Goin' deep: Sun on target
"I think we've got a lot more people that are threats out there on the court. I can't really figure out what's the true difference, but it's a different team for sure." -- Patrick Sparks
The Cincinnati Post's Victoria Sun, one of the best beat writers on the Wildcats, penned another gem this weekend on the heels of the Cats' demolition of Liberty. This time, her subject (finally!) isn't on the status of Randolph Morris or on the rebounding woes dogging UK's 4-1 start. It was on a positive subject, and one that is going woefully undercovered by both the national (understandable) and local (not so much) media: this team's depth is a genuine weapon.
Thus far, in 5 games, the Cats have featured four different leading scorers, including Bobby Perry (22 vs. Liberty), Sparks (25 vs. WVU), Rekalin Sims (22 vs. Iowa) and Rajon Rondo (19 vs. Lipscomb, 17 vs. SDS). And each of those scoring bursts was timely and crucial to the game's outcome.
Sparks, being Kentucky's leading returning scorer, would seem to be the logical choice to lead the Cats in scoring, especially with his proficiency from behind the arc and with his shooter's mentality to keep firing through tough times. It's interesting that Central City's hero got off to a slow start this year, given that he spent his summer playing with some of the country's best upperclassmen on Team USA in the University Games. While Sparks wasn't a scorer for the Americans, he was lauded for his all-around savvy and his attention to his teammates.
Sims, meanwhile, came to UK with a rep as a JUCO double-double threat and has done little to dispel that notion. Averaging a very acceptable 6-ish rebounds a game, the Vallejo, Calif., product would probably have bigger numbers if he played as much as, say, Rodney Carney at Memphis or Chuck Davis at Alabama. But in Tubby's system, depending on the matchups, Sims might garner 30 minutes one game and 20 the next, for no real fault of his own. That's just the way Tubby wins.
With offseason buzz and a big Blue-White game, Rondo had UK fans excited about his offensive abilities heading into the preseason, and with the exception of a stinker 1-for-9 game against Iowa (a loss, no doubt), Rondo has showed improved shooting, excellent decision-making about when and where to shoot and with each game seems to be finding a better fit as the floor general. I woudn't expect Rondo to lead the team in scoring at season's end, and, frankly, as some in the media have stated, that would probably bode ill for Kentucky's long-term chances.
With the disappearing act by UK's tri-headed center position, and the early nagging injuries to Joe Crawford, the surprise scorer would have to be Perry. By logging career highs in two games this year (12 vs. Iowa, 22 vs. Liberty), Perry surely opened some eyes both in the Wildcat huddle and in the cheap seats. A 20-point scorer in high school, Perry definitely possesses the long-range shooting to put up a bundle in a hurry, but his knack for being in the right place -- either on the break or in the half-court -- gives him a guaranteed 4-6 points a game. With the increased playing time in Crawford's absence, it's not impossible Perry could end up being a consistent third option to Rondo and Sparks.
But all specifics aside, what is most exciting is that in addition to these four scorers, Ravi Moss, a healthy Crawford, Sheray Thomas and Ramel Bradley all could post 10-15 points on a given night. How many teams, even top 10 teams, can say that they have a legitimate 8 players who could lead them in scoring in a game? Not many. Maybe Memphis, perhaps Texas or Oklahoma, but not Duke and definitely not Arizona or Gonzaga. In some ways, the Cats' interchangeable parts gives them a distinct advantage in that, if all are clicking, even if one player can be shut out, Kentucky is still left with any number of ways in which to replace that production. In fact, with the possible exceptions of the 2001 Team Turmoil squad and the '98 national champs, this team may have more quality depth than any of other Smith team. And that's without Morris.
Two McDonald's All-Americans, a couple of potential 1000-point scorers (Bradley, Perry) and a talented, excerienced JUCO are plenty of weapons against most teams. No rabid fan would prefer not to have Morris back, especially with Alleyne and Woo looking like bookends on the bench, but it's nice to know that in the interim or -- hopefully not -- in the event that Morris is done as a Cat, Kentucky has the horses to learn to overcome that production loss and, with a strong dose of Tubby's typical defensive wizardry, could challenge by the end of March for a spot in the Final Four.
