I’m not sure what this says, or if it means anything at all, but I find it ironic that Derrick Williams (Arizona), Enes Kanter (Kentucky … sorta), Tristan Thompson (Texas) and Brandon Knight (Kentucky) – all of whom were beaten by Kemba Walker and UConn this season – all were selected before Walker in the NBA Draft.
I don’t know, just found that interesting. Personally, I would have looked over Walker’s alleged shortcomings and recognized his heart and winning attitude. Apparently the NBA’s greatest winner of all time (with apologies to Bill Russell) felt the same way.
Some Kemba quotes from tonight:
(on MJ)
“I’m happy he’s giving me this opportunity. He’s the greatest player ever to play the game, so anything I can learn from that man, I’m going to ask a lot of questions.”
“He was a winner, he had a lot of heart when he played. I’m all about heart. I go out there and compete every night, and I’m not going to go down without a fight.”
(on being picked ninth)
“I’m happy, I can’t complain at all. If I went (No.) 30, I wouldn’t be mad, honestly. I’m just happy to be in the NBA. I’m just going to continue to work hard and keep improving … Of course I wish I could have gone higher, but who cares? I’m with Michael Jordan.”
(on tearing up after hearing his name announced by David Stern)
“I told myself I was going to hold it in, but I couldn’t. I’m a very emotional guy, and when great things happen to me, I let it show.”
( On possibly having to battle current Bobcats point guard D.J. Augustin at the point):
“As far as sharing time with D.J., I have no problem. As long as we’re playing well and we’re winning, if I can do anything possible to help that team, I’m willing … I’m definitely more confident playing on the ball, but last year, having to score so much, I learned how to be off the ball. If there’s a situation where me and D.J. (are) in the game together, both of us, depending how the night is going, can play off the ball, so there’s no problem with that.”
(on everything that’s transpired over the past year)
“It’s been like a movie. This whole year has been magical, honestly So many different, crazy things have been happening to me. I just feel blessed. I have God on my side and, hopefully, the sky is the limit for me.”
Showing posts with label Brandon Knight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brandon Knight. Show all posts
Here's what we've been told about what Kemba Walker can expect at the NBA Draft on Thursday night in Newark:
*** Kemba's worked out with five teams -- Utah, Toronto, Sacramento, Detroit and Charlotte. It appears he'd be a pretty good fit with all five, with the possible exception of the Raptors, who have some good young guards in place. Utah picks third overall, Toronto fifth, Sacramento seventh, Detroit eighth and Charlotte ninth. Expect Kemba to go somewhere between No. 3 and No. 9 (more likely No.'s 7-9).
*** For what it's worth, NBADraft.net has him going eighth to the Pistons, while DraftExpress.com has him going fifth to the Raptors.
*** The Knicks? Yeah, they love Kemba. But picking at No. 17, there's no chance Walker would still be available. They could trade up, of course, but you've got to have the goods to trade for a higher pick. Not sure if the Knicks have what it takes.
*** The Celtics? Not particularly interested in Kemba. They do have Rajon Rondo, after all.
*** Rumors you may have heard about Brandon Knight's agent not wanting Knight to go head-to-head against Walker in NBA workouts are true.
*** Kemba just finished his workouts and is in New York City right now, where he'll be until Thursday's draft. The endorsment opportunities have already started: Webster Bank and Best Buy, specifically, with surely more to come.
That's all we've got for now. See you in Newark!
Shabazz Napier didn’t have much of an impact over the first 37 minutes of Saturday night’s Final Four bout with Kentucky.
He missed his first six shots from the floor and hadn’t scored at all to that point.
But Napier’s fingerprints were all over the final 2 ½ minutes of UConn’s 56-55 victory over the Wildcats. The freshman guard had a big basket, a big rebound, a bad turnover and two big free throws over that span – all after surviving a low blow earlier in the game.
Napier’s two foul shots with two seconds left sealed the victory for UConn. He had grabbed the rebound of a DeAndre Liggins 3-pointer and went to the line with the chance to send the Huskies to Monday night’s national championship game.
“The first thing that was going through my mind was the Syracuse game, when I had the chance to make the free throw to end the game and I missed it,” Napier recalled. “I saw my mom in the stands and said, ‘I’ve got to make this, man.’ After I made it, I was ecstatic, I was happy. I felt like I redeemed myself.”
