Really like what Humphries is doing

[kybassfan]

Had to watch the game in bits and pieces today. I thought Hump gave some productive minutes today. Sure as heck not afraid to jump in the mud underneath and battle for boards.

Wonder what a line up with Hump, Willis and Poythress on the front line for some minutes.

 

[Robcatt24]

We've finally found the next Rob Lock.

 

[CatPhight]

Cal said post game he told Skal, now you have someone who is right behind you ready to go in
so you need to pick it up or lose your spot.

Cal, always the mastermind psychologist.

 

[UK90]

View embedded media

In 15 minutes, Isaac Humphries had six rebounds, two blocks. Did he earn some potential playing time in the future?
JOHN CALIPARI: Yes, he earned his space, and I’m so happy for him because he has worked so hard and hasn’t had the opportunity, and what he did was he took advantage, and we all look and say, he needs to play. Let him play. And then you’ve got to stop waiting on some other guys, you’ve got to say, hey, he deserves it.
.

You know, Cal gives these quotes like these, but he does NOT necessarily follow up on it. Despite this quote, I'd bet there's a very good chance he soon goes right back to giving those rotation minutes to Skal and keeping Hump benched, and I say that only because I've seen it before after quotes like this.

I love Cal, but this is one area where he kinda perplexes me. At this point, Skal getting a lot of playing time has become damn near indefensible based on what's actually happened on the court, but I'm guessin Cal keeps looking for a way to do it anyways.

It's like he feels an obligation based upon the pre-season expectations (and perhaps recruiting promises) with these players. This year was supposed to be Skal's year to be the featured big man and top lottery pick, and Hump was supposed to be a mere project player whose time wouldn't come until future years---and Cal can't quite abandon that idea and still wants to make it happen that way despite mounting evidence that it's simply not how these guys actually compare on the court.

 

[deplion]

Or, it could be UF had a real slow C in Egbunu that Humphries could match up with reasonably well.

I was thrilled to see him have a good game today, but there will be some games where Hump's lack of quickness will make it impossible to play him.

 

[nickhorvathsuxazz]

always about color with some people looking for that great white hope well sorry. When Rick came to UK the 1st thing he did was start to get the best black players he could Mash and company and look at the run UK had and is still having so get over it with your uncle is your daddy Joe ant sally is your mom also.

OK...that's why we never won a game until p.Rick showed up on campus, we didn't recruit the black guys? It all makes sense now: p.Rick integrated the program and UK finally won a championship. If only he'd gotten to Lexington years earlier, maybe we could've pulled those two local black kids back in the 70's, (lee and givens, maybe?) and made a run at a championship 20 years earlier than '96?
....idiot....

 

[UK till Death]

always about color with some people looking for that great white hope well sorry. When Rick came to UK the 1st thing he did was start to get the best black players he could Mash and company and look at the run UK had and is still having so get over it with your uncle is your daddy Joe ant sally is your mom also.

Shut up, stupid. (You're also a racist scumbag who should be banned.)

 

[chevyman 50]

I have been wandering all season why Cal has not played Hump more, I remember the game against Duke he really play well., I would play him in front of Skal because he has great size and seems to have more BB IQ..

 

[ulismyman]

My only real criticism of Cal since he has been here...players like Willis and Lee and Matthews and now Humphries...you have t let them play and play thru mistakes. You can't prove anything sittin on the bench and gettin yanked every mistake

 

[lcp3557]

Is it just me or was Humphries wide open in the post toward the end of the game and no one would feed him. Do you guys get the feeling our amazing guards aren't interested (or do not trust) that option? If so, are they justified in that?

I'd count at least 3 times from the 6min mark or so Humphries seemed to be calling and seemed to have decent position but didn't get the ball.

Fire away.

I've been saying it for a while. Humphries has as much or more skill than Johnson did and he doesn't see the floor. Very fundamental player who needs 10 to 15 minutes a game.

 

[KyFaninNC]

Cal has it in him to completely take out of the rotation his 5 star projected lottery pick guy.

I think this is the problem. And why we don't see Hump, Mulder, or Tai. Cal is showcasing his 5 stars as best he can.

 

[KYCAT78]

I do not think we will see Tai this year, I think if he was equal to Hump he would have got some minutes yesterday.

 

[RKulmer]

You are right, but we have rarely tried to feed the post.

In all fairness to our guards, unless you are feeding Poy (when his head is in the game), you get nothing feeding the post.

 

[warrior-cat]

always about color with some people looking for that great white hope well sorry. When Rick came to UK the 1st thing he did was start to get the best black players he could Mash and company and look at the run UK had and is still having so get over it with your uncle is your daddy Joe ant sally is your mom also.

Stupid and by the way hypocritical too. Your response was racist which infers that color was your reasoning too.

