Tag: UK basketball

Rekindled Passion in Wildcat Nation

Rekindled Passion in Wildcat Nation

Tre Mitchell celebrates with teammates in a 22-point effort in victory over Saint Joseph’s.

(LEXINGTON, Ky.) – The passion is back.

In Kentucky’s 96 – 88 overtime victory the other night against the Saint Joseph’s Hawks, there was a point in the game that I thought the Wildcats might actually lose. With 30 seconds left in regulation and his team trailing by a point, D.J. Wagner shot a layup that would have given the Wildcats the lead.

He missed.

Fortunately for Big Blue Nation, Tre Mitchell grabbed the errant rebound and slammed it home for a one-point lead.

What was significant about this moment wasn’t that Kentucky ultimately prevailed in overtime and avoided the monumental upset loss at home. But rather, the significance was that—for the first time in a while—I actually cared again whether Kentucky Basketball won or lost.

And so apparently did a bunch of other Wildcat fans watching around the commonwealth. It’s been a while since we’ve all collectively felt the joy—that nail-biting, gut-wrenching nervous energy excitement of actually giving a crap. When Kentucky wins, we’re on cloud nine. When Kentucky loses, we’re depressed for a week.

As weird as that sounds, I miss that feeling.

I can’t tell you how many times over the past couple of seasons that I heard former die-hard fans tell me that joy was gone. Half the time, they didn’t even know when the Cats were playing. That’s sad. When it comes to Kentucky Basketball, there’s nothing worse than fan apathy.

Let’s face it, we’re all tired of hearing about 9 -16 seasons, first-round exits to Saint Peter’s in the NCAA tournament, and Kansas surpassing us as the all-time winningest program in college basketball. Everyone and their brother is totally frustrated by situations where Shaedon Sharpe doesn’t play at all or where Devin Askew plays too much. We’re devastated and demoralized that Final Fours—much less national championships—have apparently become things of the past.

Amidst the gloom and doom of it all, we’ve all forgotten the exhilaration of seeing the last shot go in, the elation of shooting (and making) a bunch of three-point daggers, and even the excitement of successfully running a simple inbounds play.

In one fell swoop the other night, all those emotions came flowing back.

I guarantee you this current team will recapture your passion. They’re agile, mobile, and versatile. Sure, they’re young, but they’re also extremely fun to watch. Talent is overflowing in the backcourt. Antonio Reeves can shoot with the best of them, and “dawgs” like Wagner and Rob Dillingham don’t frequently appear together out of thin air.

Reed Sheppard, however, may be better than anyone, and he’s already a fan favorite. Check out the buzz whenever he’s on the floor.

And don’t forget about Mitchell—the star of the game. The West Virginia transfer can definitely stretch the floor with his three-point shooting. Don’t ever underestimate his maturity and leadership either. It’s all part of the championship puzzle.

On top of all that, Coach John Calipari seems to be letting them play. Random basketball he calls it.

“Random is we are spacing the court, and we are playing off of one another,” the Hall of Fame coach explained. “It is kind of like you have five 3-point shooters. Do you know what you would do? Shoot a lot of 3s.”

One man’s “random” may be another man’s “rolling the balls out.”

Either way, it’s exciting for the program with the greatest tradition in the history of college basketball to be relevant again. It’s appropriate for Kentucky to recapture the all-time wins mantle. And it’s certainly exciting and appropriate for the most passionate fans on the planet to care about their team again.

Is it sustainable? I hope so.

If Kentucky gets a healthy seven-footer (or two or three) back into the lineup, then it certainly will be. Then and only then will all be right with the world.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Dr. John Huang is a retired orthodontist, military veteran, and award-winning author. He currently serves as a reporter and sports columnist for Nolan Group Media. His latest book, “They Call Me Mr. Secretary,” has been met with great anticipation. You can follow Dr. Huang on social media @KYHuangs and check out all his books at https://www.Amazon.com/stores/Dr.-John-Huang/author/B092RKJBRD

And the Oscar goes to…

And the Oscar goes to…

Whether Oscar Tshiebwe makes it in the NBA or not, one thing’s for sure: great will be his reward in heaven (Dr. Michael Huang Photography).

