John Calipari explains decision to stick with Lance Ware down the stretch

One of John Calipari’s biggest problems for Kentucky so far this season has been finding his rotations. It came to light once again during the Wildcat’s latest loss to UCLA this weekend in the CBS Sports Classic. However, oddly enough, he found something, or someone, that worked in a spot many hadn’t expected to see Much from.

That development came in the form of Lance Ware, the junior center for Kentucky, playing the four alongside Oscar Tshiebwe. It may have looked funky at first but, based on the numbers and what Calipari saw, it was something that worked for UK simply because of Ware’s desire to play hard and compete.

“I thought we needed a basket or two to get up to do something. That’s why I went with Lance…That was just a call,” said Calipari. “Lance, like I said, is another guy who I played him at the four. And we worked on it this week because I said, ‘You may be our four this game’. So we worked on it and he did great. He had great practices, he’s excited. He just wants to play, fight, and be a great teammate.”

Ware had played just 10 combined minutes over Kentucky’s last three games over Bellarmine, Michigan, and Yale. He earned plenty of impactful time in the loss to the Bruins, though, with two points, five rebounds, and three assists in 14 minutes of action.

Calipari has already experimented a ton with his four spot between Jacob Toppin, Chris Livingston, and Daimion Collins. Whether you believe it’s just a flash in the pan, though, Ware was useful in his minutes in that area as the team’s leader in plus-minus against UCLA as a +8. It may not be his set spot moving forward but, in the end, Ware may have proved his importance to the lineup as the Wildcats find themselves reeling a little over halfway through December.