Napier had picked a good time to hit his first field goal of the night, a nifty driving layup with 2 minutes, 30 seconds left that capped a 6-0 UConn run and gave it a 54-48 lead.
However, with the Huskies clinging to a two-point lead, Napier turned the ball over in the lane.
“I was kind of upset,” Napier said. “I felt like I let my team down, and that’s the worst feeling in the world.”
UK’s Brandon Knight grabbed the loose ball on the floor and called timeout with 16.6 seconds left, setting up a chance for the Wildcats to win the game or send it to overtime. But Liggins missed the 3-pointer, Napier grabbed the rebound and redeemed himself with the two free throws.
The freshman also did a good job much of the night guarding Knight, the Wildcats’ top scorer who shot just 6-for-23. He seemed to frustrate Knight, too, causing the UK freshman to hit Napier in his man region just before a timeout late in the game.
“He said it was accidental,” Napier said. “It was uncalled for. I was trying to get the timeout, and he just swung. I’m like, ‘Just play basketball, man.’ There’s no reason for that. We’re on a big stage, we’re trying to get to the same place, there’s no reason for that.”
A trip to the national championship game is enough to let Napier forgive and forget.
“He just looked at me. He knew he was wrong for it. At the end, I said, ‘Is that intentional?’ He said he didn’t mean it. It’s over with.”
So Tired?
As if winning five games in five days at the Big East tournament or nine games in 19 days to get to the Final Four wasn’t taxing enough, there’s another reason to question how fatigued UConn might be right now.
When the Huskies take the floor on Monday night, it will be their 41st game of the season – most by any team since 1945, when Oregon (30-15) played 45 contests.
On Saturday, UConn and Virginia Commonwealth tied the modern record (since 1948) of most games in a season, which has been done seven other times: Duke in 1986 and last season, UNLV in 1990, Kentucky in 1997, Florida in 2007, and Kansas and Memphis in 2008.
Hilton Heads to Houston
Hilton Armstrong was in the UConn locker room after the game, congratulating various Husky players.
He missed his first six shots from the floor and hadn’t scored at all to that point.
But Napier’s fingerprints were all over the final 2 ½ minutes of UConn’s 56-55 victory over the Wildcats. The freshman guard had a big basket, a big rebound, a bad turnover and two big free throws over that span – all after surviving a low blow earlier in the game.
Napier’s two foul shots with two seconds left sealed the victory for UConn. He had grabbed the rebound of a DeAndre Liggins 3-pointer and went to the line with the chance to send the Huskies to Monday night’s national championship game.
“The first thing that was going through my mind was the Syracuse game, when I had the chance to make the free throw to end the game and I missed it,” Napier recalled. “I saw my mom in the stands and said, ‘I’ve got to make this, man.’ After I made it, I was ecstatic, I was happy. I felt like I redeemed myself.”
Napier had picked a good time to hit his first field goal of the night, a nifty driving layup with 2 minutes, 30 seconds left that capped a 6-0 UConn run and gave it a 54-48 lead.
However, with the Huskies clinging to a two-point lead, Napier turned the ball over in the lane.
“I was kind of upset,” Napier said. “I felt like I let my team down, and that’s the worst feeling in the world.”
UK’s Brandon Knight grabbed the loose ball on the floor and called timeout with 16.6 seconds left, setting up a chance for the Wildcats to win the game or send it to overtime. But Liggins missed the 3-pointer, Napier grabbed the rebound and redeemed himself with the two free throws.
The freshman also did a good job much of the night guarding Knight, the Wildcats’ top scorer who shot just 6-for-23. He seemed to frustrate Knight, too, causing the UK freshman to hit Napier in his man region just before a timeout late in the game.
“He said it was accidental,” Napier said. “It was uncalled for. I was trying to get the timeout, and he just swung. I’m like, ‘Just play basketball, man.’ There’s no reason for that. We’re on a big stage, we’re trying to get to the same place, there’s no reason for that.”
A trip to the national championship game is enough to let Napier forgive and forget.
“He just looked at me. He knew he was wrong for it. At the end, I said, ‘Is that intentional?’ He said he didn’t mean it. It’s over with.”