(LEXINGTON, Ky.) – Now that Oscar Tshiebwe’s University of Kentucky basketball career has officially ended, I thought it’d be the perfect time to briefly reflect and reminisce on his time as a Wildcat. If you hadn’t yet heard, the former National Player of the Year announced his intention of entering the 2023 NBA draft, thus foregoing his final year of eligibility at the school of his dreams.

In his goodbye message put out by the University of Kentucky, Oscar predictably thanked God, his family and friends, Coach Cal, and the UK fanbase for his time wearing the blue and white.

“I wouldn’t want to play for anyone or anywhere else,” he poignantly wrote. “Thank you BBN for everything and I am so lucky to always call Kentucky home.”

I’ll be truthfully blunt. I don’t think we’ll ever see a player like Oscar again. On the court, he was a rebounding machine, garnering double digit caroms at an all-time pace. He ended up with 952 boards in 66 games—the sixth most in program history. If he returned for another season, he would have most likely broken Dan Issel’s 53-year school record of 1,078.

Oscar was no Dan Issel. Or even Anthony Davis for that matter. He certainly didn’t have the accomplishments that Davis had, nor the victories or championships. But he had every bit as much heart and soul and drive and purpose as anyone I’ve watched during the course of my half century following the team.

His prowess around the backboards notwithstanding, it was Oscar’s actions off the court that will always stand out to me. The guy was as humble as Saint Paul, always taking the time to answer questions, sign autographs, and pose with adoring fans. He was polite and courteous to a fault. In his postgame interview sessions, Oscar would sit there patiently answering every reporter’s question—regardless of how inane or repetitive—until the clock struck midnight and beyond.

On top of all that, Oscar did everything with a smile. The guy was just so nice. He’d look you in the eye, and with that melodically lilting African accent, wax poetically about fight, playing hard, and his love of the game. You just somehow knew that everything he told you was genuine, unscripted, and coming from the heart. Remember the time he called out his teammates for lack of fight? You knew that didn’t come from the public relations gurus at UK.

Most importantly of all, Oscar wore his faith on his sleeve. Coach John Calipari frequently speaks of finding your “why”—your motivation for doing what you do. Oscar’s “why” was to give glory to God each and every day. He certainly did that in both word and deed. We should all be so passionate in our faith and our testimony.

Imagine Oscar’s journey from his native Democratic Republic of the Congo to Lexington. Put the basketball part aside, do you know how difficult it is to adjust to life in a foreign country? Not only did Oscar survive, but he also thrived—learning the laws and customs, making friends by the boatload, earning a college degree, and speaking publicly in front of large crowds about important spiritual matters like loving your neighbor.

Christians are known for being two things: hypocritical and judgmental. Oscar was neither. One minute you’d hear him talking about caring for the sick and the poor, the next minute you’d see him helping at a soup kitchen or raising money for a worthwhile children’s charity. Just because you were different from him, he’d never denigrate or belittle you. It didn’t matter if you were Muslim or Buddhist, Hindu or Wicca, he’d talk to you as a disciple of Jesus anytime, anywhere, anyhow.

Okay, so maybe he had trouble defending the pick and roll and he never experienced the postseason success everybody anticipated, but I’ll take eternal glory in heaven over divine hardwood presence any day of the week.

In the end, Oscar knew how important winning basketball games was to UK fans. But he always managed to keep the main thing the main thing. Because of that (and his rebounding), we’ll eventually see his jersey hanging in the hallowed rafters of Rupp Arena.  

For now, The Oscar is going to the NBA. Here’s hoping he makes it big. As an all-time great for the Kingdom of God, he’s already my MVP.

Dr. John Huang is a retired orthodontist, military veteran, and award-winning author. If you enjoy his writing, please check out his most recent Kentucky Basketball devotional book at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1684351669

This blog posting was originally submitted as a UK Basketball Column for Nolan Group Media publications.

One Last Chance

One Last Chance

Kentucky players walk off the Bridgestone Arena court after another demoralizing early exit in tournament play (Dr. Michael Huang Photo).

(LEXINGTON, Ky.) – Talk about unpredictable. The Kentucky basketball team this year has been exactly that. Coach John Calipari’s squad began the preseason with a lofty No. 4 national ranking and visions of a ninth national title dancing in everyone’s heads. Seventeen weeks later on Selection Sunday, the Wildcats are still dancing—but just barely. They’re saddled with a middling 6th seed in the East (New York City) Regional of the upcoming NCAA Tournament, ready to embark on an improbable—but totally necessary—quest for redemption.

