John Calipari talks Dillingham, Reeves, and more in his late-night press conference from Rupp Arena

After Kentucky put away Vanderbilt in the home finale at Rupp Arena, John Calipari admitted he was worried the Commodores could spoil the Senior Day fun for a second year. “You know how worried I was about the Arkansas game?” he asked the room full of reporters at his postgame press conference. “I hate to tell you, I was worried about this game too. If you were at our shootaround. You would know.”

Calipari’s concerns were valid early in the game, as Vanderbilt led the Wildcats with under three minutes left in the first half. But the home team pulled away in the second half, winning 93-77, powered by senior Antonio Reeves, who scored 20 points in his last game in Lexington. However, freshman Rob Dillingham led Kentucky with 23 points off the bench. Dillingham wasn’t celebrated with the seniors in the pregame ceremony, but he likely played his last game in Rupp Arena on Wednesday, too. After the game, Calipari was asked how dangerous Dillingham is when he gets hot. Calipari replied, “If he is choosing to play that way, he’s as good as there is in the country.”

For more from Calipari after the game, watch his postgame press conference below.

Transcript of Calipari’s comments

From UKAthletics.com:

Q Coach, Antonio had his sixth straight games with 20 points. He now is tied with Jamaal Murray for the most points per game of the season. How much has his game elevated and how has he stacked up against the other elite scorers you had.?

JOHN CALIPARI: Great layup shooter. Mid-range game, as good as anybody in the country. And he’s shooting 50% from the three. What’s he do from the foul line? I think he’s missed one in the last 10 games. Every other one he’s made. For us, he’s also rebounding. He’s defending better. Look, he gained weight so now he’s a different player. He’s also has lived in the gym. When he misses he is stunned. Stunned. Because he’s shooting 5000 shots every two weeks or more. 8000, whatever it is. The guy is putting up shots. Sometimes you just got to show up every day. Show up every day even if you’re not the best. At your best. You show up and he does. But I’ll tell you Robert, again, he just did stuff that separates the team. He and Z together. I wanted those two in. When he got his third foul, I let the thing go a little bit cause I looked him and I said we will be fine. I put him back in and he makes play, play, play, ballgame. DJ made threes. He’s back to shooting over 40% from the three. Tre is where DJ was 10 days ago, two weeks ago. You take of that kind of time, it’s going to affect you offensively. It’s going to affect your motor. You are going to be a little bit behind the action. But he came up with a big rebound. He made a basket near the goal which we needed. So, he will be fine. By the way, Adou, stuck him in the game. He’s the one that rebounded and ofensive rebounded for us. Justin made the shots that we needed in the second half to create some space but give Vanderbilt credit. They played good. They played good.

Q Cal, you mentioned just about the entire team there. I know you like to shorten the rotation once tournament time comes. Is that possible with this team? Or is this going to be a gut thing?

JOHN CALIPARI: I don’t think so. I don’t think so. Because Z wasn’t at his best today and then Aaron got pushed around so we had to go with Ugo. We needed ofense at the end to separate so you go back with Z. We can also play Justin at four. We have been good with Justin at four which we were again today. So some of it is the feel of the game. Yeah, we are diferent. And I say it again, we got enough guys we have room for error. Somebody fouls, somebody is just not playing well. Okay.

Just be ready for the next game and we will finish this without you and don’t worry about it, we’re all good. But you know, we out rebounded, 27 assists. I mean we’re doing – we’ve got to get Reed at late game stuf. How about the pass he threw to Antonio. Why would you do that? We can’t do those kind of things late.

Now, Mississippi State, he made that shot. What about the passing through – he’s better than that. I told him you can’t take that many chances those last four or five minutes. Just play solid. And he can do that. And then, the way he is shooting the ball. You’ve got to guard him. The space is the court and we get to the rim. Yes?

Q Cal, we know how dangerous Rob can be in isolation but we saw at the end of that game him facilitating guys like Z. How dangerous is he also kind of as a play creator for people around him?