So Tired?
As if winning five games in five days at the Big East tournament or nine games in 19 days to get to the Final Four wasn’t taxing enough, there’s another reason to question how fatigued UConn might be right now.
When the Huskies take the floor on Monday night, it will be their 41st game of the season – most by any team since 1945, when Oregon (30-15) played 45 contests.
On Saturday, UConn and Virginia Commonwealth tied the modern record (since 1948) of most games in a season, which has been done seven other times: Duke in 1986 and last season, UNLV in 1990, Kentucky in 1997, Florida in 2007, and Kansas and Memphis in 2008.
Hilton Heads to Houston
Hilton Armstrong was in the UConn locker room after the game, congratulating various Husky players.
UConn goes with the same starting lineup of its last few games: Kemba Walker, Jeremy Lamb, Roscoe Smith, Alex Oriakhi, Tyler Olander.
No surprises from Kentucky, either: Darius Miller, Brandon Knight, DeAndre Liggins, Terrence Jones, Josh Harrellson.
Tonight's officials are Les Jones, John "Don't Call Me Tim" Higgins and Mark Whitehead.
No surprises from Kentucky, either: Darius Miller, Brandon Knight, DeAndre Liggins, Terrence Jones, Josh Harrellson.
Tonight's officials are Les Jones, John "Don't Call Me Tim" Higgins and Mark Whitehead.
Please feel free to join me for a live chat today at 1:30 p.m. from Reliant Stadium in Houston. I'll be talking UConn hoops and Final Four hoops in general. You can join me here and/or submit questions throughout the day via Twitter at #NHRUConn.
Thanks, and hope to see you then.
In the meantime, here are my stories from today's Register, on Kentucky's Brandon Knight, who nearly went to UConn, and on the Jim Calhoun-John Calipari relationship over the years.
Thanks, and hope to see you then.
In the meantime, here are my stories from today's Register, on Kentucky's Brandon Knight, who nearly went to UConn, and on the Jim Calhoun-John Calipari relationship over the years.
Dave Beckerman tried.
Not in a pushy way -- he knows Brandon Knight already has dozens of hangers-on pushing and pulling him one way or another, so he'd never impose anything on him. But Beckerman, the New Haven native and longtime UConn fan who coached Knight at Pine Crest School in Boca Raton, Fla., tried in his own way to persuade Knight to choose Jim Calhoun and UConn over John Calipari and Kentucky.
Didn't work. Knight, was we all know, opted for Lexington last April in a press conference at Pine Crest School that I attended (I was on vacation in Florida at the time).
Why did Knight go Blue? Beckerman thinks there were various reasons.
"The (Jasper) Howard issue, the issue of health with Jim Calhoun, his contract, the (NCAA) investigation. A lot of things added up, and at the end of the day may have even been used against UConn, which I’m not sure of.”
He also noted that Knight had relatives who lived in the Lexington area.
On Thursday, Knight talked about his decision to choose UK over UConn. "It was a tough decision, but Kentucky was my final choice. I liked UConn, but I just felt better off going to Kentucky," adding that Beckerman informed him about UConn, but "really just wanted the best for me.”
He also noted that Calipari's success with one-and-done point guards like Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans and John Wall also played a role.
“It definitely weighed in my decision, just knowing that a lot of other guards that were pretty good in high school trusted Coach Cal to get them to the next level, and to help them get better individually. Also the fact that other players around those people got a lot better.”
Knight’s decision was crushing to UConn fans at the time. Around the same time, the program was being shunned by other top recruits (Josh Shelby, Corey Joseph and Doron Lamb, who’s also now a freshman guard at UK), and Knight’s nix seemed to hint that Calhoun was slipping on the recruiting trail.
Rather, it may have been a blessing in disguise. Had Knight committed to UConn, Shabazz Napier almost certainly wouldn’t have come to Storrs (at least for this season; Napier said he may have opted for another year at prep school had Knight become a Husky).
And though Jeremy Lamb had already committed to the Huskies, it’s doubtful he would have emerged as the dynamic, versatile scorer he’s become over the past couple of months.
It’s also hard to envision how Walker and Knight would have shared the same backcourt, even if both have proven quite adept at playing off the ball.
