Mid Season Review

The UK mens basketball program has reached the end of its 2008 schedule. So lets take a look at where they started through where they are today…

The preseason started with as much question as promise. UK had several highly rated new comers and was returning some quality players. But UK was also losing a huge chunk of its scoring and leadership. Off season surgery also placed major question marks on both of its returning marguee players. Meeks was cleared much earlier than Patterson, so he was easily much further along but still was not his old self. There was a point in one of the preseason events (I think it was the Blue White game) that made me sit up a bit on the edge of my seat. it seemed like a small funny thing to most, but I certainly didn’t think it was funny and felt it may be a sign of things to come. Patterson, who is and always has been THE man child, went up for a certain slam only to get rejected by… the front of the rim. I knew right then he wasn’t full strength and he obviously did not have the explosion or lift he displayed last year. The preseason, otherwise, went off without a hitch but then something happened. The season started. And not just against your typical patzy. VMI may have looked like a patzy on the surface, but once you looked deeper you saw something very scary. You saw a high scoring team that played pressure D going against a UK team that had all new roles in three of the four spots on the floor and the most glaring was the point (OK, lead) and it was a recipe for disater. The sky fell and hell opened it doors to the doomed. Ok , maybe not but those who would do anything to undermine this staff revelled in the glory that was a season opening loss. Luckily, the sky did not fall, hell did not open and it turns out all UK needed to do was get better.

And better they did get. Little by little, and bit by bit, UK got better and better with each day. Yes, there was a loss to UNC (who has not lost that has played them), yes there was another loss to a very big and talented Miami team. But there were also wins against K ST, West Virgina and host of other gritty teams, with some real yawners thrown in. So at the close of 2008, UK stands at 11-3. Of those three losses, all are to top 100 teams (yes, VMI is in the 80s), two are to top 50 teams (Miami has even been a top 25 team) and one was to the best team in the land. UK has answered the scoring question easily by turning Meeks lose, getting Patterson back to full strength, and using its third scorer which is a hybrid of Harrelson, Stevenson, Liggins, Stewart, Porter, Slone and Miller, to the tune of 80 something points a game. UK has also found its D when needed by only allowing teams to score in the 60s on average. That is a 20 point or so differential which includes the three losses. The bottom line: This team has gotten better and better every day. And one by one the questions of the preseason have been replaced with answers. The answers were not always the ones people thought they would be. People sometimes have a hard time when that happens. Many thought the answer at the point would be Liggins. Turns out it was Porter. The question of depth would be answered, many thought, by Harrelson and Miller. Turns out its more like Galloway, Slone and Stewart. Many of those people say that you can’t win in big games with guys like Porter and Slone. I say if the other options were able to get it done by now, they would have been able to do it in the gimmi games. How can anyone with a sane mind say that Liggins is a better choice against UL when he isn’t the better choice against App St? That just makes no sense to me at all…

So, now that we have taken a look at the season to date, what are some of the questions moving forward? Is Patterson fully recovered? I say that question was answered when he left from the second block and posterized the poor kid from App St. THAT was the first NBA quality move I have seen in a UK jersey since Prince was taking off from outside the lane for his patented sky dunks. Who will be the third scorer is ALWAYS the question. I think it will contiune to be by committee and I really like it that way. That shows a team is able to mesh and mold around what others are trying to take away. When you have a set third scorer, it makes scouting a little easier. When you have six or seven guys that can each step up when the game plan calls for it, it make it impossible to scout or defend. Can the cats continue to play well with the likes of Porter and Slone? I say they better, or others need to really step it up. I hope its both. The more buttons coach has to push, the better. But I do think Porter and Slone are carving their own nitch on this team. Watch out if Liggins and Miller start doing the same. What about the three spot? I have no clue who will take the lead there. It could be Galloway. It could be Harris. It could very well be Miller if he starts playing more and thinking less. But I think all three will continue to contribute provided Harris recovers. What about the post? I think that is becoming very well defined. Patterson is back to where he was last year, but what if he has matured and is even better? This is a very real possibility. I think it is actually likely. If you think about it, this is an infinately better passing team and with the improved play around him, Patterson’s limit is, well, limitless. Couple that with a guy like Stevenson who is a great complement to him, and then throw in the added support provided by a very skilled Harrelson and an ever improving Stewart, the post seems to be very well manned for the final stretch. So here’s the big question: What should we expext from the home stretch? I have no idea how far this team can go as of yet, but I do not think it is even close to reaching it’s potential. But I am really excited that the answers to all of these questions begins in earnest come January 4th. I say bring on the Cards and..

