Kentucky Sports Radio
[Moderated by Matt Jones, Drew Franklin and Tyler Thompson]
[Moderated by Matt Jones, Drew Franklin and Tyler Thompson]
As we get ready for the Cats excursion to Canada, the buzz all around the UK world is the marked improvement of one Deandre Liggins. I had heard going into this summer that the coaches expected Liggins to be significantly improved and that he would “open some eyes” when the new season started. However I admit to having been skeptical. Two years of Liggins looking uncomfortable seemed too much to overcome and I had resigned him to the role of “off the bench contributor” during his next two seasons in Lexington. It was nothing against Deandre, who I always had liked, but it just seemed to me that he wasnt adjusting well to the college game and his tendency to think, rather than react, would be too much to overcome.
Then I went to practice on two different days and I saw a completely different situation. The Deandre Liggins from the last two seasons, somewhat timid, likely to make a mistake and taking a back seat on the court was replaced. In his slot instead was a Liggins that attacked the basket with authority, beat every defender on the court to the rim and played the best defense of anyone wearing Blue and White. On multiple occasions, Deandre would make a move and Calipari would shout words of approval and repeat the mantra, “see guys THAT is what I want to see.” In every drill, he ran hard and on every occasion he could be on the court, he gave total effort. It was a different Deandre Liggins and one that seemed like a grizzled veteran teaching the young guys, rather than a player trying to find his way.
If THAT Deandre Liggins takes the court during the season, then he is very likely to end up a starter. That Liggins provides the team with much-needed defense, length, driving ability and leadership. All of those things were expected from Darius Miller and the thought of Miller and four Freshman starters was assumed by the fan base. But if early practices are any indication, that assumption may have been much too quickly made.
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Bill Keightley Report : Never to be forgotten.
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August 12th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
future NBA player………book it
August 12th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
I’ve been holding out hope this would happen. The guy has worked really hard and I hope he gets to start.
August 12th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
No offense to Ramon, but I always assumed that DL would end up just like Harris. Good defensive stopper, 4 year guy who never really put points on the board. I admit in Liggins first year, I thought he would be an impact player, but it never happened. Maybe this is the year.
August 12th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
Has he outperformed Ramon Harriss’s summer workouts?
August 12th, 2010 at 2:23 pm
Me too #2… glad to see he is becoming what we all thought was possible. Kudos to DL and keep up the hard work.
August 12th, 2010 at 2:27 pm
Thanks for ruining the surprise
August 12th, 2010 at 2:27 pm
Great job, Deandre! Keep it up. Can’t wait to watch you get it done this year.
August 12th, 2010 at 2:29 pm
Ppl forget how he was ended playing really well in Vegas after the incident…He is a very good player and just needed the right system. Also if I have to hear one more thing about his fouls in the B&W game, I’m gonna snap!!!
August 12th, 2010 at 2:33 pm
This would be sweet and a huge plus for the season. Looks like 2010-11 could be better than last year.
August 12th, 2010 at 2:34 pm
It’s amazing that you fail to give Liggins any credit for his contributions last year.
“Two years of Liggins looking uncomfortable seemed too much to overcome”
This isn’t analysis, it’s exaggeration to pump the hype for this season. Get over your story building and tell it like it is…
Liggins has shown a steady and remarkable growth in the one area he needed it, maturity. He is also now ready to start his Junior year just as many of us predicted back when he was jerked around by Gillispie as a freshman.
August 12th, 2010 at 2:34 pm
Took Liggins two years just to wash the “billy clyde” off of him.
August 12th, 2010 at 2:35 pm
I said that he would get significant playing time last year and I got bashed. I’ll say it again. He’s one of the best defenders on the team, and he will always get PT for that alone.
August 12th, 2010 at 2:36 pm
Awesome to hear. We will need you this year, DeAndre!