Still, Beckerman, who founded the former New Haven-based Starter sports apparel line and was the head coach at Hamden Hall for a few years, can’t help thinking of how life would have been different for Knight in Storrs.
“I think he clearly would have been a much more offensive threat,” Beckerman said. “I don’t know if that would have taken away from Kemba in terms of offense, and I don’t know if Kemba cares about that. Calipari is trying to mold him into a pass-first,shoot-second point guard. Jim Calhoun lets the natural instincts come out in a player. That’s his formula for success.”
Knight averaged 17.3 points and 4.2 assists per game as a Wildcat freshman. He’s reached double figures in all but three of UK’s 37 games, but has really risen to prominence in the NCAA tournament. Knight’s bank shot with two seconds left against Princeton (his only two points of the game) kept the Wildcats from an embarrassing first-round loss. And his jumper with 5.4 seconds left against Ohio State moved the Wildcats into the Elite Eight, where they beat North Carolina behind Knight’s game-high 22 points.
Knight’s Kemba-like ability in the clutch is nothing new to Beckerman, who recalled a regional championship game in Knight’s junior season. Pine Crest was losing, one of its best players had just fouled out and everyone on the bench – including Beckerman – had their heads down.
During a timeout, Knight turned to Beckerman and asked, “Coach, what time is practice tomorrow?” He then proceeded to go out and hit three 3-pointers and six straight free throws over the next three minutes, propelling Pine Crest into the state finals with a 52-point effort.
Now Beckerman, who winters in Boca Raton while coaching Pine Crest but spends his summers in Guilford, will be torn while watching the Final Four. He’ll root for Knight to have a good game, but root for UConn to win.
And deep down, he’ll still wonder what it would have been like had Brandon Knight become a Husky.
“It would have been great for UConn,” Beckerman said, “and, candidly, I think it would have been great for Brandon.”
Not in a pushy way -- he knows Brandon Knight already has dozens of hangers-on pushing and pulling him one way or another, so he'd never impose anything on him. But Beckerman, the New Haven native and longtime UConn fan who coached Knight at Pine Crest School in Boca Raton, Fla., tried in his own way to persuade Knight to choose Jim Calhoun and UConn over John Calipari and Kentucky.
Didn't work. Knight, was we all know, opted for Lexington last April in a press conference at Pine Crest School that I attended (I was on vacation in Florida at the time).
Why did Knight go Blue? Beckerman thinks there were various reasons.
"The (Jasper) Howard issue, the issue of health with Jim Calhoun, his contract, the (NCAA) investigation. A lot of things added up, and at the end of the day may have even been used against UConn, which I’m not sure of.”
He also noted that Knight had relatives who lived in the Lexington area.
On Thursday, Knight talked about his decision to choose UK over UConn. "It was a tough decision, but Kentucky was my final choice. I liked UConn, but I just felt better off going to Kentucky," adding that Beckerman informed him about UConn, but "really just wanted the best for me.”
He also noted that Calipari's success with one-and-done point guards like Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans and John Wall also played a role.
“It definitely weighed in my decision, just knowing that a lot of other guards that were pretty good in high school trusted Coach Cal to get them to the next level, and to help them get better individually. Also the fact that other players around those people got a lot better.”
Knight’s decision was crushing to UConn fans at the time. Around the same time, the program was being shunned by other top recruits (Josh Shelby, Corey Joseph and Doron Lamb, who’s also now a freshman guard at UK), and Knight’s nix seemed to hint that Calhoun was slipping on the recruiting trail.
Rather, it may have been a blessing in disguise. Had Knight committed to UConn, Shabazz Napier almost certainly wouldn’t have come to Storrs (at least for this season; Napier said he may have opted for another year at prep school had Knight become a Husky).
And though Jeremy Lamb had already committed to the Huskies, it’s doubtful he would have emerged as the dynamic, versatile scorer he’s become over the past couple of months.
It’s also hard to envision how Walker and Knight would have shared the same backcourt, even if both have proven quite adept at playing off the ball.
Still, Beckerman, who founded the former New Haven-based Starter sports apparel line and was the head coach at Hamden Hall for a few years, can’t help thinking of how life would have been different for Knight in Storrs.
