John Calipari gets feisty in defense of DJ Wagner
DJ Wagner just needed time to get back into the swing of things after missing games a few weeks back. That’s why John Calipari isn’t letting anyone critique his point guard too harshly for having to take a second to regain his footing.
During his postgame press conference on Wednesday after Kentucky won 93-77 over Vanderbilt, one media member mentioned Wagner’s cold stretch in a question about his recent resurgence. In response, Calipari did make it clear that he wouldn’t expect that reporter to be any better.
“He was out two and a half weeks and did not touch a basketball,” Calipari explained.
“You would miss 40 in a row – yes, you would,” bantered Calipari with the reporter. “And layups. You’d shoot airballs on layups. You didn’t even have to take time off to do that.”
As Wagner continued to rehab from a high-ankle sprain that he suffered from earlier in the season, he missed three games for the Wildcats. With that being the case, Wagner scored zero or in single digits in seven games over the course of a month. His struggles from three were especially a part of that as he missed all 15 of his attempts from deep.
However, over the last three games, Wagner has returned to form. He has averaged 13.3 points in three double-figure scoring outings over a trio of Wildcat wins. He has done so by shooting 13-20 (65%) from the field and 9-14 (64.3%) from three.
Calipari said that he never lost faith in Wagner during that slump of his. He noted how much more that the freshman guard brings to the game than just scoring, which made him a positive in other ways until his shooting came back around.
“I told him the whole time that, ‘Look, I believe in you and it’s going to take time’. You took two and a half weeks off, didn’t touch a basketball – the thing that goes,” said Calipari. “His energy, his toughness, his defense – none of that went. It was he couldn’t make a shot.”
“So, now, like you just said, he’s like 50% or better from the three when he was oh for whatever,” Calipari said.
Calipari also believed in Wagner, much like the rest of his roster, because of his mindset. He has handled criticism over his whole life and yet has always responded in a fashion where he has dealt with it well.
“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,” Calipari said. “If you are chasing your whole life? And you come to Kentucky and now they’re chasing you? You may not respond the same way.”
“These guys have all been chased their whole careers,” said Calipari. “They were chased so they know how to deal with it.”
With the rest of the talent in Kentucky’s backcourt, Wagner’s issues stuck out among the rest of their guards. Still, since coming back, he has begun to figure it out again in the nick of time for the postseason with one regular-season game left.