John Calipari on Kentucky’s issues: ‘It’s all fixable’

It hasn’t been the best start for John Calipari’s Kentucky squad, but the Wildcats may have turned a corner with their victory over LSU on Tuesday.

Kentucky defeated the Tigers by a score of 74-71, advancing their record to 10-4 on the season. Speaking with the media afterwards, Calipari spoke about how the issues that plagued the Wildcats at the beginning of the season are beginning to be worked out.

“We’re getting closer. Not there yet. You saw the end of the game. We’ve got stuff to figure out. But you know what’s great about it? It’s all fixable. It’s all fixable,” started Calipari. “How we finish off, what we do and how we play with nine, eight seconds on the clock. Who should have the ball at that point. It’s all fixable. But the spirit of the team? I love their mentality. I also told them you know who else’s mentality I love right now, and I looked around the room, mine. I felt good all day about the game. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. But getting away from all the clutter and everything else, let’s just play. Let’s coach our team.

“Worry about the next game we’re playing, which was this one. That is a really good team. They’ve done a great job. Terrific defensive team. Then at the end, we foul a three point shooter. We give up a three, when Cason [Wallace] had the layup and then all of a sudden it’s five. But you know what, it’s us. We’ve got to be in these kind of events to figure out what we do. Jacob [Toppin] making the three. Jacob making the free throw. I mean, big deal. Think about where he was three games ago, four games ago, five games ago.”

Additionally, Calipari focused on how coaches need to be diligent when it comes to their player’s mindsets off the court just as much as their play on it, elaborating on how it’s just as big of a part of his job as anything.

“Part of what we do, and I’m not just saying me, I’m saying coaches, you’re not coaching the skill. The schemes. You’re having to deal with young people who are getting inundated with stuff,” stated the Wildcats leader. “An adult can keep it away and ignore it. Well, sometimes an 18, 19 year old can’t. When he said, ‘I was in a dark place.’ Think about that. Now there’s probably people who look at it and say, ‘What are you talking about?’ And all I say is, when you say, ‘Ah, that’s nothing,’ put your name in there instead of his. Or one of my other players. Put your name in there and tell me how you’d feel right now.

“So what I’m doing is worrying about these young people. I’m coaching. You’re noticing offensively, we’re more deliberate. We’re still running. Still flying, still moving. But the ball’s moving more deliberate. We’re more efficient now. The game was shorter, but I’m happy we won. Six turnovers. Come on. They’re a terrific defensive team. Out-rebounded them. So those two things were pretty good.”

Alas, John Calipari has proven over the course of his career that we shouldn’t doubt him or his methods. It was a rocky start for Kentucky, but the Wildcats seem to be on their way in 2023.