“I think he clearly would have been a much more offensive threat,” Beckerman said. “I don’t know if that would have taken away from Kemba in terms of offense, and I don’t know if Kemba cares about that. Calipari is trying to mold him into a pass-first,shoot-second point guard. Jim Calhoun lets the natural instincts come out in a player. That’s his formula for success.”
Knight averaged 17.3 points and 4.2 assists per game as a Wildcat freshman. He’s reached double figures in all but three of UK’s 37 games, but has really risen to prominence in the NCAA tournament. Knight’s bank shot with two seconds left against Princeton (his only two points of the game) kept the Wildcats from an embarrassing first-round loss. And his jumper with 5.4 seconds left against Ohio State moved the Wildcats into the Elite Eight, where they beat North Carolina behind Knight’s game-high 22 points.
Knight’s Kemba-like ability in the clutch is nothing new to Beckerman, who recalled a regional championship game in Knight’s junior season. Pine Crest was losing, one of its best players had just fouled out and everyone on the bench – including Beckerman – had their heads down.
During a timeout, Knight turned to Beckerman and asked, “Coach, what time is practice tomorrow?” He then proceeded to go out and hit three 3-pointers and six straight free throws over the next three minutes, propelling Pine Crest into the state finals with a 52-point effort.
Now Beckerman, who winters in Boca Raton while coaching Pine Crest but spends his summers in Guilford, will be torn while watching the Final Four. He’ll root for Knight to have a good game, but root for UConn to win.
And deep down, he’ll still wonder what it would have been like had Brandon Knight become a Husky.
“It would have been great for UConn,” Beckerman said, “and, candidly, I think it would have been great for Brandon.”
Gotta admit, when we walked out of Gampel Pavilion on March 7, the day before the Big East tournament, I figured the only way I'd be back in the arena before summertime was if UConn had lost to DePaul in its BET opener and somehow had been relegated to the NIT. (And yes, I know, that wasn't going to happen).
Anyway, we were back this afternoon as the Huskies met with the media for a good 2 1/2 hours before their practice. They'll fly out tomorrow and land at Houston's Hobby Airport around 7 p.m. local time.
Here are some notes 'n quotes from earlier today:
KEMBA WALKER:
On recalling the first time he walked into Gampel as a recruit and saw the Huskies' "Wall of Fame" in the hallway.
"I told myself, ‘One day I want to be on that wall.’ And one day I will be on that wall.”
Will he even bother to watch the game tape of UConn's win over a very different Kentucky team in the Maui Invitational in November?
"Of course. We’ll definitely look at some of that. I played fairly well that game, so I’ll see what I did, what I was able to do against those guys. I’m pretty sure they’ll watch film of that game, also, and make some corrections."
On if he ever thinks about how things would be different at UConn had Brandon Knight and Doron Lamb decided to become Huskies, rather than Wildcats:
“No. Honestly, I definitely would have loved to have those two guys, but I’m fine with the guys I have, honestly. It really didn’t matter, to tell you the truth. I’m glad we got the guys we got. I don’t know how coachable those guys are – I’m not saying they’re not, but I don’t know. But the guys we have are very coachable, they listen to me, they listen to Donnell, and they always come willing to learn new things. I’m fine with the guys we have."
On the UConn women:
"Best team in the country, in my opinion. They work extremely hard, every day. There was a point where they didn’t lose, until they lost to Stanford, but you would have thought they had lost 80 games in a row the way they practice every day.
For us to have two teams in (the Final Four) again would be pretty impressive. Hopefully, we can both bring it back home."
On his favorite current course, Racism in Sports:
"We're reading a book right now called '$40 Million Slaves' by William C. Rhoden. It talks a lot about basketball players, LeBron James, the recruiting process -- a lot of different things over the years. It's a pretty good book. It's helping me realize the world I'm probably going to get into."
He’s definitely been pretty impressive to watch this tournament. You could just see the development he had throughout this season. He’s been a great leader for his team. Something like me, a little bit, because you can tell he wants to take the last shot. When he takes it, he’s taking it to make it, and that’s what he’s been doing so far.
ALEX ORIAKHI:
On playing against fellow Boston-area native Shabazz Napier back in the day:
"I remember seeing him in AAU tournaments in 6th, 7th grade. I've known since 8th, 9th grade. I played against him in some little tournament in Boston. He killed us, we lost. But he got every call. He got every call!"
