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Tucker: Positionless PJ Washington Turning Heads at U19 Camp

Smashcat

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https://www.seccountry.com/kentucky/kentucky-usa-basketball-washington-positionless-shines

The message: stop playing like a traditional power forward, step out from the basket and, most of all, attack. The next day, on consecutive possessions of a scrimmage against some of the top young players in America, Washington obliged, catching the ball at the top of the key, driving and finishing — the second time with a tomahawk dunk.

And he was off and running. The next two days of practice, which earned him one of 18 finalist spots on what will become Calipari’s 12-man Team USA, brought an impressive display of Washington’s full arsenal: a driving, pull-up floater; a driving, pull-up jumper; a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer, a wrap-around pass to a teammate cutting to the bucket.

Swish, swish, swish, slam. Washington, mind you, is a 6-foot-8 incoming college freshman with a 7-foot-3 wingspan.

“You think about how we play and the game, where it’s going: positionless,” said Calipari, who will soon be coaching Washington at Kentucky, reciting his favorite buzzword of the last two-plus years. “Play basketball, take somebody on the bounce, get in the lane. Don’t short-dribble and spin; it doesn’t work. Might work in high school, but it doesn’t work in college. You gotta get by people, shoot jump shots, go play.”
 
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With this being the era of super teams, I think that should be Cals pitch to all his recruits. Why not come build a team of super stars, they all benefit and get drafted highly.
 
Guarantee you this is the same line he’s delivering to Bagley, Williamson, and company.

Why settle for a particular position? Come here and play them all, Cal will tell them.
And what's awesome is, the guys practicing with the U19 team will experience his coaching firsthand before making their decision. That will be a huge advantage.
 
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Watch a few of his games on TV and was really impressed with his game. Handles the ball well and can shoot with ease. Going to be fun watching this team this year.
 
I have to believe if it wasn't for a standardized test and a single player taking some benefits (that he repaid back).. Cal would be seen like a Belichick/Lombardi/Saban at this point.. Instead, media and the casual fan just won't let those two incidents go, no matter that they were 10+ years ago.

He's always two steps ahead of everyone else. That's how you the greats go about it..
 
How are the future UL players doing? ;-)

Very excited about this upcoming team...very versatile all around. Washington is one of those versatile players for sure.
 
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