Kentucky Sports Radio
[Moderated by Matt Jones]
[Moderated by Matt Jones]
Yesterday I was fortunate enough to get to join Kentucky media superstars (look son, Alan Cutler, Matt May, Jerry Tipton….they are all here!!!) and watch the University of Kentucky basketball team practice in the Craft Center. After speaking with a couple of old timers, it was agreed that this was the first open practice UK has conducted since February, 1992, after which Pitino never opened them again and Tubby never began the practice. I found the entire event fascinating….from watching how a Division I team prepares, to seeing the players in a more structured environment, to following the intensity of Billy Clyde. What follows is a long (I apologize) journal-like run-down of the events and what I viewed. Hope you enjoy….
— The atmosphere here is one of excitement, as media members get to see the team for the first time in over 15 years. Goose Givens is in the house, as is Kyle Macy. We are about 20 minutes from beginning and the rap music is blaring through the speakers. Coach Cox is working with the walk-ons, plus Donald Williams, Matthew Pilgrim, AJ Stewart and Jared Carter (poor Jared) for some pre-practice teaching. It is a funny sight to see Cox giving instructions, while Lil Wayne talks about seeing a Shawty in the Club.
— The rest of the guys have arrived and at EXACTLY 3:30, Gillispie walks in and huddles the team up to start with a team prayer, led by Michael Porter. The music has also stopped, and it looks like ten managers/student assistants have descended on the court to make this gym packed. Ramon Harris, who is injured, is shooting set shots on the side. I just watched him make 19 in a row from the elbow of the free throw line….aka, the winning spot in HORSE.
— The practice begins with layup and shooting lines run at an EXTREME PACE. These guys are moving with intensity and there is no stopped movement by any player. The most striking aspect is just how loud the gym is. The student trainers are constantly clapping and cheering on the players, so that the total effect is one that seems like a game atmosphere. The coaches and trainers yell encouragement to the players and clapping is non-stop. Really loud and different.
— They quickly move into a drill with big men one side and guards on the other and they spend five minutes doing nothing but shooting free throw line jumpers….aka the “Ramel Bradley” shot. The guards keep a lead throughout most, but it is uncanny just how few of these shots are missed. Each shot is taken off a pass from the post and guys like Patterson, Stevenson, Meeks and Harrellson miss almost no shots.
— Immediately, what is most striking is the amazing intensity by the players and coaches throughout. In the past, I snuck in to a Tubby practice during college and a Coach K practice during law school. Most of those practices involved lots of teaching and running of plays. This practice is all about movement and intensity. We are 25 minutes in and there has not been one break. You can see how these guys are in such great shape and all people on the floor have a job. Coach Cox takes one group, Cyp the other, Webster tells individuals what they are doing right or wrong and Gillispie walks back and forth barking instructions. It is quite a show.
— All players now step back and shoot three pointers. I have said this before, but if you spend time with great basketball players, it is amazing how well they can shoot unguarded. On the Barnstorming Tour, I played Woo in HORSE 20 times, and only won once, and that was by making three half court shots. He once hit 16 straight threes in our contest….a thought that I had today as I watched Jared Carter knock down 6 in a row.
— A lot of time is spent on one-on-one drills. Gillispie has each player match up with another guy of similar height (Patterson-Stevenson, Carter-Harrellson, Stewart-Pilgrim, Liggins-Williams, Galloway-Miller, Meeks-Porter) and dribble up and down the court while the opponent tries to steal the ball. Then each guy tries to, in five quick seconds, get the ball at the top of the key and take it to the basket. Meeks is the king of this and scores almost at will but it is impressive to watch guys like AJ Stewart use this ability, which may be his best quality. These matchups are intense, and if one guy turns it over or is beat badly on defense, Gillispie lets them have it.
— Halfway through the practice, Gillispie teaches a new drill, which becomes the basis for the rest of the time we watched. Two guards stand at one end of the court, guarded by two others and bring the ball up, while setting a moving screen for each other. On the other end are two big men and a roving position (that comes on and off the court) of two graduate assistants. The goal is to move the ball around, with the defense pressuring the ball and providing help, and then after a set amount of time, attempt to score. It is very similar to a regular game possession and Gillispie follows and analyzes each possession like a hawk. The goal is to get either a layup or an open three…..and thankfully for defensive fans, they get very few of either.
— Gillispie has instituted a system of punishment in which certain errors are “rewarded” with painful ramifications. Let your man get an offensive rebound and you run a suicide. Dont dive for a loose ball and spend three minutes only diving for loose balls (which Josh Harrellson did, getting a scraped and bloody knee in the process). These suicides were run by every big man on the team….except Patrick Patterson.