GEORGE BLANEY
on John Calipari:
"You always had to ask coaches to do things for charities and different coaching events. You’d be surprised about who does things and who doesn’t do things. John would always do what we asked him to do."
JIM CALHOUN
On not getting Knight or Doron Lamb:
"I'm very happy with the guys we got. We didn't get Brandon Knight and Doron Lamb. Well, we got Jeremy Lamb, who's been real special already but is going to be very special, and we got Shabazz. he reminds me of that every day, actually."
On the Final Four two years ago in Detroit:
"It wasn't typical of a Final Four. When we were in San Antonio, we were riding boats on the canal. When we were in St. Petersburg, we went to see Sammy Sosa and the Cubs play. In Detroit, we went from the gym to the hotel. I think it's going to be a little different (in Houston), and that's no knock on Detroit whatsoever ... I’m for warm weather, it has nothing to do with Detroit. I wouldn’t want it in Hartford. We need warm weather – bad."
On if he's thought about perhaps riding off into the sunset after this run:
"If we win the national championship, standing at the podium would be a bad time to make any decision. And if things don’t go well, it would be a lousy time to make a decision. I mean, this has been fun."
JAMAL COOMBS-MCDANIEL
Said he had an MRI on his left knee yesterday that revealed "ligament issues." He may need surgery once the season is over, but until then he'll keep playing through the pain.
SHABAZZ NAPIER
On how Kentucky is different now than it was in Maui:
“Brandon Knight is a better point guard, Doron Lamb is a better shooter now. He knows his spots, where to shoot at. We’ve got to watch him, especially on transition, seeing that his favorite spot’s the corner. Harralson is tough now, you see how well he played against Jared Sullinger. Liggins, the veteran guys, they’re all stepping up now. It’s more of a team. Usually, before, it was just the freshmen doing something, and the older guys letting them do it. Now, it’s all of them combined, and that’s dangerous for us. Now, if you try to stop one person, they have four others, unlike (how) it was in Maui."
"We’re leaving that game behind us. I can tell you right now, it’s not going to be a 17-point game. We’re not going to win by 17, and hopefully we don’t lose by 17. It’s going to be a hard-fought game."
Anyway, we were back this afternoon as the Huskies met with the media for a good 2 1/2 hours before their practice. They'll fly out tomorrow and land at Houston's Hobby Airport around 7 p.m. local time.
Here are some notes 'n quotes from earlier today:
KEMBA WALKER:
On recalling the first time he walked into Gampel as a recruit and saw the Huskies' "Wall of Fame" in the hallway.
"I told myself, ‘One day I want to be on that wall.’ And one day I will be on that wall.”
Will he even bother to watch the game tape of UConn's win over a very different Kentucky team in the Maui Invitational in November?
"Of course. We’ll definitely look at some of that. I played fairly well that game, so I’ll see what I did, what I was able to do against those guys. I’m pretty sure they’ll watch film of that game, also, and make some corrections."
On if he ever thinks about how things would be different at UConn had Brandon Knight and Doron Lamb decided to become Huskies, rather than Wildcats:
“No. Honestly, I definitely would have loved to have those two guys, but I’m fine with the guys I have, honestly. It really didn’t matter, to tell you the truth. I’m glad we got the guys we got. I don’t know how coachable those guys are – I’m not saying they’re not, but I don’t know. But the guys we have are very coachable, they listen to me, they listen to Donnell, and they always come willing to learn new things. I’m fine with the guys we have."
On the UConn women:
"Best team in the country, in my opinion. They work extremely hard, every day. There was a point where they didn’t lose, until they lost to Stanford, but you would have thought they had lost 80 games in a row the way they practice every day.
For us to have two teams in (the Final Four) again would be pretty impressive. Hopefully, we can both bring it back home."
On his favorite current course, Racism in Sports:
"We're reading a book right now called '$40 Million Slaves' by William C. Rhoden. It talks a lot about basketball players, LeBron James, the recruiting process -- a lot of different things over the years. It's a pretty good book. It's helping me realize the world I'm probably going to get into."
