Mon Mar 15 2010
LEXINGTON – UK freshman guard John Wall is growing up in a hurry.
Wall created a relative firestorm in the midst of the dog days of the college basketball season by admitting to reporters Saturday that he’s been frustrated with his play in recent weeks.
The media blew the comments way out of proportion, of course, and Wall learned a lesson.
“Keep your mouth shut,” Wall said when asked what he learned Tuesday night after leading a balanced Kentucky attack in an 85-75 win over the Ole Miss Rebels at Rupp Arena.
Wall scored 17 points (6-of-10 from the field, three of three at the free throw line), and dished out seven assists, with two rebounds, one steal, a blocked shot and four turnovers. He played more like the guy who came out of high school last spring billed as the top recruit in the country and most of this season billed as the probable No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft.
“I’m happy. I’m back,” Wall said after fourth-ranked Kentucky improved to 21-1 overall and 6-1 in the SEC. “I had fun again, and we’re winning games.”
Wall was obviously caught off guard by the reaction to his comments, following a couple of relatively sub par performances in a loss last week at South Carolina and a win Saturday over Vanderbilt.
Wall’s teammate, DeMarcus Cousins, said the media made a story out of a non-story, so to speak.
“John and I were in the room together when we saw it on the news, and we just laughed about it,” Cousins said. “Because I know John...he’s nothing like that. Those words (of frustration) came out, but the way it was put out...he’s nothing like that.
“John is happy to be here and happy to be on the team,” Cousins added.
“I learned,” Wall said, “that if you have a problem with anybody, whether it be a coach or a player, you should go talk to them one on one, in private, before you go out and say anything in public. And it should go away privately.”
UK coach John Calipari used Wall’s predicament as a teaching tool.
“It’s the best lesson for them,” Calipari said of such adversity, both on the court and off. “I don’t get mad about it...I just deal with it. I don’t put my head in the sand. I sit them down and explain that this is a great life lesson for you. This is a lesson for five years down the road.”
“It’s teaching me that I’m maturing,” Wall said. “I’m growing up fast. So it kind of helped me to say it. It wasn’t a great time to say it - I shouldn’t have said it at all - but I learned a lesson from it.”
When asked, again, the root of the frustration, Wall replied: “I was trying to live up to all the pressure, all the hype about me, you know? Like coach said, he doesn’t want me to go out there and make all these spectacular plays and live up to all that. He just wants me to play like John Wall.”
Cousins is something special
Cousins, meanwhile, is a special player, too. He played another great game Tuesday vs. the Rebels, who stand 16-6 overall and 4-4 in the league.
Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings called Cousins the best big man in the SEC after Cousins poured in 27 points and had 12 rebounds in UK’s win over the Commodores on Saturday.
Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy went a step further after Cousins had 18 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots against the Rebels.
“DeMarcus Cousins is playing as well as any big man in college basketball,” Kennedy said. “I don’t think there is any doubt about that. He has the whole package. He has the size (6-foot-11, at least 260 pounds). He has the size, the strength, speed, a great touch and a good feel. He’s a handful.”
“I’ve never had a big man like him,” Calipari said of Cousins. “I hate to put that pressure on him. He is a skilled 6-11 player that can make free throws, pass, has a great mind for the game and is emotionally growing every day. I have never had a player come this far this fast.”
“He’s developing his game, and we’re looking for him more,” Wall said of Cousins. “He’s making plays, he’s finishing, he’s getting fouled and you can’t stop him.”
Dodson stepping up
All this being said, Kennedy said Kentucky’s most valuable player Tuesday night might have been sophomore swingman Darnell Dodson. Dodson started for the second straight game, and for the second straight game he knocked down several critical perimeter shots for the Wildcats.
Dodson had 14 points on 4-of-5 from 3-point range and two of two at the free throw line.
“You spend thirty minutes on your scouting report, and his name (Dodson) doesn’t even come up until the second paragraph, and he goes four-for-five and scores 14 points in 16 minutes,” Kennedy said. “He made some big shots.”
The most critical came when Ole Miss cut a 15-point Kentucky lead to 60-57 midway through the second half, and Dodson responded with a three-pointer to spark UK’s last big run.
“We know that he (Dodson) is a good shooter, and whenever he is able to knock down shots like that, it provides easy plays and easy baskets for us,” Cousins added.
Dodson clearly understands his role.
“My responsibility,” Dodson says, “is to be a shooter on the floor.”
Patterson looking better
Junior forward Patrick Patterson showed more of a spark in Tuesday’s win than he did recently when he appeared to get lost in the DeMarcus Cousins show.
Patterson scored just 12 points Tuesday (4-of-9 shooting from the field and 3-of-3 on free throws), but was more aggressive on the boards. He had six rebounds, and four of those were on the offensive end.
Calipari has had individual sessions with Patterson of late, prior to practice every day.
“I’m telling Patrick to take it to another level,” Calipari said. “There is nothing holding him back. He helped himself today by the way he played.”
Patterson said Calipari’s attention has had more of an effect on his mindset more than any fundamental aspect of the game.
“I think it’s about me,” Patterson said. “Just going and getting the rebound, me not shying away, me not running in the opposite direction, me trying to get the ball, me wanting to get the ball and then getting it.
“I had probably grown too comfortable,” Patterson said of his recent slump, though saying that Patterson is out of a slump is akin to saying that Halle Berry is looking even better than she was a few days ago. “I was resorting to watching DeMarcus do all the hard work, watching him rebound, go after balls, and me just standing around watching him.”
Next up for the Wildcats is a date Saturday in Baton Rouge, La., with, arguably, the SEC’s worst team in LSU. Tip off is at 4 p.m. on the SEC Network.
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