GO CATS!

UK 84 UCM 52

UK had been chewing up teams and spitting them out like spent bubble yum. Wait, MEEKS had been chewing up teams and spitting them out like spent bubble yum. He can obviously streak into orbit at any moment. Be he could also be grounded at any time as well. So the big question for me during that stretch was how will this team perform once Meeks returned to earth? Granted, a return to earth for Meeks is getting 23…

The answer? The team did just fine. Led by a pesky point in Porter and some extremely high quality minutes from Slone, UK has passed the test with flying colors. Some say might say it was against a 3-8 (now 3-9) undermanned team. True, but that doesn’t tell the whole story about this team. If you look a little deeper, you see the worst this team has done was a 14 point loss to Marquette. Yes, this team has lost, but they have been there in all their games. They were in all the games until they met the Cats, that is. The Chips came out and showed a ton of heart. heart is about all they had and sometimes it can carry a team a long way. But this UK team has a ton of heart as well. So when heart meets heart, and UK has Patterson, UK wins easily.

With all the attention given to Porter and Slone’s play, one little tid bit that is flying under the radar is a major accomplishment by Liggins. The fine young man got his first start in the Chips game and played much better than he has of late. Liggins short coming have all been of the above the shoulders type. Last night he seemed to play with an added focus and wasn’t the huge liability on D that he has been to this point. And these were the type of players that could give him problems. Most assumed Liggins and Miller would have left the Porters and the Slones in their dust by now. I think its more a tribute to Porter and Slone than a knock on Liggins or Miller that they have not. As for Porter, he had his best game ever as a Cat against the Chips. Not only did he provide his customary stick to D, but he also distributed OK (not great), added some needed long range daggers, and scored on the break to the tune of 12. More than anything else, though, Porter is providing the visual and spoken leadership the team desperately needed.

Overall I give this team a B+ for their performance. Now, ready or not, it’s on to the Cards!

UK 67 UM 73

POP. That was the sound of UM doing to UK what Porter and Harris did to each other out in Vegas. UM hit UK hard and UK never knew what hit them. UM could do whatever it wanted early and get whatever shot they wanted, and UK had to settle for whatever shot UM allowed them to take. Hindsight is a coach’s worst enemy, especially after a tough loss. Should he start two freshmen? I’m not saying because I don’t know. I do know the one he did start was so lost coming out of the gate that there were times he didn’t even know who he was supposed to be guarding through the entire possessions back to back. Not once, but twice. In a row. So does a coach double that risk at the start of a game? Hindsight says yes. Hindsight is always right because it can never be proven wrong.

In my view, two things stand out more than anything else. Harris would have been where he was supposed to be and Miller did not get the luxury of seeing it done first as he usually does. Each game is a brand new set of circumstances and variables. Guys were totally out of sync because of having to give help at times they were not supposed to have to give help and Porter was having to guard a guy he had no business guarding. It took a half, and some adjustments, but UK finally did get in sync on the defensive end. Too little too late? I say no. Even with getting popped from the start and being out of sync, UK could have easily withstood the UM pop if it had done the second thing, and that is to shoot a decent percentage, especially from the outside. Meeks had a horrid offensive game. If the normal percentage of his outside shots go down, it opens up several other things and UK may have never dug a hole anywhere near what it did. Meeks needs to understand one thing. This team needs him and he needs to rise up and meet the challenge. That is what winners do. That is what UK does.

