KSR's quotes and notes from tonight's John Calipari Show

Coming off Christmas break, Kentucky head coach John Calipari sat down for his weekly call-in radio show with Tom Leach on Monday. This time, though, the episode was pre-recorded and limited to just 30 minutes due to the holiday.

In his brief appearance, Calipari discussed his team’s growth in back-to-back blowout victories, how it compares to his past groups at UK, the start of conference play, and the return of Tubby Smith on Friday, among other topics.

Read some of KSR’s top takeaways below.

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Calipari likes his team

Now nearly two months into the season, John Calipari still likes his team. A lot.

“I like how this team is coming together,” he said. “All my friends watch us play the last two games talked about, ‘Man, are you playing hard, are you disruptive defensively. More importantly, you pass the ball. And if anybody holds it, it’s so obvious because everybody else is getting rid of it.’

“And that’s why the assist numbers are where they are. Instead of ‘I have to make a play,’ it’s ‘let us make a play.'”

He wants Allen and Ware to make him play them

Dontaie Allen and Lance Ware have been the last two players off the bench this season, with the former not playing a single minute the past three games. Calipari says both players have roles on this team, they just have to earn their time on the floor and keep it when that time does come.

“I talked to Dontaie today and I talked to Lance,” Calipari said. “The hardest thing for Lance is he’s been playing behind a beast who’s playing as well as anybody in the country. ‘You’re behind him, but wait a minute, there are times I want a shot-blocker and a dunker in.’ Without Lance, we don’t win the North Carolina game. I talked to him about, ‘You don’t need 30 minutes, where’d this 30 minute thing come from? 20 minutes. That 2015 team, they only played 20 minutes a game and showed exactly who they were individually. They didn’t need 30 minutes. Go in there and compete in play.’

“The thing I said to Dontaie is, ‘You’re going to get your opportunity, and then you’ve got to force me to play you more. Not because someone says something, it’s how you play.’ And I told the rest of the guys the same thing. You have to be an all-star at your role.”

At the end of the day, it comes down to fight.

“You know, my message again this morning was real simple. Fight,” he said. “Our players learn to fight here.”

Is this team like the 2016-17 roster?

Kentucky has topped the 90-point mark in each of the last two games, something the 2016-17 team did 14 times while averaging 84.9 points per game on the year. Are there any similarities between the two rosters? Maybe, but they need to continue to fight and make the extra effort to reach that point.

“Yeah, but you had like a Derek Willis that could make shots,” Calipari said. “You could create baskets when things broke down with Malik (Monk). In the pick and roll, you didn’t have a better finisher than De’Aaron Fox. The way we’re playing and what we’re doing, as fast as we’re playing — again, if a guy grades out and he’s not sprinting, you’re either tired or you’re being selfish. Sprint.

“The guys that sprint the hardest and grade out that way, they’re playing the best. So why wouldn’t you do it? ‘It’s really hard. I’d rather, can you just play me more? Just let me get more shots?’ Again, the fight that I’m looking for from each guy, to be able to battle and do those things. That’s where we are.”

Players still carving out roles

Calipari says some players are wanting an expanded or elevated role, but aren’t taking the responsibility that comes with that role. It’s a responsibility to make winning plays and contribute to victories.

“Guys want an elevated role — more minutes, more shots — but they don’t want more responsibility to help the team win. They just want more,” he said. “And that’s the thing that goes with, ‘You want more, you now got more responsibility for us winning.’ We’re trying to say, ‘Look, in 15-20 minutes, you personally can be whoever you want to be and be seen that way. You may play more, maybe you don’t.'”

He looked at guys like Allen, Ware, Bryce Hopkins and Daimion Collins, all players with limited roles right now, but can do little things to expand those roles.

“It’s hard for a guy like Dontaie, waiting for his chance. When he gets it, force us to play you more,” Calipari said. “The same with Lance. He’s playing behind a pretty good guy right now, and he knows it. The hard one with Bryce (Hopkins) and Daimion (Collins). I told them, ‘You don’t need but 15-20 minutes to show what you are, or what you aren’t. The biggest thing is, in that period of time, you played so hard, you dive, you sprint, you do everything. You defend, you rebound in traffic, you don’t get the big guy outrunning you down the court, no way. That means he wanted it worse than you.’ Those are the things, let’s just get to that.”

The entire team is back from break

Worried about canceled flights or players stuck home sick? Worry no more. Calipari says the entire roster returned to Lexington after Christmas break and practice has resumed.

“Yesterday, guys came back,” he said. “You know, it’s amazing. No missed flights because of cancellations or any of that stuff. We got back a little bit later than planned, but, you know, we did a conditioning workout. They were terrific.”

Why can’t Oscar Tshiebwe play in the NBA?

What is Tshiebwe’s path to the NBA? Calipari says it starts with versatility on both ends of the floor.

“Well what I told him when he came here, ‘You’ve got to be able to guard multiple positions. Yes, you have to be able to guard somebody with size and be physical, but yes, you’ve got to be able to play in pick and rolls. You have to play guards. The other thing is, you’ve got to be able to show you can shoot the ball. You can’t be a one-foot-from-the-basket player. If you want me to help you, these are the things we have to work on.’ He’s got to get better at handling the ball, passing the ball, all those kinds of things.”

All it takes is one team to fall in love with you as a player. And as we’ve seen with Tshiebwe during his time in Lexington, that’s pretty easy to do with a guy like him.

“The improvements since day one, it’s incredible,” he said. “Here’s the great thing about professional sports: you only have to have one team like you. All the rest can say he’s not big enough, he’s not this enough, he’s not that enough. One team has to like you. Then you can go in and prove who you are.”

Tubby Smith’s return to Lexington will be special

Tubby Smith’s High Point squad will head to Lexington this week where the former UK coach will have his jersey retired at Rupp Arena. It’s an event Calipari believes will be special for all parties involved.

“I want everybody to know, anytime I’ve mentioned Tubby Smith anywhere that I’ve spoken, he gets an ovation,” Calipari said. “Tubby won 27 games a year here, won a national title, did it with class, was involved in the community. People still love Tubby here. So to put his name in the rafters, put his banner up here, that’s a big deal.

“He’s done it at all kinds of different schools. I just think it’s great and appreciate the fact that Mitch (Barnhart) wanted to do this. Tubby’s willing to come in here and have us honor him. He’s going to have dinner with a bunch of his players the night before, which I think is really great. It should be a great event.”