“N.Fla coach thinks he knows the key to the Cats’ future success”

[G-PIP]

North Florida head coach Matthew Driscoll has been in the coaching profession for 35 years. He was an assistant coach at Baylor and Clemson for a combined 11 seasons, and this is his 14th season as a head coach at N.Fla. Driscoll pinpointed Reeves’ ability to both get open shots and then make them as the key to successful season for UK.

“I’ve seen a lot of good players. He’s as good a 3-point shooter, and as good of a 3-point finder as there is in the country,” Driscoll said. “If he doesn’t have a three, he’s gonna find a three with a stepback or a separation. A lot of guys, they get thrown off, and then they can’t get into a rhythm. And I think that’s what makes Reeves special.”

In the postgame, Reeves said that his ability to “find” 3-point shots didn’t really develop until his junior year at Illinois State, when he got better at getting into a rhythm, maintaining good footwork, knowing his own movements and being able to read defenders.

(Story by Ben Roberts, Lexington Herald-Leader)

 

[The_Answer1313]

I don't want to say anything mean about our guys but I don't think it's a coincidence that we had a good game offensively today when Ware didn't play a single min and CJ went out with injury.

Reeves >>> CJ
Ugonna >>>> Ware

The quicker Cal realizes this, the better.

 

[mcwildcats04]

I don't want to say anything mean about our guys but I don't think it's a coincidence that we had a good game offensively today when Ware didn't play a single min and CJ went out with injury.

Reeves >>> CJ
Ugonna >>>> Ware

The quicker Cal realizes this, the better.

Yep, spot on. We still need CJ too but Reeves gives us a lot more upside and deserves more minutes. At the end of the day, he looks better both on offense and defense compared to CJ. And no question Ugonna deserves a lot more minutes than Ware if we want a chance to be special by March.

 

[CatPhight]

The problem is spacing and some seriously screwed up lineups...simple fact is when Wheeler is on the floor, it's 5 on 4 defensively as pretty much any coach in the country is going to live with those uncontested triples from him and lock the other 4 guys down.

 

[jmw23712]

I don't want to say anything mean about our guys but I don't think it's a coincidence that we had a good game offensively today when Ware didn't play a single min and CJ went out with injury.

Reeves >>> CJ
Ugonna >>>> Ware

The quicker Cal realizes this, the better.

I didn’t watch the game today and just checked out the box score. Why didn’t Ware play today? Is he inured or anything?

 

[CatPhight]

I didn’t watch the game today and just checked out the box score. Why didn’t Ware play today? Is he inured or anything?

Illness

 

[The_Answer1313]

I didn’t watch the game today and just checked out the box score. Why didn’t Ware play today? Is he inured or anything?

Just sick. No injury.

 

[1Catmantoo]

The problem is spacing and some seriously screwed up lineups...simple fact is when Wheeler is on the floor, it's 5 on 4 defensively as pretty much any coach in the country is going to live with those uncontested triples from him and lock the other 4 guys down.

Just in case you didn’t realize it, Wheeler is shooting 31% from 3. CJ is shooting 35.5%.

 

[HerrosHeroes]

Threeeeeves!!!

 

[Sparkaces1]

I don't want to say anything mean about our guys but I don't think it's a coincidence that we had a good game offensively today when Ware didn't play a single min and CJ went out with injury.

Reeves >>> CJ
Ugonna >>>> Ware

The quicker Cal realizes this, the better.

Reeves can create his own shot which fits better in Cal’s offense.

 

[CatPhight]

Just in case you didn’t realize it, Wheeler is shooting 31% from 3. CJ is shooting 35.5%.

Who's shooting the wide open jumpers and who's running thru Cal's drivel drive on collapsing zones just trying to get a look?

CJ shot damn close to 50% behind the arc last season he played...Wheeler can't make layups at that clip...are you watching games or boxscores?

 

[kl40504]

I don't want to say anything mean about our guys but I don't think it's a coincidence that we had a good game offensively today when Ware didn't play a single min and CJ went out with injury.

Reeves >>> CJ
Ugonna >>>> Ware

The quicker Cal realizes this, the better.

You always haveThe_Answer.

 

[CatPhight]

Blind stats:

 

[G-PIP]

I don't want to say anything mean about our guys but I don't think it's a coincidence that we had a good game offensively today when Ware didn't play a single min and CJ went out with injury.

