“We’ve got to fight”, Calipari said. “They know the hype of this program sometimes. They know. They all know we have to fight”. We just need games in front of people. “Fight doesn’t mean punch and swing and grab”.
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“If there’s a 50/50 ball, you’re getting that ball”. You’re diving on the floor. Fight means you’re not afraid to dive on the floor.
That wasn’t lost on the Wildcats either in a game where the White Team defeated the Blue Team 74-66. “That’s fight. We don’t know that yet”. “We have a lot of competitors on this team. Just continue to battle and compete with each other”.
The Blue team was led by Poythress with 12. You fight for position.
“I’m just out there trying to feed the post players and make things happen”, Ulis said. “He gets on me about it every day, so I’m still trying to get used to that”.
All of this isn’t to say Labissiere and the other Wildcats didn’t show have their moments.
“I just want him to get comfortable scoring”, Coach Cal said. “That’s why in the second half the scoring went (down) where it was because we were throwing it to him every time”.
“No real rotation yet, but we will split the teams and then we’ll also play with the three guards (Tyler Ulis, Isaiah Briscoe and Jamal Murray), so I may change teams as we go”, Calipari said. Most of the baskets by the white team were on assists by Tyler Ulis-10 of them in all. Labissiere scored 18 points, leading all scorers along with 11 rebounds and three blocks.
Senior Alex Poythress, who missed 29 games after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament last season, finished with 17 points, while playing for both teams. He slows it down for you as well. Poythress finished with 17 points and seven rebounds.
Four preseason coaches’ top-25 teams are on Kentucky’s 2015-16 schedule (No. 4 Duke, No. 5 Kansas, No. 19 LSU and No. 20 Vanderbilt).
Coach Cal has talked often about the importance of Poythress to this team’s ultimate success. “I just want him to focus on rebounding”. He made a few shots. “Before you have to guard a guy, you’re playing him before he catches it. A shot goes up on a rebound, and you’re moving before the ball hits the rim”.
“Get that rebounding back”. All the other stuff will come in time, but focus on one thing: Let’s get that down and build your confidence in yourself and in your body and through that you can do that.
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Kentucky opens exhibition play Monday night at 7 against Ottawa on the SEC Network, and then hosts an exhibition vs. Kentucky State November 6 at 6 p.m. on ESPNU.