He’s definitely been pretty impressive to watch this tournament. You could just see the development he had throughout this season. He’s been a great leader for his team. Something like me, a little bit, because you can tell he wants to take the last shot. When he takes it, he’s taking it to make it, and that’s what he’s been doing so far.
ALEX ORIAKHI:
On playing against fellow Boston-area native Shabazz Napier back in the day:
"I remember seeing him in AAU tournaments in 6th, 7th grade. I've known since 8th, 9th grade. I played against him in some little tournament in Boston. He killed us, we lost. But he got every call. He got every call!"
GEORGE BLANEY
on John Calipari:
"You always had to ask coaches to do things for charities and different coaching events. You’d be surprised about who does things and who doesn’t do things. John would always do what we asked him to do."
JIM CALHOUN
On not getting Knight or Doron Lamb:
"I'm very happy with the guys we got. We didn't get Brandon Knight and Doron Lamb. Well, we got Jeremy Lamb, who's been real special already but is going to be very special, and we got Shabazz. he reminds me of that every day, actually."
On the Final Four two years ago in Detroit:
"It wasn't typical of a Final Four. When we were in San Antonio, we were riding boats on the canal. When we were in St. Petersburg, we went to see Sammy Sosa and the Cubs play. In Detroit, we went from the gym to the hotel. I think it's going to be a little different (in Houston), and that's no knock on Detroit whatsoever ... I’m for warm weather, it has nothing to do with Detroit. I wouldn’t want it in Hartford. We need warm weather – bad."
On if he's thought about perhaps riding off into the sunset after this run:
"If we win the national championship, standing at the podium would be a bad time to make any decision. And if things don’t go well, it would be a lousy time to make a decision. I mean, this has been fun."
JAMAL COOMBS-MCDANIEL
Said he had an MRI on his left knee yesterday that revealed "ligament issues." He may need surgery once the season is over, but until then he'll keep playing through the pain.
SHABAZZ NAPIER
On how Kentucky is different now than it was in Maui:
“Brandon Knight is a better point guard, Doron Lamb is a better shooter now. He knows his spots, where to shoot at. We’ve got to watch him, especially on transition, seeing that his favorite spot’s the corner. Harralson is tough now, you see how well he played against Jared Sullinger. Liggins, the veteran guys, they’re all stepping up now. It’s more of a team. Usually, before, it was just the freshmen doing something, and the older guys letting them do it. Now, it’s all of them combined, and that’s dangerous for us. Now, if you try to stop one person, they have four others, unlike (how) it was in Maui."
"We’re leaving that game behind us. I can tell you right now, it’s not going to be a 17-point game. We’re not going to win by 17, and hopefully we don’t lose by 17. It’s going to be a hard-fought game."
Remember a few years ago, when UConn played Memphis in a preseason NIT game at the Garden and Jim Calhoun and John Calipari tried to pretend everything was cool between the two of them?
Didn't buy it then? Me neither. And don't buy whatever the two coaches say over the next week, either. They still don't like each other.
No further proof needed than this bit from a good Sports Illustrated story on Calipari a few weeks ago:
If the Wildcats' spring ends early, there will be matchups Calipari won't watch. There are rivals he can't abid, and vice versa; even without being asked he gives you a list: Pitino, Pearl, Connecticut's Jim Calhoun.
No worries, John. Guaranteed the feeling is mutual.
Here's a little piece I did today on Kemba Walker's leadership skills. Plenty more coming over the next week.
Here's a few snippets from today's conference call with the coaches from the Final Four teams:
JIM CALHOUN
On the three other coaches in this year's Final Four:
"My two sons, and my problem child."
On what he takes from UConn's win over Kentucky for the Maui Invitational title back in late November:
"Nothing, absolutely nothing. Except I remember the last four minutes of the first half. It was not any indication of what they've become, or what we went through. I don't think that game means absolutely anything."
On his public perception:
"There's no way that you're going to please everybody. If I please my God, my family, that's important to me. And if I please my players and my university, then I'm fine ... What I'm sometimes perceived as, I don't recognize that person. YOu get stuck with something, and that becomes you."
On losing out on recruits Brandon Knight and Doron Lamb, both now at Kentucky:
"Yes, there was a great deal of disappointment. At one time, we were recruiting Brandon Jennings ... loved the place and wanted to come here. We determined Brandon Jennings hadn't made his mind up, and we went after a kid we thought we could get. A kid named Kemba Walker.