Reeves >>> CJ
Ugonna >>>> Ware

The quicker Cal realizes this, the better.

I agree with your take. But I still feel like this team needs another shooter to play alongside Wallace & Reeves. In my estimation, Livingston or Toppin at SF is a recipe for failure, and a near disaster when Wheeler is at the Point. I like Thiero’s upside a lot, but just not confident about him shouldering that much of the load this season. So, that brings me back to Fredrick. I feel like Fredrick has lost some confidence and is playing scared somewhat due to that last leg injury (which was an extremely severe, potentially career ending, one). I think for this team to get close to its potential, Fredrick has to be a better “role player” and closer to what he was before the latest injury.

 

[hotelblue]

I don't want to say anything mean about our guys but I don't think it's a coincidence that we had a good game offensively today when Ware didn't play a single min and CJ went out with injury.

Reeves >>> CJ
Ugonna >>>> Ware

The quicker Cal realizes this, the better.

i didn’t watch the game but some people said ugo looked lost. yet he had 10 rebounds. ware doesn’t have bad games like that. ware can move for his size he just doesn’t have a nose for the ball. if getting game minutes is an investment into a player’s progression than ugo getting a lot of minutes i think will pay off. even if just in the rim protection dept. he also gets up and down the floor very well for his size.

 

[EliteBlue]

Said it after the MSU game that it was coaching malpractice that your best shot creator and 1v1 player was on the bench for the last 5 minutes and the 2 OTs when you needed offense. Especially after Oscar fouled out.

But you have to take the leash off and be OK with him hunting and creating his own shots occasionally. Can’t be anti step back heat check. If Steph Curry played here and we stripped him of his ability to dance and create and told him he could only catch and shoot in an offense that is drive heavy w bad spacing…he wouldn’t be near the dynamic/current best player in the world that he is. Nor would he be the player that electrified the NCAA tournament at Davidson

 

[kl40504]

Said it after the MSU game that it was coaching malpractice that your best shot creator and 1v1 player was on the bench for the last 5 minutes and the 2 OTs when you needed offense. Especially after Oscar fouled out.

But you have to take the leash off and be OK with him hunting and creating his own shots occasionally. Can’t be anti step back heat check. If Steph Curry played here and we stripped him of his ability to dance and create and told him he could only catch and shoot in an offense that is drive heavy w bad spacing…he wouldn’t be near the dynamic/current best player in the world that he is. Nor would he be the player that electrified the NCAA tournament at Davidson

Preach on brother.

 

[ColonelCat]

Illness

Yah, we are sick of him..4 foul Ware and hardly any offense

 

[CatPhight]

Yah, we are sick of him..4 foul Ware and hardly any offense

Well there's the lob when it's thrown in perfectly...he certainly can't create anything with his back to the basket...Ugo deserves a chance, we already know what Lance is capable of...

 

[Bkocats]

Ware is good in his niche..granted he’s pretty limited but great off the bench for spot minutes. He’s one of the few you’ll see up and cheering while he IS on the bench as well

 

[Rideordiewildcat]

Just in case you didn’t realize it, Wheeler is shooting 31% from 3. CJ is shooting 35.5%.

Wheeler's 3s are always wide open uncontested. He should be shooting 50% he's so wide open.

The opposing coach is hoping he takes them. Against the Zags he was 1 of 4. He is no threat against good competition and that is in the opponents gameplan.

 

[westerncat]

Yep, spot on. We still need CJ too but Reeves gives us a lot more upside and deserves more minutes. At the end of the day, he looks better both on offense and defense compared to CJ. And no question Ugonna deserves a lot more minutes than Ware if we want a chance to be special by March.

Guys Ugo was playing against N. Florida. It is a big difference than playing against the big boys. I know he needs games like this to improve but don't expect to much out of him this year.

 

[EliteBlue]

Ware is good in his niche..granted he’s pretty limited but great off the bench for spot minutes. He’s one of the few you’ll see up and cheering while he IS on the bench as well

Ware is an enforcer and that’s the role he should play. If we are getting out physicaled then you put him in to tiptoe the “play dirty line”. Nothing to hurt someone but go irritate and rough up their best player. Rodmanesque

 

[Bkocats]

Ware is an enforcer and that’s the role he should play. If we are getting out physicaled then you put him in to tiptoe the “play dirty line”. Nothing to hurt someone but go irritate and rough up their best player. Rodmanesque

Yes. I like how you think
But also not someone you have to rely on to score

 

[yoshukai]

Just in case you didn’t realize it, Wheeler is shooting 31% from 3. CJ is shooting 35.5%.