This was a tough loss. UK was as good as UM if not maybe even a little better. UM was more experienced and this time experience won out. So is their anything good that can be taken from this loss? I think so! UK will not be this inexperienced in a few more games. The upside for UK is huge. Soon it will not be a question of putting two frosh out there at the start if needed. They will be semi sophs. One of them, Liggins, is growing up right before our eyes and you have to love the kid’s heart. UK never gave up and did fight back. No ifs about it. But UK could have easily came all the way back and could have easily won this game IF they hit their shots late, even after not hitting them early. The kids need to understand that just because you didn’t hit your shots in the possessions before, it doesn’t mean you can’t hit them in the possessions coming up.

So where does UK go from here? Well, I think the very best thing to do is to get back in the saddle and do it again. And that is just what UK will do today. I think this back to back game set is a great idea. Plus UK will have little time to think about the UM loss. It will hopefully be a game where UK can put hindsight in the rear view mirror.

UK 103 Lamar 61

UK dispatched the Lamar Cardinals in what was easily there best performance of the year. The problem: There are so many story lines that I don’t know where to begin. Do I start with the Liggins, Galloway, Stewart coming out party? After all, this is the night UK fans have been waiting for from all three. Liggins was in total control, displayed the ability to get UK into its sets, DIDN’T FORCE THE ACTION and maybe most importantly, knocked down the outside shots UK desperately needs from anyone other than Meeks. Galloway showed us that uncanny passing ability with some of the most excellent assists on the night. He also immediately showed us why he hasn’t played as much when he allowed his guy to get past him. I harp on keeping someone in front all the time, but I don’t think it can be harped on enough because usually so many bad things happen. In this case, not only did Lamar get a great look, they also got an offensive rebound and the second foul on Patterson. But having said all that, he did a fantastic job after that. Kudos to coach for sticking with him because it was easy to see the value he will bring when the rubber meets the road. Stewart also provided some of his most productive minutes ever as a Cat. He has an awesome baseline jumper game which can be a zone killer down the stretch. And UK can expect to see a lot of zone if some shooters do not come to the surface.

But maybe I should start with the reason those guys got extended looks. The scene was something from a nightmare. Harris and Porter were down and neither looked good. At least Porter looked like he was able to function. Harris, not so much. We now find out that the medical staff took added precautions after Harris told them he had shooting pains running through his neck. The injury is not thought to be serious but we really do not know for sure at this point. This is a horrible way to get minutes. I read some things were so called fans were “glad” about this. Not only are they less than fans, they are less than human. Sick, disturbed, mentally deformed and out of touch with any sense of reality come to mind when I think of such people. All I can say is you will get yours on judgment day because there is no way you can make comments like that and have a chance at passing on hell. Of course our thoughts and prayers are with both players and it is my deepest wish that they recover, like, now. Not for the sake of the team, but for their and their family’s sake. This is when something is much bigger than the game in my book.

Maybe the big news was the turnover turn around. Silly me, I knew this was a pesky, quick, experienced team which is just the type that has given UK fits. Win or lose, I thought this was the exact type of team UK needed to play. UK has demons and turnovers, especially to these type teams, is demon number one. But to UK’s credit, they did exactly what Coach wanted. I don’t think Lamar wanted to come back out after the first half because UK looked sharp and was taking care of the ball while causing Lamar all kinds of problems. I am not going to nit pick on the rebounding; yet. UK has rebounded better and I think/hope last night was an anomaly. Many of those boards were of the long/weird bounce kind and those can really skew the numbers.

For once, the main story line isn’t the 31 point effort from Patterson or the 19 and 6 assists with only one turnover from Meeks, right?

I suppose I will defer to you to decide the story line order of the day. While making your selections, please also include Stevenson’s reemergence, especially in the mid range game, there was a Carter sighting, and Miller struggled a little.

So all this begs the question: What does this game tell us? I honestly do not think it tells us much of anything. UK is better at this point than they were last year at this point. But I think Vegas told us that. UK does have potential on the bench. But that potential doesn’t mean a hill of beans if that potential isn’t realized game in and game out. Even though Patterson has scored well in most games, I still do not think he is playing as well as he could be. I need to see the same game from Meeks a few in a row and the same can be said for Liggins, Galloway, Stewart and Stevenson. The one real constant, in my mind is a guy I haven’t even said a word about and it may be the biggest story of the year. Let’s hear it for Jorts!