— It is clear that the Gillispie defensive philosophy is constant ball pressure. In practice what that means is that no matter where the player is on the court across the mid-court line, in your face pressure is applied. The battles and defense continues off the court and out-of-bounds lines are ignored. Players step on the under the basket line and loose balls are followed into the bleachers. Pressure continues everywhere and no stopping occurs.
— Nothing is more fascinating than watching Coach Gillispie throughout. The man looks like an individual completely zoned in and without distraction. He is in constant motion himself, yelling instructions and barking orders to all the players. He is easily upset at bad plays and any mistake can be followed by a “GET OUT!” and the player is out of the next possession. He is particularly hard on the young guys, with Liggins, Galloway and AJ Stewart receiving the majority of his ire. Liggins is clearly exhausted and Gillispie doesnt let up, yelling at every one of his missteps. You can see just how demanding he is to his players and mental errors are unacceptable.
— As for the players, watching practice you can understand how Gillispie’s lineups come to be. There are certain guys who do what he wants, when he wants them to and you can see how they gain favor. Guys like Patterson, Mark Krebs, Michael Porter, Dwight Perry, Perry Stevenson, etc are always in the right place and give 100% effort the whole time. They are sure to be rewarded and that is how we see situations like Mark Coury starting all last season.
All in all, watching Gillispie do his thing at practice showed me more about Coach than anything I have seen so far. His intensity is truly out-of-this world and while I only have a couple of coaches to compare it to, I suspect Billy will top the charts in this regard. There are things about his methods one might question and I do at times wonder if some of the actions make sense (watching Harrellson dive on the floor for three straight minutes hurt me), but at the same time I came away with an immense amount of respect for the system and program he has in place. The guys are focused from the outset, are learning SKILLS that can actually help in a game (a weakness of other practices) and one can see how Gillispie’s admonition that “every player has a role” is especially true. All in all, a great day and one that illustrates exactly what the Gillispie UK program is all about.
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October 31st, 2008 at 11:28 am
God those shorts.
October 31st, 2008 at 11:31 am
Is this heaven? No, its basketball season! Thanks Matt, I am now going to read this a second time.
October 31st, 2008 at 11:32 am
Nice write-up Matt. If people want a visual of the practice, TCP has a free video on their site that’s pretty good.
I think this team will surprise many this year and look forward to it.
October 31st, 2008 at 11:34 am
Come on bball season!!
No offense to fb, but I’m a bball person.
GO CATS!!!!!!!!!!
October 31st, 2008 at 11:35 am
#3-
what is that web address?
October 31st, 2008 at 11:39 am
(sigh) All of which is exactly why I LOVE BillyG; I could only assume that this was the kind of coach he was and it makes me smile to know that each player is going to reach their fullest potential while here. If I wasn’t so in love with my man I would probably be stalking BillyG. Just Kidding but seriously I’m predicting there will be man crush’s after this season.
October 31st, 2008 at 11:41 am
5–Check one of the earlier posts, I believe about the NCAA’s new ban on early Madness. I watched it and came away impressed with the intensity. Sounds a bit like what Izzo’s stated goal is of a war every day, except UK moved much faster in a louder environment. Awesome to watch.
October 31st, 2008 at 11:41 am
1-werd….longest shorts ever. Hardly any room between bottom of short and top of sock.
October 31st, 2008 at 11:44 am
1,8–They are awfully long. I thought the NCAA had instituted a “Fab Five” rule years ago about the length having to be mid-knee.
October 31st, 2008 at 11:45 am
Great write up. I give my vote to Matt.
October 31st, 2008 at 11:52 am
9) The NCAA will initiate “Emergency Legislation” to stop the UK abuse of short length…….
October 31st, 2008 at 11:56 am
Billy Robert Montgomery Knight Gillispie– Knight is one of my favorites and I have made comparisons to their styles since BCG came in. BCG is the best man for the job–now go undefeated, win at least 3 national titles and go away as the winningest coach of all time and we will be happy. There is no other coach I would want at UK and hope I am wrong about my other previous predition that BCG aspires to be an NBA coach and would be gone within 5 years.
Funny now that I think about it, could you imagine Kobe or LeBron making it through one (just one) of BCG’s practices? College (UK) is the place for him.
Go Cats!
October 31st, 2008 at 11:56 am
Harrellson was wishing he had some jorts to protect those knees.
Thanks for the scoop Jones.
October 31st, 2008 at 11:59 am
Posts like this make the favorite blogger contest seem silly.
October 31st, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Gotta give Jones-ie a vote for this post. Kinda like WWE getting cheap pops by mentioning whatever town they happen to be in. haha
Any bball news is gonna score brownie points.
Go Matt…..and
GO CATS!!!!!!!!!!