Difference is , CJ is being guarded .

 

[JonathanW]

Just in case you didn’t realize it, Wheeler is shooting 31% from 3. CJ is shooting 35.5%.

Actually Wheeler is now shooting 35.7% from 3, Fredrick 34.4% from 3.
But Wheeler's are unguarded 3's. Unguarded Fredrick might go over 50%, or guarded Wheeler may go under 25%.

I'm curious how high does Wheeler need to raise that 3pt % to get other teams to guard him out there?

 

[playmorezeppelin]

I wonder what his availability is for a head coaching position.

 

[bucsrule8872]

How does someone go from shooting almost 50% from 3 for a career to shooting 35% from 3? Injury. Missing an entire season. Got to give Fredrick a chance to get his feet under him, shake the rust off, etc.

Reeves has been great against weak competition. Here’s hoping he can become consistent.

Once we get Fredrick and Reeves going, we could be pretty good offensively.

 

[IL Wildcat]

i didn’t watch the game but some people said ugo looked lost. yet he had 10 rebounds. ware doesn’t have bad games like that. ware can move for his size he just doesn’t have a nose for the ball. if getting game minutes is an investment into a player’s progression than ugo getting a lot of minutes i think will pay off. even if just in the rim protection dept. he also gets up and down the floor very well for his size.

I don't think Ugonna looked lost at all. He sometimes seems a bit awkward with his movements, which is typical for a young big man. He has good hands, catches pretty much everything in his area, and his timing is excellent on shot blocking. He has a pretty decent touch around the goal as well, has a nice hook shot and can score pretty well down there, and has good rebounding technique and enough strength to not get pushed around too much. And of course, you can't teach his height and length. I agree he needs more minutes.

The strange thing to me, he looks very thin, just as thin as Collins, but he appears to me to be much stronger. I'm not sure what the difference is. Some guys look thin and play thin, but other guys look thin but seem to hold their own. Collins plays thin but Ugonna plays bigger. I'm not sure what the difference is, really.

 

[IL Wildcat]

How does someone go from shooting almost 50% from 3 for a career to shooting 35% from 3? Injury. Missing an entire season. Got to give Fredrick a chance to get his feet under him, shake the rust off, etc.

Reeves has been great against weak competition. Here’s hoping he can become consistent.

Once we get Fredrick and Reeves going, we could be pretty good offensively.

Yeah, both of those guys have disappeared in the big games. I think it's mental more than physical. But it's absolutely true, we need at least one of them to step up in these big games. I'd prefer both step up but we must have one of them step up or we will struggle against every good team.

 

[bucsrule8872]

Yeah, both of those guys have disappeared in the big games. I think it's mental more than physical. But it's absolutely true, we need at least one of them to step up in these big games. I'd prefer both step up but we must have one of them step up or we will struggle against every good team.

I just feel like Fredrick just can’t get the rhythm going. His timing and his footwork just looks a little off. He just doesn’t look comfortable. Hope he figures it out. Reeves looked just shell shocked against MSU and Gonzaga. Definitely mental.

 

[BigKari]

Wallace > Wheeler
Reeves > Fredrick
Onyenso > Ware/Collins
Play Livingston

Any dickhead could figure it out.

Wallace 32mpg
Reeves 30mpg
Livingston 20mpg
Toppin 28mpg
Tshiebwe 28mpg

Wheeler 22mpg
Onyenso 14mpg
Fredrick 14mpg
Thiero 8mpg
Ware/Collins 4mpg

Could still start Fredrick or Wheeler instead of Livingston, but would like to see something close to this minute distribution. I like having Wallace with Fredrick and Reeves on the wings. If Fredrick started, you could play him the first 7. Then play him another 7-8minute stretch in the 2nd from like the under 16min t/o - under 8 t/o. Get him three looks from 3 in each stretch, and he’s hitting 2 or 3 each game. If Fredrick happens to be hot on a certain night he can take some minutes from Livingston, Wheeler, or Reeves.