August 12th, 2010 at 2:37 pm
Watch Liggins in practice sometime and you’ll gain a lot of respect for the kid if you haven’t already. He goes ALL OUT like no other player on the team.
August 12th, 2010 at 2:41 pm
I saw him on campus. He gotten bigger and filled into his frame. He will have a great year.
August 12th, 2010 at 2:42 pm
open comments
August 12th, 2010 at 2:44 pm
Liggins showed us bits and pieces of his game in spot time last year. He played great defense, made a few shots and got to the basket several times. Hopefully this year he can put it all together and be an impact leader, I think DL has the potential to be a leader on this team since Miller is more passive.
August 12th, 2010 at 2:51 pm
I knew it would happen.
August 12th, 2010 at 3:03 pm
Welcome to the club Matt!
August 12th, 2010 at 3:06 pm
Every summer until now, this site has released a few posts decrying the “summer practice reports” that predict enormous improvement from one players (and always end up being wrong). You mocked the people who foresaw the great rise of Josh Carrier, Brandon Stockton, Mike Williams, etc. Some of those times you even engaged in those reports. I don’t see any disclaimers this year…are you really that confident this time around?
#10 is right
August 12th, 2010 at 3:07 pm
I thought he looked great most of the time last year. He was Mr. Hustle on the court and did a lot of good things.
August 12th, 2010 at 3:18 pm
Keep up the good work Deandre!! I’m rooting for ya.
August 12th, 2010 at 3:18 pm
I thought liggins had a great year last year and didn’t seem lost. My roommates and I would get excited when he came off the bench with his energy and defense. I agree with Calipari’sInYourEar in thinking he has had a pretty steady rate of improvement through his first two and a half years at UK…but I’m really excited to see him get even better this year
August 12th, 2010 at 3:20 pm
You know who else looked good in practice? Beast Pilgrim. And we all saw how that turned out. Sorry Matt if I reserve my judgement for the games.
August 12th, 2010 at 3:21 pm
I agree with 11. The difference in Liggins is the coaching style. I’d say Cal likes to build kids up with positive feedback whereas another coach would ridicule them. Some kids don’t do well that way and some can look over it and still get better. But whatever Cal’s doing with Liggins seems to work for Liggins just fine. Glad to hear it.
August 12th, 2010 at 3:22 pm
If he is drafted after his sr year, Cal will have to fight off every top high school kid wanting to get to the NBA
August 12th, 2010 at 3:25 pm
Liggins defensive energy last season was part of this foundational building of the mature player he has steadily been becoming. We didn’t see that his freshman year (which I attribute to a combination of Liggins awakening and Calipari’s teaching style) and Gillispie’s one way approach to maturity building (break them then mold them) did more damage to Deandre than good.
Deandre will be in the NBA. You can see it in his personality. He is a leader by example, he even showed this exuberance even when raw as a freshman. His problem then was it was not focused and honed, it was raw.
With Wall and Bledsoe coming in, Liggins got to see talent which exceeded his and for the first time I feel gained a true respect for the value of a team game. Not that he was selfish before by any means, but the need to gain ego attention calmed. Liggins opened up to this and Calipari has to get some credit for this transformation. This was the true beginning of his rise to being a real weapon on both ends of the court.
August 12th, 2010 at 3:26 pm
matt, after cal’s comments do you think there is any possibility of dodson playing this year? or is it next year or transfer?
August 12th, 2010 at 3:34 pm
I think the point is that he hasn’t really looked like the complete player that a lot of us have expected over the past two years. His first year was frustrating (at least to me) but he had a mean drunk as a head coach so that didn’t help him. He definitely displayed improvement last year and contributed but he still wasn’t a complete player. Hopefully this year everything has clicked and he’ll be that player that we all have hoped he’ll turn into.
August 12th, 2010 at 3:38 pm
Hard work does pay off.
Way to go Liggins.