October 31st, 2008 at 12:00 pm
I swear I think that’s the way the players like them or ordered them that way because if you look at the pictures from the unveiling - of the random dude wearing the ‘prototype’ or whatever, the shorts were not that long. has anybody asked them their opinion on them? Matt?
October 31st, 2008 at 12:00 pm
My wife has some shorts like that, I think she calls them capri’s. My mom calls them clam diggers.
Three quarter pants, pedal pushers, shants, shpants, clam diggers, flood pants, jams, or highwaters are commonly used expressions to mean pants that are longer than shorts but are not as long as pants. They typically come down to between knee and ankle length. This phenomenon has been in fashion for about the same length of time as skorts, layering clothing and other combined clothing fashions. Whilst similar to capri pants, they have their own unique style. Some designers also use the different words to mean slightly different things, such as having one leg long the other leg short.
Pedal pushers are so-called because they were originally worn by cyclists, and are still useful as such. The short leg means the bottom does not get caught in the chain or crank mechanisms, or covered in oil and dirt - a common problem with normal trousers, which is alternatively solved with bicycle clips or similar. Tennis player Rafael Nadal wears three quarter pants during matches.
October 31st, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Those shorts would be long sweatpants on me!
October 31st, 2008 at 12:07 pm
18) and wideleg sweatpants at that; seen a girl in wal-mart yesterday that looked like she may have been wearing their shorts.
October 31st, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Oh, I didn’t see you there!
October 31st, 2008 at 12:09 pm
12. Unless he starts living on valium, Gillispie would be a horrible NBA coach. He thrives on motivation and strict adherence to every letter of (his) law. Pitino was similar, although not nearly as intense, and he failed miserably. NBA players take off about 82 games per year until the playoffs - Gillispie’s head would explode. Imagine Gillispie hanging out with Phil Jackson (a great NBA coach) doing some yoga and zen meditation.
October 31st, 2008 at 12:10 pm
This line caught my attention….
“These suicides were run by every big man on the team….except Patrick Patterson.”
was it because he dominated ro because BCG took it easy on him not to get hurt.
October 31st, 2008 at 12:14 pm
You forgot SKORTS. haha
I don’t care what they look like as long as they hang another banner! haha
October 31st, 2008 at 12:14 pm
22)Matt says that Patterson did everything right the first time so therefore he did not have to run the suicides.
October 31st, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Excellent post, Matt. Cats are going to surprise some people near SEC tourney time.
Good God those shorts are RIDICULOUS…I think they just gave me a stress reaction.
October 31st, 2008 at 12:20 pm
20) lol, my bad, didn’t mean to call you out.
October 31st, 2008 at 12:23 pm
I believe those are soo long that they cant even be called shorts. We officially wear pants with our jerseys
October 31st, 2008 at 12:26 pm
OK, just where is the rest of Patterson’s body?
It looks like his head is growing out of Jodie’s right tricep.
That is some spooky Halloween stuff, Jones.
October 31st, 2008 at 12:31 pm
#28 good eyes, you have spotted the two headed monster that will dominate the SEC this year! Jo-Pat!
October 31st, 2008 at 12:31 pm
ahhhh were gunna be sick this year
October 31st, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Agree - those shorts are ridiculous. Great post Matt, and to think with posts like these you are so far behind in the voting standings.
October 31st, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Those shorts are awful…look like the uniforms for a Pentecostal high school girls team.
October 31st, 2008 at 12:42 pm
28 - haha, it does look like Pat’s head is just photoshopped in there
October 31st, 2008 at 12:42 pm
11) We can only hope. That way Harrellson’s bloody knee won’t ruin a new pair every time out.
I don’t know if anyone else remembers the White Sox uni’s of the late 70’s or not. They wore shorts. They played baseball. They looked ridiculous. So do we.
October 31st, 2008 at 12:42 pm
We’re going to be the slowest team in the NCAA with all the wind resistance from those pants.
October 31st, 2008 at 12:45 pm
BILLY G is a practice God. very much reminded me of a Knight practice, because all my high school coaches modeled their careers after Bob Knight and I am so thankful for it. There is nothing like the competitiveness and intensity seen here. The most intriguing part (and even exciting for a team member) is once the season gets going and the coach feels that he can put the reigns of being intense into the hands of the best/senior/leaders on the team and the team doesnt miss a beat. That is when you know you have a special team with great leaders who will do big teams. I really see that developing right now with our guys, but maybe I am just an optimist.
October 31st, 2008 at 12:47 pm
The shorts don’t look as bad on guys like Patterson, Stevenson, Liggins etc…They just look terrible on the short walk-ons like Scherbenske, Buddy, Dwight, etc. I can’t imagine them wearing them this long all year, they are by far the longest I’ve ever seen.