When we got Shabazz (Napier) and Jeremy Lamb, we thought we got two pretty good players.
You get a lot more no's than yeses.
It's kind of ironic that we're playing against two kids we really went hard after.
If I spent all my time on the kids we lost, I guess we would have won a lot of championships. I'm much more interested in the kids we get. Kemba and Shabazz: how have they worked together? Shabazz has been sensational, has taken a lot of pressure off Kemba this year and allowed him to play (off the ball)."
On if he's thought of his place in the game if he wins a third national championship:
"Any legacy stuff, I can look at later. I just can't wait to get this team to the Final Four."
JOHN CALIPARI:
On key to Jim Calhoun's success over the years:
"I think he's a battler, he holds the bar high, doesn't accept anythying but their best ... and he has talented players. He got talented players to buy in, and has done a great job throughout his whole career ... He is as good as they get."
On growing and improving as a coach:
"Let me explain to all who are listening: I do not have this figured out."
Didn't buy it then? Me neither. And don't buy whatever the two coaches say over the next week, either. They still don't like each other.
No further proof needed than this bit from a good Sports Illustrated story on Calipari a few weeks ago:
If the Wildcats' spring ends early, there will be matchups Calipari won't watch. There are rivals he can't abid, and vice versa; even without being asked he gives you a list: Pitino, Pearl, Connecticut's Jim Calhoun.
No worries, John. Guaranteed the feeling is mutual.
Here's a little piece I did today on Kemba Walker's leadership skills. Plenty more coming over the next week.
Here's a few snippets from today's conference call with the coaches from the Final Four teams:
JIM CALHOUN
On the three other coaches in this year's Final Four:
"My two sons, and my problem child."
On what he takes from UConn's win over Kentucky for the Maui Invitational title back in late November:
"Nothing, absolutely nothing. Except I remember the last four minutes of the first half. It was not any indication of what they've become, or what we went through. I don't think that game means absolutely anything."
On his public perception:
"There's no way that you're going to please everybody. If I please my God, my family, that's important to me. And if I please my players and my university, then I'm fine ... What I'm sometimes perceived as, I don't recognize that person. YOu get stuck with something, and that becomes you."
On losing out on recruits Brandon Knight and Doron Lamb, both now at Kentucky:
"Yes, there was a great deal of disappointment. At one time, we were recruiting Brandon Jennings ... loved the place and wanted to come here. We determined Brandon Jennings hadn't made his mind up, and we went after a kid we thought we could get. A kid named Kemba Walker.
When we got Shabazz (Napier) and Jeremy Lamb, we thought we got two pretty good players.
You get a lot more no's than yeses.
It's kind of ironic that we're playing against two kids we really went hard after.
If I spent all my time on the kids we lost, I guess we would have won a lot of championships. I'm much more interested in the kids we get. Kemba and Shabazz: how have they worked together? Shabazz has been sensational, has taken a lot of pressure off Kemba this year and allowed him to play (off the ball)."
On if he's thought of his place in the game if he wins a third national championship:
"Any legacy stuff, I can look at later. I just can't wait to get this team to the Final Four."
JOHN CALIPARI:
On key to Jim Calhoun's success over the years:
"I think he's a battler, he holds the bar high, doesn't accept anythying but their best ... and he has talented players. He got talented players to buy in, and has done a great job throughout his whole career ... He is as good as they get."
On growing and improving as a coach:
"Let me explain to all who are listening: I do not have this figured out."
UConn's Final Four but with John Calipari, Brandon Knight and Kentucky should start around 9 p.m. on Saturday.
The VCU-Butler game starts at 6:09 p.m., with UConn-Kentucky to follow 40 minutes after that game's conclusion.
Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg and Steve Kerr call the games along with Tracy Wolfson serving as reporter.
The Huskies will head to Houston after practice Wednesday.
The VCU-Butler game starts at 6:09 p.m., with UConn-Kentucky to follow 40 minutes after that game's conclusion.
Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg and Steve Kerr call the games along with Tracy Wolfson serving as reporter.
The Huskies will head to Houston after practice Wednesday.
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