 

[megablue]

Yep, spot on. We still need CJ too but Reeves gives us a lot more upside and deserves more minutes. At the end of the day, he looks better both on offense and defense compared to CJ. And no question Ugonna deserves a lot more minutes than Ware if we want a chance to be special by March.

I agree Reeves is probably better than Fredrick on offense, but he is not any better on defense. They both are very poor. Just watch them. What is amazing to me about Reeves is how much better he moves on the court with the ball in his hand on offense, than he does chasing his man on defense. It is a phenomenon.

 

[Big BlueBeard]

Don’t knock Ware too bad. He’s not a star, but he has his role, even with his limitations. Go in a bang some people around, absorb some fouls and rebound.

CJ will get it going. He’s too good a shooter not to. I believe that.

 

[JonathanW]

How does someone go from shooting almost 50% from 3 for a career to shooting 35% from 3? Injury. Missing an entire season. Got to give Fredrick a chance to get his feet under him, shake the rust off, etc.

Reeves has been great against weak competition. Here’s hoping he can become consistent.

Once we get Fredrick and Reeves going, we could be pretty good offensively.

Also it’s still a small sample size

 

[JonathanW]

Wallace > Wheeler
Reeves > Fredrick
Onyenso > Ware/Collins
Play Livingston

Any dickhead could figure it out.

Wallace 32mpg
Reeves 30mpg
Livingston 20mpg
Toppin 28mpg
Tshiebwe 28mpg

Wheeler 22mpg
Onyenso 14mpg
Fredrick 14mpg
Thiero 8mpg
Ware/Collins 4mpg

Could still start Fredrick or Wheeler instead of Livingston, but would like to see something close to this minute distribution. I like having Wallace with Fredrick and Reeves on the wings. If Fredrick started, you could play him the first 7. Then play him another 7-8minute stretch in the 2nd from like the under 16min t/o - under 8 t/o. Get him three looks from 3 in each stretch, and he’s hitting 2 or 3 each game. If Fredrick happens to be hot on a certain night he can take some minutes from Livingston, Wheeler, or Reeves.

You are playing Onyenso at least 2 min with Oscar, and Ware 4 min with Oscar or Onyenso.

 

[bigblueinsanity]

I don't want to say anything mean about our guys but I don't think it's a coincidence that we had a good game offensively today when Ware didn't play a single min and CJ went out with injury.

Reeves >>> CJ
Ugonna >>>> Ware

The quicker Cal realizes this, the better.

I'll never understand playing ware over Onyenso.

 

[Eccain01]

Actually Wheeler is now shooting 35.7% from 3, Fredrick 34.4% from 3.
But Wheeler's are unguarded 3's. Unguarded Fredrick might go over 50%, or guarded Wheeler may go under 25%.

I'm curious how high does Wheeler need to raise that 3pt % to get other teams to guard him out there?

It doesn’t matter. If I’m an opposing team he can shoot as many threes as he wants. He might get hot one game but he not doing it consistently

 

[The_Answer1313]

Wheeler supposedly has been working on that shot.
I mean I dunno 35.7% from 3 is equal to like 54% from 2. If he keeps shooting just that %, I'd think teams would have to at least respect that.

I mean the current D1 average so far this season is 33.3%. That would mean he's turned into essentially an avg 3pt shooter.
Again small samples and we shall see.

 

[kyjeff1]

It’s not the players, it never has been.

UK vs Michigan state, if you swap coaches, UK wins by 15

UK vs Gonzaga, if you swap coaches, UK wins by 10

UK vs Saint Peters, if you swap coaches, UK wins by 20

2010, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2022 all choked under pressure and this team will be no different. Talent only takes you so far, eventually confidence, coaching and toughness has to get you to the finish line. Cal struggles with all those things and what's worse is he refuses to admit that.

It's so obvious now. Look at the teams UK has been losing to and how they lost those games. The bigger the game, the tighter our players play. If we're an underdog, we play loose, if we are a favorite, we play tight as a drum. Not only that, but Cal is a one trick pony on both sides of the ball. Unless he has a generational talent and an NBA lockout, he isn’t winning shit. Get his ass out of here.

I don't even want to watch basketball anymore. I used to crave it, but that's gone now. This guy is a fraud, the sooner y'all realize that, the better.