October 31st, 2008 at 12:49 pm
#36–So you are saying the fate of our team is in the hands of Jared Carter? Heaven help us.
October 31st, 2008 at 12:54 pm
notice its a combonation, not just seniors. ramon will be/is a leader, Meeks and Patterson as well. and we will see who else steps up. don’t always have to be a big time contributor to be a leader and guide a team in practicing and preparing like a championship team
October 31st, 2008 at 12:54 pm
The shorts are horrible.
And with this vivid description of bootca..err…practice, we officially now know why Legion transferred…wussy.
October 31st, 2008 at 12:55 pm
P.S.
My vote for Matt…again(if I can vote twice).
October 31st, 2008 at 12:56 pm
I think I may have a solution.
http://static.flickr.com/46/149466402_310b655ffc.jpg
October 31st, 2008 at 12:58 pm
The jersey’s are cool, but the length of the shorts are ridiculous.
October 31st, 2008 at 1:15 pm
I believe I recall a statement being made after Big Blue Madness that the new uniforms were going to be altered for a better fit prior to the start of the regular season. I think they will still be long, perhaps not quiet as long and loose though.
The thing that matters though is that the players and recruits love em….so then do I.
Go CATS!!
October 31st, 2008 at 1:16 pm
42. Yes! Tight roll-em up! Zach, Kelly, Slater and the rest of Bay Side would be jealous.
October 31st, 2008 at 1:16 pm
26) I’m kidding!
October 31st, 2008 at 1:33 pm
http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/insider/news/story?id=3657362&univLogin 02=stateChanged&action=upsell&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go .com%2fncb%2finsider%2fnews%2fstory%3fid%3d3657362%26univLogin02%3dsta teChanged
UK write up
October 31st, 2008 at 1:40 pm
What are wearing capri pants this year? WTF?
October 31st, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Yeah Billy G will never go to the NBA. I’m sure he if was ever offered he’d laugh and walk away, or hang up. I see Billy G having a long tenure at UK, kinda like Rupp…for that long? I don’t know but he’s just 48 and I expect him to be around a very long time. UK will be #1 again and it won’t take too many more years to do so. It’s funny how everyone discounts UK because of the down years, but UCLA, UNC, and Kansas have all been through the same thing and no one downed them the way they have UK. So it will be nice to throw it back in all the haters face. Oh and Duke is overrated this year, as usual.
October 31st, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Great column Matt. gets me fired up.
October 31st, 2008 at 2:32 pm
46) Yes I know, that’s why there was an ‘lol’. And I was being sarcastic.
October 31st, 2008 at 2:47 pm
7- Izzo’s practices at state were the first thing I thought of when I watched the video. Same toughness and similar energy.
They (MSU) do that drill where they cap the goal, the players all stay in the paint and they just rebound over and over. Rebounds are worth points, so the guys just beat the piss outta eachother.
October 31st, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Glad i am not the only one that dislikes the shorts. The style is great, but streetsweepers?
October 31st, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Those shorts are bordering on the absurd!
October 31st, 2008 at 2:59 pm
I bet the players love the Uni’s, thats all that matters. The fact that are bball uniforms has incorporated horse racing makes them a great design alone.
October 31st, 2008 at 3:00 pm
We just have to find something to complain about………
October 31st, 2008 at 4:07 pm
Excellent read Matthew. Thanks very much.
October 31st, 2008 at 4:36 pm
This sentence kinda scared me.
3:30, Gillispie walks in and huddles the team up to start with a team prayer, led by Michael Porter.
October 31st, 2008 at 5:41 pm
THIS JUST IN for all you shorts/jorts/etc. afficionados: Jon Stockton and his long lost twin just spotted using a backup pair of jodie meeks blue shorts as a duel sleeping bag at the Red.
October 31st, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Many of you may have already seen this, a video from the practice posted at kentucky.com
http://gannett.a.mms.mavenapps.net/mms/rt/1/site/gannett-louisville-10 7-pub01-live/current/launch.html?maven_playerId=articleplayer&maven_re ferralPlaylistId=playlist&maven_referralObject=912170223
October 31st, 2008 at 5:57 pm
^^ Oops, I meant posted at the Courier journal ^^
October 31st, 2008 at 6:10 pm
Matt, better than the professionals offered. Tipton must have been drunk or apoplectic when he wrote his nonsensical piece. Crawford was solid. But, Jones WINS!!!
October 31st, 2008 at 8:11 pm
#58. That scares you because people who pray scare you? WTF?
October 31st, 2008 at 11:17 pm
63.
Yeah, those darned Christians with all their faith, generosity, charity, forgiveness, love, community service, collectivism, sharing, honesty, work ethic, pacifism, and friendship just send shivers up his spine, apparently.