The Cincinnati Post's Victoria Sun, one of the best beat writers on the Wildcats, penned another gem this weekend on the heels of the Cats' demolition of Liberty. This time, her subject (finally!) isn't on the status of Randolph Morris or on the rebounding woes dogging UK's 4-1 start. It was on a positive subject, and one that is going woefully undercovered by both the national (understandable) and local (not so much) media: this team's depth is a genuine weapon.
Thus far, in 5 games, the Cats have featured four different leading scorers, including Bobby Perry (22 vs. Liberty), Sparks (25 vs. WVU), Rekalin Sims (22 vs. Iowa) and Rajon Rondo (19 vs. Lipscomb, 17 vs. SDS). And each of those scoring bursts was timely and crucial to the game's outcome.
Sparks, being Kentucky's leading returning scorer, would seem to be the logical choice to lead the Cats in scoring, especially with his proficiency from behind the arc and with his shooter's mentality to keep firing through tough times. It's interesting that Central City's hero got off to a slow start this year, given that he spent his summer playing with some of the country's best upperclassmen on Team USA in the University Games. While Sparks wasn't a scorer for the Americans, he was lauded for his all-around savvy and his attention to his teammates.
Sims, meanwhile, came to UK with a rep as a JUCO double-double threat and has done little to dispel that notion. Averaging a very acceptable 6-ish rebounds a game, the Vallejo, Calif., product would probably have bigger numbers if he played as much as, say, Rodney Carney at Memphis or Chuck Davis at Alabama. But in Tubby's system, depending on the matchups, Sims might garner 30 minutes one game and 20 the next, for no real fault of his own. That's just the way Tubby wins.
With offseason buzz and a big Blue-White game, Rondo had UK fans excited about his offensive abilities heading into the preseason, and with the exception of a stinker 1-for-9 game against Iowa (a loss, no doubt), Rondo has showed improved shooting, excellent decision-making about when and where to shoot and with each game seems to be finding a better fit as the floor general. I woudn't expect Rondo to lead the team in scoring at season's end, and, frankly, as some in the media have stated, that would probably bode ill for Kentucky's long-term chances.
With the disappearing act by UK's tri-headed center position, and the early nagging injuries to Joe Crawford, the surprise scorer would have to be Perry. By logging career highs in two games this year (12 vs. Iowa, 22 vs. Liberty), Perry surely opened some eyes both in the Wildcat huddle and in the cheap seats. A 20-point scorer in high school, Perry definitely possesses the long-range shooting to put up a bundle in a hurry, but his knack for being in the right place -- either on the break or in the half-court -- gives him a guaranteed 4-6 points a game. With the increased playing time in Crawford's absence, it's not impossible Perry could end up being a consistent third option to Rondo and Sparks.
But all specifics aside, what is most exciting is that in addition to these four scorers, Ravi Moss, a healthy Crawford, Sheray Thomas and Ramel Bradley all could post 10-15 points on a given night. How many teams, even top 10 teams, can say that they have a legitimate 8 players who could lead them in scoring in a game? Not many. Maybe Memphis, perhaps Texas or Oklahoma, but not Duke and definitely not Arizona or Gonzaga. In some ways, the Cats' interchangeable parts gives them a distinct advantage in that, if all are clicking, even if one player can be shut out, Kentucky is still left with any number of ways in which to replace that production. In fact, with the possible exceptions of the 2001 Team Turmoil squad and the '98 national champs, this team may have more quality depth than any of other Smith team. And that's without Morris.
Two McDonald's All-Americans, a couple of potential 1000-point scorers (Bradley, Perry) and a talented, excerienced JUCO are plenty of weapons against most teams. No rabid fan would prefer not to have Morris back, especially with Alleyne and Woo looking like bookends on the bench, but it's nice to know that in the interim or -- hopefully not -- in the event that Morris is done as a Cat, Kentucky has the horses to learn to overcome that production loss and, with a strong dose of Tubby's typical defensive wizardry, could challenge by the end of March for a spot in the Final Four.
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