That’s not hyperbole either. Kentucky gets one last last chance to avoid disaster—the shameful extension of a four-year drought brought on by a worldwide pandemic and ignominiously crowned with a humiliating and inexplicable first-round tournament loss to Saint Peters last year. That on the heels of a historically worst ever 9 – 16 trainwreck of a season just one year prior. Combine all that with this current campaign of crushed hopes and shattered expectations, and you can see why the natives are uptight.

Uptight might just be the understatement of the year. Plenty of fans within Big Blue Nation are downright furious, some already brandishing pitchforks and torches. Others are even worse off—disgustingly apathetic after having already thrown in the towel. The remaining segment of die-hards are hanging by their fingernails with a residual smidgeon of ever-fading hope—fervently praying for a miraculous rebirth like they experienced in that magical run in 2014.

What can we expect? Your guess is as good as anyone’s. I do know that with this team, expect the unexpected. The Wildcats lost to lowly South Carolina at home, but beat a highly-ranked Tennessee team the very next game on the road. They blew out a dangerous Auburn team by thirty-two points, then lost to Vanderbilt on Senior Night in Rupp. The team rallied to beat the Hogs in Bud Walton Arena, then pulled the stinker in the SEC Tournament. You can’t blame anyone for being perpetually perplexed.   

Truth be told, Kentucky fans flooded into Nashville last week with high expectations of a return to normalcy. By that I mean routine championship runs with the Cats still playing on Sunday afternoon. The blue mist blew in with visions of three straight days of good food, good friends, and late nights on Broadway. It had been way too long since the good times rolled.

Of course—surprise, surprise—the unexpected happened, and Vandy sent Kentucky fans packing on Friday night. For many, that was the proverbial last straw. FUHGEDDABOUDIT! Season over.

Or is it? Remember, the Big Dance means one last chance at One Shining Moment, and Coach Calipari has harped incessantly this year about his team playing only for March. Also remember that this Kentucky team performs exactly the opposite of how you think it will. That means you have to fill out Kentucky’s path in the bracket exactly the opposite of how you think they’ll fare.

There’s only one huge problem with that “reverse thinking” type strategy, and it has to do with Kentucky’s first-round opponent. Heading into the matchup with No. 11 seed Providence (21 – 11) on Friday in Greensboro—given what happened last year and now with UK transfer Bryce Hopkins waiting in the wings—the pressure to win will be immense. The Cats will need to shake those opening game jitters (or more accurately, Calipari needs to keep everyone’s head from exploding) in order to move on to the round of 32. Many cynics are already picking Kentucky to lose—which means they’ll win.

From then on, you wouldn’t expect Kentucky to advance any further—which with this team means subsequent victories over No. 3 seed Kansas State (23 – 9), No. 2 seed Marquette, and No. 1 seed Purdue if the seeds hold up. If there’s one thing we’ve learned this year, it’s that the Wildcats always play their best as underdogs, with their backs against the wall.

That would mean a trip to the Final Four in Houston. Don’t laugh. It’s exactly what’s needed for the aforementioned redemption and exactly where fans were thinking this team was headed at the beginning of the year. We shouldn’t lower the bar just because the team wobbled during the regular season. Kentucky fans should never settle for mediocrity. Droughts like this are not par for the course for the program with the greatest tradition in the history of college basketball.

When measured against the gold standard, the last four years have been totally unacceptable. Here’s one last chance to make things right.

See you in Greensboro.

This blog posting was originally submitted as a UK Basketball Column for Nolan Group Media publications.

Doctor Cal

Doctor Cal

He may not be Sigmund Freud, but Coach John Calipari sure knows how to push the right psychological buttons (Dr. Michael Huang Photo).

(LEXINGTON, Ky.) – John Calipari has played the role of psychologist more than basketball coach this year. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. A hall of fame coach has to be many things to many people—especially his players. Mentor, father figure, disciplinarian, cheerleader, or counselor—a caring, players-first coach by necessity wears many hats.

