirrors, but Pope has somehow taken this ragtag group of sub-elite talent and parlayed it into a unit that can still make some substantial noise in the postseason.
I never thought that was a possibility until last night. Most pundits agreed that unless Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson returned to action, there wasn’t a chance in France this team could make a successful tournament run. The consensus was not just that Kentucky misses Butler, Robinson (and Kerr Kriisa for that matter) running the offense. But defensively, the Wildcats are also still a work in progress. Holding Vanderbilt to 21 points in the second half, however, may just be a harbinger of good things to come. Just a couple of weeks ago, Kentucky’s KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency rating was in the triple digits. They’re now up to No. 68 and hopefully trending in the right direction.
That improvement hasn’t gone unnoticed, especially from Pope himself.
“Well, there’s a lot of room for improvement because we’re not great,” Pope readily acknowledged in the postgame media session. “We are getting better. With this new group, we’re getting better.”
This new group includes freshman Travis Perry, Trent Noah—and now—Collin Chandler stepping up into major roles. That most likely wouldn’t have happened had not the aforementioned injuries set in. Understandably, it’s taken all three of them some time to adjust to their new-found court time. Perry is still frequently a defensive liability. Noah can occasionally be serviceable as he demonstrated last night guarding Vandy’s leading scorer, Jason Edwards. Chandler, on the other hand, has a much higher upside.
“To be out there on the floor, you have to have the coach’s trust that you can go out and guard your man,” said the 6’ 5 guard from Farmington, Utah. “To bring energy to the team disrupts the opponent’s offense a little bit, and that’s what I can continue to bring.”
Pope is counting on more than just career-nights stuffing the stat sheet (15 minutes, 7 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals) from Chandler during what he coined “a brand-new season.”
“The more comfortable he gets on the floor where he can do some things on the court that are unique for us that are going to be really impactful. He can be a guy that you watch down the stretch once we get to tournament play that is a difference maker.”
It’s perhaps unrealistic for Chandler to turn into the team’s defensive stopper, but the affable young man with the curly locks, piercing eyes, and the athleticism and energy levels to match seemed up to the challenge.
“It’s a big responsibility with our guys being out,” Chandler responded. “It puts a big defensive weight on our team to be distributed. I’m glad to take some of that load and step into that role and hopefully execute every night.”
After all is said and done, basketball is a team game. The individual players do not exist in a vacuum. Butler’s shoulder and Robinson’s wrist have robbed the Wildcats of their most potent points of attack defensively. Understandably, it’s taken players like Chandler time to adjust to playing without their teammates and morphing into their expanded roles.
Should the starters return, the team will be stronger than ever. That may still happen, but I’m not counting on it. For the time being, I’m just going to enjoy this new season, this new group, and the never-ending passion that is Kentucky Basketball.
If Mark Pope keeps pulling rabbits out of his hat, who are we to question the illusion?
Dr. John Huang is a retired orthodontist, military veteran, and award-winning author. Currently serving as a columnist for Nolan Group Media, he invites readers to follow him on social media @KYHuangs. Explore his debut novel— “Name, Image, and Murder”—and all his books at https://www.Amazon.com/stores/Dr.-John-Huang/author/B092RKJBRD
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