August 12th, 2010 at 4:15 pm
I am happy for DAL. Last Fall, he seemed to be in an undesirable position on the team. Now, he’s a shining example of the payoff that can come from hard work.
August 12th, 2010 at 4:46 pm
….add me to the list of people who hope all the summer hype is true but fear that it isn’t based on previous summer hype busts.
August 12th, 2010 at 4:55 pm
So whats the line up looking like as of right now knight,liggins,miller,jones, and hopefully kanter,if not vargas playing the five, or will jorts break out and surprise us until this stuff about Enes and pro ball is resolved
August 12th, 2010 at 5:06 pm
love DeAndre as a player, and think he has made real progress; he was highly thought of coming out of HS. But at 6’6″, still think he needs to get lower when handling the ball. He seemed to be too upright while dribbling, making it easier for smaller quicker defenders to turn him over. Love his energy and defense, want to see confidence when he shoots the 3. Knight, Liggins, Miller & Jones – if all legit 3 pt threats – UK will be ‘hard to guard’.
August 12th, 2010 at 5:10 pm
34) don’t forget about Lamb as a shooter.
August 12th, 2010 at 5:29 pm
oh god… we’re gonna win championship next year it will be glorious.
August 12th, 2010 at 5:29 pm
#34 – willdcat – His turnovers were primarily a result in being a freshman out of position at point guard. He could still develop to be a pg, due to his accelerated handle and natural assist ability in transition. But what was asked of him his freshman year was just fruity night golf.
Year………Minutes…….Turnovers
Freshman…..16.4…………74
Sophmore…..15.3…………17
August 12th, 2010 at 5:33 pm
Goes to show you Billy Clyde knows talent and is a good recruiter.
August 12th, 2010 at 5:37 pm
For those being skeptical of this report siting Carrier, Stockton etc as examples…there is a couple of major differences here. First all, Liggins was a top 50 player, second, this assumptions are being made due to what is being seen in practice, not pick up games. Last year Liggins energy and defense was astounding and his 3 pt shot really started to develop. He did not have many turnovers last year as he was not used as a pg like the year before. And if Liggins wouldnt have started the year off last year in the dog house, who knows how good he could have been. I hope he has his head on straight cuz this team needs him. If Liggins and Miller both start, UK will have one of the tallest starting line ups. Cant wait for Sunday!
August 12th, 2010 at 5:39 pm
#38 – enes – In that regard who doesn’t?
Everyone in NCAA division 1 would have offered Liggins when he was a High School Senior.
But then there’s GJ Vilarino, KC Ross Breisner, Pilgrim…
Gillispie should become a football coach, plain and simple.
August 12th, 2010 at 6:18 pm
Yes, I was impressed with him last year. He worked hard and came on hard, particularly towards the end. Remember, he was playing with a level of talent last year that he had not seen before. I think he did a bang-up job last year and I have been expecting big things from him this year. Glad to hear it.
August 12th, 2010 at 6:46 pm
Lighins was underrated and underappreciated last year. He will provide some veteran “been there, done that” leadership this year.
August 12th, 2010 at 6:54 pm
I’m happy to read this! I hope nothing but the best for this young man. Considering his start at UK with Crazy Man Gillispie and all the crap he took, then a coaching change, hes come thru a lot. His style is perfect for Coach Cal…he’ll be a player this year and next!
Here’s to a great season by DL!!
August 12th, 2010 at 8:17 pm
I’m a big fan of Liggins. I like any player that can be in a coach’s doghouse and then come back and show that with effort and good attitude they can overcome. I hope Liggins destroys this year.
August 12th, 2010 at 8:27 pm
Wow, a couple of practices and KSR is ready to crown DeAndre as the greatest thing since John Wall. Give me a break.
August 12th, 2010 at 8:47 pm
45, pretty sure that’s not what he said or was even implying
August 13th, 2010 at 11:23 am
I’m always pullin for him… kid has had it rough by my estimation, but he aint no quitter….