Dealing successfully with inflated egos and entitled mindsets is an art that Coach Cal has mastered over his forty-plus years in the business. This particular season, however, his skillful navigation through a minefield of mental distress deserves a shiny gold star. Truth be told, this Wildcat team may be one of the most emotionally fragile teams in UK history.

Personality plays a huge role in that aforementioned fragility. Players this year seem quite a bit more hypersensitive to fan criticism than usual. Although Calipari has warned them to stay off of social media, they’re only human and are naturally curious about what people say about them.

Additionally, injuries have drastically altered playing times and rotations, confidence has wildly wavered, and no one has really stepped up to be the bona fide team leader. Uncertainty about future NBA riches also drew angst on a team with multiple borderline prospects. No doubt about it, play for pay messes with your mind.

Along the same lines, who knows how NIL issues have affected team chemistry. Throw in the tragic death of a player’s father just before the season began and the brouhaha early on associated with the proper utilization of your returning point guard, and you can see why the team was heading off an emotional cliff.

But fear not! Coach Cal—or should we say Doctor Cal—to the rescue. Throughout the roller coaster of a season, the wise and seasoned 64-year-old Calipari has maintained just the right amount of both compassion and assertiveness to keep his team from letting go of the rope.

“You know, there’s two things when you’re coaching,” Doctor Cal reminded the media after Kentucky’s impressive 86 – 54 blowout win over Auburn on Saturday. “One, you’ve got to hold them accountable. But you’re juggling balls because you also got to build them up.”

Anyone paying attention to Calipari press conferences has rolled their eyes at his incessant attempts to build players up during the times they were struggling. Listening to Calipari, you’d think every one of his star pupils was having a breakout season. No matter how many times he threw the ball away, Sahvir Wheeler could do no wrong. Jacob Toppin was always poppin’—even though early on he couldn’t throw it in the ocean, and Oscar Tshiebwe was always “getting better”—despite opponents destroying him time and time again on the pick and roll. And of course, there was always the endearing “How ‘bout Lance” comment every time Lance Ware simply made a court appearance.

I’ve learned over the years that everyone—no matter their status and achievements in life—needs encouragement when they’re down. A pat on the back can do wonders for a wounded psyche. For some players, it’s just what the doctor ordered.

“Yeah, of course,” answered Antonio Reeves when asked whether he appreciated and needed all the balloons and sunshine. “From the team and [from the coach]. We all need to be connected to one another and tell each other if we’re not playing well. ‘Just keep your head up’ or ‘keep playing your game’ basically.”

On the other hand, players like Cason Wallace would rather Calipari just stifle the effusive fake praise once and for all.

“That’s just how I am,” said the freshman point guard after breaking out of his extended shooting slump. “I don’t need the congratulations and the ‘good job, Cason.’ Just tell me what I need to get better at. We know it’s from a good place. If [Coach Cal’s] getting on us, he wants what’s best for us and the team. You just got to take it with a grain of salt.”

Individual players respond differently to various motivational approaches, and it seems to me like Coach Cal is indeed pushing all the right buttons. But it doesn’t really count what I think—or what you think, for that matter. How he’s perceived by the players is what’s ultimately important.

“I give him a lot of credit,” Oscar said when asked how much of the recent turnaround is due specifically to his coach’s psychobabble. “He works so hard. He just comes in everyday thinking, ‘What can I do to make these kids ready to go? What can I do to make sure these kids are happy?’”

“I know people have been hard on him,” the returning Player of the Year continued empathetically. “No matter what we are going through, he’s just going to come in with the motivation [and] positive words. He sends us messages every single day about positive stuff. ‘Stay positive!’”

That’s certainly good advice during times of trial and tribulation, so let’s give credit where credit is due. John Calipari has successfully steered his team through the mental abyss. Not only has Coach Cal done a good job on the basketball court drawing up Xs and Os this year, but Doctor Cal has done a masterful job manipulating everybody’s mind.

As the madness of March approaches and the pucker factor rises, the mental game becomes more important than ever. Let’s all hope that psychological wizardry continues to reap dividends in the postseason win column.

Dr. John Huang is a retired orthodontist, military veteran, and award-winning author. This blog posting was originally submitted as a UK Basketball Column for Nolan Group Media publications. If you enjoy his Kentucky Basketball stories, be sure to check out his latest book at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1684351669