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.”
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.”