JOHN CALIPARI: If he is choosing to play that way, he’s as good as there is in the country. He really is. If he chooses to play that way, sometimes he’s not choosing to pass it and I’m going to try to score this. Today he took one bad shot. He knew it. But I gave him one play a half that way. And I don’t say much. But if it goes to two or three, you are out. Because we respect the fact that we are giving you the ball and letting you go. Just make easy plays, shoot the ball. There was a play that I told them, I said we are snapping it and he kept it and did his step back and just threw one. Now he was hoping it went in so he could say okay, But it didn’t so he looked at me, my fault, no kidding it is your fault. But it’s one half. That is fine. What he’s doing by us letting him go a little bit. It’s demoralizing. If you are on that other side. Make three threes in a row. Make two layups and two passes for dunks. He’s good, I told him today the greatest thing about him and I said for him what I was saying to him, if I take you out, you don’t have to say anything. The whole building is mad at me. So you are fine. They are mad, why is he taking him out. That’s why he started laughing. I said you have to get mad, they are mad at me. Just be ready to go back in and play.

Q I know Reed has some work to do late game situation but I’m curious when you are talking to him on and of the court does he think like a player or does he think like a coach?

JOHN CALIPARI: He’s got a coaches mentality. Like he will come to me with stuff like different players, you know. He’s the greatest in that. Just give it to Robert and we will get away from it. Like, think about that. People are talking about Reed too. And he’s like, yeah, let him do his thing. I’m fine.

Great teammate, terrific player, unbelievable feel and reactions. Except you’ve got to recognize with three-four minutes to go it’s not early in the second half where you can go try some stuf. But he will be better. I just said to him, I didn’t raise my voice. I said you are better than what you are playing at the end of games. You are turning it over and leaving 3-point shooters and you are doing stuf. You are too good, you are too good of player. I’m saying this, I love coaching him because he’s an unbelievable teammate. The guys know they can count on him.

Q Cal, there was that stretch for a month where DJ in games missed 15 straight threes.

JOHN CALIPARI: He was out two and a half weeks and did not touch a basketball. You would miss 40 in a row.

Q I would miss way more than that because I’m not a D1 athlete.

JOHN CALIPARI: And lay-ups. You would shoot airballs and a layups. You didn’t even have to take time off to do that. Go Ahead.

Q He made 9 out of his last 14 over the last three game. How much more dangerous does that make him and unlock even more parts of his game?

JOHN CALIPARI: Well. I told him the whole time. Look, I believe in you and it’s going to take time. You took two and a half weeks off and didn’t touch a basketball. The thing that goes, his energy, his toughness, his defense, none of that went. It was – couldn’t make a shot. So now like you just said, he’s like 50% or better from the three when he was 0 for whatever. Look, his whole life he has been chased. People have tried to make a name at his expense. He knows how to deal with it folks. If you are chasing your whole life and you come to Kentucky and now they are chasing you, you may not respond the same way. These guys have all been chased their whole careers. They were chased. So they know how to deal with it. They are just – the problem is they are 19 and the guy they are going against is 24, 23, that becomes a little bit of an issue.

Q Cal, just big picture for these guys. How beneficial has this month been before getting ready for Knoxville and then the SEC tournament, having just this string of games where they are playing and clicking like this?

JOHN CALIPARI: What we did learn was we had some trap games in there we didn’t respond. You know how worried I was about the Arkansas game. I hate to tell you, I was worried about this game too. If you were at our shootaround. You would know. I was not mean or nasty but I was on it.

Because I needed them to be on it because I knew Vandy would come out and play well like every team that we play. And that wewere going to have to play well over 40 minutes and we could get them. But you are not going to play bad. We would have been down 12, 15 at the half. We made some shots to go up 5. So, you know, you want them to learn about trap games. And every game this team plays, they are the youngest team in the country. Every game they play, it’s another experience they get to see. When you’re playing against 23 and 24 year olds, they’ve been through all of these experiences. These kids have not. Vandy came out and tried to throw some zone at us. They did some different things. I thought we responded. Appreciate it.