 

[warrior-cat]

Or, it could be UF had a real slow C in Egbunu that Humphries could match up with reasonably well.

I was thrilled to see him have a good game today, but there will be some games where Hump's lack of quickness will make it impossible to play him.

This is what I was thinking all year with Humphries. He just needs to adjust to the speed of the game to get more playing time imo.

 

[KYCAT78]

Being a former rugby guy myself I can tell you those guys from those Countries that play the sport are tough. You see it in Hump and at some point in time you will see it in Tai. They are not afraid to mix it up and they punish you with their bodies, many of todays players are soft but you rarely see a foreign player that is considered soft.

 

[ymmot31]

It's mostly because he's white though.

always about color with some people looking for that great white hope well sorry. When Rick came to UK the 1st thing he did was start to get the best black players he could Mash and company and look at the run UK had and is still having so get over it with your uncle is your daddy Joe ant sally is your mom also.

Nope.

He posted that as a joke, for people like me who are able to discern from context when sarcasm is afoot. Your reaction was also anticipated.

 

[Chuckinden]

Nice minutes by the big man. Hopefully he can build on it.

He should if Cal will play him.

 

[Chuckinden]

View embedded media

In 15 minutes, Isaac Humphries had six rebounds, two blocks. Did he earn some potential playing time in the future?
JOHN CALIPARI: Yes, he earned his space, and I’m so happy for him because he has worked so hard and hasn’t had the opportunity, and what he did was he took advantage, and we all look and say, he needs to play. Let him play. And then you’ve got to stop waiting on some other guys, you’ve got to say, hey, he deserves it.

"Waiting on other guys"? What was he waiting on at UT when they all fouled out and Cal still wouldn't put Humphries in.

 

[Chuckinden]

I do not think we will see Tai this year, I think if he was equal to Hump he would have got some minutes yesterday.

I don't know why you would think that. A Chinese genius couldn't figure out why Cal does some of the the things he does.

 

[Bluegrass79]

Looks like Jorts to me and I miss Jorts.
He looked like he could run the court a few times and look like Jorts.
Go with it.
Play Isaac Harrelson.

 

[fla.cat]

Is it just me or was Humphries wide open in the post toward the end of the game and no one would feed him. Do you guys get the feeling our amazing guards aren't interested (or do not trust) that option? If so, are they justified in that?

I'd count at least 3 times from the 6min mark or so Humphries seemed to be calling and seemed to have decent position but didn't get the ball.

Fire away.

No it wasn't just you.....they ignored him, even when he had a guard switched on him after a screen...it was not Ulis that time, but, but he as well as the others pretty much didn't even try.

That being said he looked lost a few times on offense. And although he got boards, at least twice, he didn't even move to a fairly open basket, that wasn't clogged with defenders, during the stretch when we missed about 7 or 8 shots straight. He may have missed an opportunity for a put back. He did though on a couple of occasions do that and got an offensive rebound. Small things that once he is more comfortable he will learn and correct I would hope.

 

[rye48]

Higher ranked guys also tend to be better.

Says skal

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Same situation as Willis. Gotta let these guys play through their weaknesses and mistakes. And see how they progress. No reason Hunp can't be a 6 and 5 guy by the SECT.

This really should have been done a while ago now, though. Had we given Hump a chance to build his confidence and his game, we might have had enough bodies for Tenn and KU.

 

[rye48]

Cal said post game he told Skal, now you have someone who is right behind you ready to go in
so you need to pick it up or lose your spot.

Cal, always the mastermind psychologist.

He has been there all year but Cal refused to play him ,,

 

[BluCroo]

The big guys like Hump have different strengths that they bring to the game. Once they realize how to play to those strengths, they can become very effective players. It took Harrelson until his senior year before the light came on, but once it did, he became a beast at the low post.

I think both Wynyard and Hump will develop into very strong, very good low post players before they finish their college careers and I'm very much looking forward to watching them as they discover their *own* way to play the game.

Joe B Hall said it a long time ago. "Big men take time"

 

[runt#69]

Can't we designate a random Rafters' poster to find him and give him some tips so they can come back and take credit and tell us all about how that goes?

Any volunteers?

 

[RondoBaller21]

Maybe Cal's new tweek will be playing humphries

 

[UKWildcats#8]

The Hump looked good yesterday...Dep's comment about FL having a slow ass C concerns me a bit though. Most teams we play won't have that issue.

 

[Stonewall12]

always about color with some people looking for that great white hope well sorry. When Rick came to UK the 1st thing he did was start to get the best black players he could Mash and company and look at the run UK had and is still having so get over it with your uncle is your daddy Joe ant sally is your mom also.

Hey! Do us all a favor and never post again..k?