State-Journal.com - John Wall's legend is legit

Kentucky's John Wall runs down court after a basket in the final second of an NCAA college basketball game against Miami of Ohio in Lexington, Ky., Monday, Nov. 16, 2009. Kentucky won 72-70. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)

LEXINGTON – Since he arrived in Lexington and first flashed his 1,000 watt smile, we’ve been told that John Wall is going to be a good one – maybe even a great one.

We’ve been told he’ll live up to the big talk and the bigger expectations, packing the drama of a four-year career into his 30 or so games as a Kentucky Wildcat.

We’ve been told many glowing things and maybe even said a few fuzzy things ourselves after witnessing Wall’s promising preseason play.

For the first 39 minutes and 59 seconds of Wall’s regular season debut, all of that talk seemed mostly bunk. Then, in a final-second flash, the legend became legit.

Wall’s 10-foot pull-up with .5 seconds left on the clock not only gave Kentucky a 72-70 win over Miami (Ohio), it gave credence to the hoopla surrounding the 6-foot-4 guard from Raleigh, N.C. as one of the “special players” in college basketball this year.

How many 18-year-olds have the presence of mind (not to mention the cajones) to streak down the court, slam on the brakes and calmly sink the game-winning shot with a hand in his face in that type of environment, in that type of game?
At least one: And his name is John Wall.

“It was contested,” RedHawks guard Kenny Hayes said, “but he just hit a big-time shot.”

That was special. That was greatness. That’s what all the talk boils down to.

The rest of the game for Wall and his fellow Wildcats wasn’t nearly so smooth.

With the celebrated backcourt of Wall and fellow freshman Eric Bledsoe playing together for the first time, Kentucky looked merely average on offense throughout the game, particularly paired against Miami’s hot shooting team.

The Cats weren’t so much ambushed by the RedHawks as much as they were Winbush-ed. Nick Winbush blitzed Rupp Arena with a stunning shooting display in the first half, hitting all six of his 3-point attempts to help the RedHawks jump out to an 18-point lead.

The junior forward surpassed his career-high in points in the first half and finished with a game-high 26 on 8-of-10 3-point shooting.

“I’ve never played in a place like this,” Winbush said after the game as he struggled to look disappointed with the loss. “I loved it. That’s the most fun I’ve had playing basketball in my life.”

Kentucky did a better job of defending the Unconscious One beginning seven minutes before halftime, and Darnell Dodson provided some instant offense to help the Cats shrink the deficit to three at halftime.

During his postgame press conference, Miami coach Charlie Cole nearly passed out in faux disbelief when a Lexington reporter asked how the RedHawks let the game slip away.

“I cannot believe you just asked that,” Cole said incredulously. “Let’s see: Kentucky is No. 4 in the country with four first-round draft picks, and you’re asking me that?”

During the game, however, it was difficult to decipher at times who was David and who was Goliath.

The stat lines for both teams were pretty much identical by the midway point of the second half with Miami maintaining a slight lead until the final eight minutes when a high-flying dunk by Wall tied the game at 52, setting off a see-saw battle that lasted till the final buzzer.

UK held a major edge at the free-throw line, but shot under 70 percent until Patrick Patterson drained a pair to tie the game late at 65. Miami kept pace by making 15-of-26 3-point attempts, including Hayes’ shot from the top of the key, which tied the game at 70 with six seconds on the clock.

UK coach John Calipari later said he was glad his team fell behind 18.

“I wanted to see what we were made of,” Calipari said.

What the Cats are made of right now is a bunch of shiny parts that haven’t quite figured out how they fit together yet. It’s an easy thing to forget, but talent can never fully replace experience.

Never was that more apparent than in the first-half play of the game’s eventual hero. When the RedHawks began to separate themselves 10 minutes into the game, Wall tried to put the team on his back, driving to the basket blindly and ending up flat on the floor.

“I kind of went back to my high school days,” he said. “When you get down you try to do it yourself.”

Calipari sat his star player down after that and told him what he needed to hear.

“He told me, ‘John, you can’t do it by yourself. This is college,’” Wall said. “I knew I couldn’t do it by myself. I needed my teammates.”

Wall toned down the attack after that, playing a more controlled game, letting his talented teammates do what they do. Wall did what he does, too. His quickness off the dribble allowed him to get to the line where he hit 10-of-14 free throws. He led the Cats with 19 points.

“I went back in and I started making plays that I should have been making,” Wall said.

The humbled freshman mastered a new lesson mid-game in his first real test. Then, with the game hanging in the balance, he taught everyone else one.