Over the previous few weeks, John Calipari has been tinkering with lineups and working two-a-days to see what works with this Kentucky crew. In as we speak’s 86-63 win over Louisville, he thinks he discovered it. As an alternative of pushing the tempo, Calipari desires his crew to play extra intentionally. In actual fact, he used the phrase “deliberate” eight occasions in his postgame press convention, an indication {that a} slower fashion of play could also be right here to remain.
“I’m mad at myself as a result of we would have liked to be taking part in extra deliberate,” Calipari mentioned. “Enjoying sooner and faster and doing that, that’s all good, and also you’re scoring 60. We performed deliberate, which is what my groups have accomplished traditionally. Nonetheless play quick and shoot threes. We didn’t shoot as many as we speak however we scored numerous factors taking part in deliberate. And you can say, nicely, it’s Louisville. If my crew performs this fashion, deliberate, like, we’re flying.”
For at the least as we speak, towards one of many worst groups in faculty basketball, it labored. Kentucky scored 86 factors, the fifth many of the season, and made a season-high 60% of its photographs. As Cal mentioned, the Cats didn’t try many threes, going 4-13 from the surface, the second-fewest makes an attempt of the yr behind the sport vs. Yale. Kentucky dominated the paint, outscoring the Playing cards 46-34 and successful the battle of the boards 33-20. Oscar Tshiebwe completed with 24 factors (10-13 FG, 4-9 FT) and 14 rebounds.
“We performed good,” Oscar mentioned. “Now, we get to gradual the sport down just a little bit, like Coach mentioned. We watched movie and towards Missouri, we had been simply speeding and every little thing. Now, we get to decelerate. We run the performs, we make good photographs.”
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In actual fact, the extra Oscar talked, the extra it seems like slowing issues down was his thought.
“In opposition to many of the groups we performed, we simply coast half-court and shoot the ball,” Oscar continued. “I mentioned, ‘No, gradual it down. Generally transfer the ball.’ And we’re going to be tremendous. At present, we moved the ball. We received simple buckets. We received dunks. It was simple.”
“If we catch the ball, now we have a fastbreak, we run,” Oscar continued. “If now we have nothing, now we have to decelerate. I watched the movie towards Missouri, it was only one go and shoot the ball. We can’t do this. We’ve received to maneuver the ball, transfer the ball, make the protection transfer. Get simple buckets.”
When requested if the extra deliberate fashion of play helps his sport, Oscar nodded enthusiastically.
“Sure, completely. We get the protection, we transfer the ball previous one another. We make the sport really easy.”
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“The early grind of what we went by way of, possibly we would have liked to undergo it, and we’ll see going ahead,” Calipari mentioned. “However that was one thing they needed to really feel, the grind, the deliberateness of how we performed, passing the ball. You prepared? Simply to go it. Effectively, I’ve received to go it for somebody to attain. No, simply go it to go it. They usually did that as we speak.”
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Kentucky football lost a 2025 wide receiver when recruit Ja’kayden Ferguson re-opened his recruitment in mid-November. Now, they have gained a commitment from top 500 receiver Dejerrian Miller to take the open spot.
Miller is a 6’3″, 195 lb receiver out of Missouri. He is rated four stars, and is ranked as the number 379 overall player in the 2025 class in the 247sports composite rankings. He is the 53rd ranked receiver in the class.
Eight options to replace coach Mark Stoops
Coach Mark Stoops and his staff have put together a solid recruiting class for 2025 so far. It’s currently ranked 25th in the country, though it is the 13th best class of the 16 teams of the SEC.
Miller joins Quintin Simmons Jr., Preston Bowman, and Montavin Quisenberry as wide receivers who are committed to Kentucky for 2025. Miller’s size should be an advantage for him as he looks to find playing time. It’s good get for the Wildcats and Stoops, who continues to bring in quality players at the receiver position.
EASTERN KENTUCKY (WYMT) – On Wednesday, President Joe Biden declared that a major disaster exists in Kentucky.
As a result, President Biden ordered federal assistance to supplement recovery efforts. This is locally as well as statewide following the damage left behind by the remnants of Hurricane Helene.
In a news release, federal funding will be available to eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations. This will be on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the remnants of the hurricane.
This includes many counties in our area: Bell, Breathitt, Clay, Elliott, Estill, Harlan, Jackson, Johnson, Lawrence, Lee, Letcher, Magoffin, Menifee, Morgan, Owsley, Powell, Rockcastle, Rowan, and Wolfe.
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In the announcement, it said federal funding will also be available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures for the entire state of Kentucky.
Now that the ink has dried and his signing with Kentucky has been made official, Jasper Johnson was finally able to be formally introduced to the Rupp Arena crowd during the Wildcats’ 87-68 win over Western Kentucky on Tuesday night.
Johnson, a class of 2025 five-star point guard born and raised in Lexington, sat courtside with his family to check out his future team in action against the Hilltoppers. During the second half, former Kentucky player Ravi Moss brought out the future Wildcat to midcourt where he was met with a chorus of cheers from the packed crowd of Big Blue Nationites.
After initially committing to Kentucky back in September, Johnson signed the necessary papers to play his college basketball at UK earlier this month. He’s been inside Rupp Arena plenty of times before over the years (and even played here with Woodford County as a sophomore), but never while wearing street clothes as the center of attention in front of over 20,000 screaming fans.
The smile says all you need to know.
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Johnson is one of three signees from Mark Pope‘s first recruiting class as Kentucky’s head coach, joining four-star center Malachi Moreno and four-star point guard Acaden Lewis. The 6-foot-4 guard is ranked No. 14 overall in the nation by the On3 Industry Ranking. He’s currently finishing up his high school career at Overtime Elite as a member of Rod Wave Elite (RWE).
Alongside Tay Kinney, a talented class of 2026 guard who is also from Kentucky and is being recruited by Pope, the two Bluegrass natives form arguably the deadliest backcourt duo in all of OTE. Through five games played this season, Johnson is averaging 19.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per outing while shooting 47.9 percent from the floor and 42.9 percent from deep.
This time next year, we’ll hopefully see him do the same thing in Kentucky blue and white.
Johnson family – Dr. Michael Huang, Kentucky Sports Radio
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