John Calipari dreams big with roster closing out GLOBL JAM

Kentucky head coach John Calipari got what he was looking for out of the team’s trip to Canada tenfold. He knew the Wildcats would compete against older international competition in a televised showcase, a process that would allow his team to get ten additional practices leading up to the event. It was a win-win on the surface as is.

Four games and a gold medal later, the 2023 GLOBL JAM exceeded every expectation he had going in. Why? He got the opportunity to learn more about his team in a live game setting, specifically when depth is tested due to injury. Aaron Bradshaw was already out after undergoing foot surgery, then Ugonna Onyenso went down with an ankle injury during an exhibition matchup to open the event.

The Wildcats had to learn on the fly, and they navigated those uncharted waters well.

“This is a tremendous experience. I got ten days to practice with a young team,” Calipari said. “Only a couple of guys had been back, one got hurt, so now you’ve got Antonio and Adou (as veterans) — you’ve got two. The team was all new. To be here for ten days of practice, then come up here for nine or ten days playing against older players, 22-and 23-year-olds. Let them get physical with us, use our speed and space and shooting to negate some of the issues we had was really good to see.”

Some players were further along than he expected at this stage while others proved they still had work to do. All in all, though, he learned that this team had the pieces necessary to compete.

“I learned about different guys,” Calipari added. “We have some guys where it’s going to be a process, but they’re going to be fine. We have some other guys who may be a little bit better than we even thought. They got in these games and competed, did good stuff.

“… They can all dribble, pass and shoot. It’s not a track meet, it’s not a wrestling match, it’s basketball. You may look at them and say, ‘They’re small, they’re skinny, they’re this,’ but they can all dribble, pass and shoot.”

Kentucky nearly entered danger territory ahead of the gold medal matchup vs. Team Canada, as Tre Mitchell hurt his ankle to wrap up group play vs. BAL Select. “We didn’t think he was going to play,” Calipari said, adding that he “played as good as he’s been since he’s been here.” He finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in a team-high 36:47 on the floor, averaging 14.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per contest across four games in Toronto.

“Tre is really legitimate because he can — you have a five that can shoot threes and pass, can do those things,” the Kentucky head coach said. “And he’s going to fight like crazy.”

Onyenso wasn’t as lucky, with Calipari adding “he’s going to be out awhile, I feel bad for him.” His absence, though, allowed freshman forward Jordan Burks to get extended run at the backup five spot. He averaged 4.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per contest in four games.

“Jordan is better than we thought. He is. We’re able to stick him in there and give him some experience.”

Kentucky’s blue-chip freshmen were strong as a group, with Justin Edwards (14.5 PPG) and DJ Wagner (14 PPG) averaging double figures, followed by Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham with 8.5 points and 5.5 points per contest, respectively. Factor in Adou Thiero’s physical growth and Antonio Reeves’ improved confidence — he led the event with 23 PPG on 57.9% shooting and 56.9% from three — and Calipari likes what he sees from top to bottom.

“Adou is way better, Antonio is way more confident and better. DJ, Robert, Reed — Reed is playing well too. Justin is really good and does good stuff.”

Maybe the biggest surprise? Sheppard, who led the Wildcats with 5.8 assists per game to go with 2.3 rebounds, 1.8 steals, 1.3 blocks and just 1.8 turnovers per contest. The Hall of Fame coach loved the scoring, obviously, but couldn’t believe how much he impacts the game on the other end of the floor, specifically as a shot-blocker.

“The hardest shot to block without fouling is the three, and I think Reed probably blocked five threes, maybe more. The skill to block a three — what is the shot, the weapon they use, in the NBA? The three. If you have a player who can block perimeter threes, he has unbelievable value,” Calipari said. “This kid is — he’s just growing as a player. But I don’t know who taught him to do that. His timing and his quickness to go get it, and they were shooting them quick, now. They weren’t, like, winding it up. It was good to see. He played good.”

Rob Dillingham fits the ‘it’s going to be a process’ mold Calipari was referring to. He shot just 31% from the field and 14.3% from three while adding 3.5 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 17.1 minutes per contest — seventh-lowest on the team. This comes after the dynamic freshman was “killing” both Wagner and Sheppard in early practices for the Wildcats. It’s a mental thing for Dillingham, his approach to the game shifting — no pun intended — a bit during this trip.

Calipari is confident he’ll find his footing, his maturity being a big reason for that.

“I was happy Rob played better (in the title game). His comments (Saturday), I played to the team because they were very mature, adult comments,” Calipari said. “‘I want to play more, I’ve got to play better, but the reality of it is those two played better than me.’ Yeah, they really did. Today, just so you know, ten days before (GLOBL JAM), he was killing Reed and DJ. I huddled the team and said, ‘It was only ten days in and you were killing those guys. What changed? Your state of mind has changed.'”

The Wildcats were at their best this week when the ball moved and Calipari was able to go back to the dribble-drive. 103 total assists on 142 made field goals in four games, easily one of the most impressive aspects of the team’s overall performance in Toronto. The ball stuck at times — to be expected for a young group — but unselfishness is the name of the game overall.

Having the personnel to do it certainly helps, Kentucky bringing three real point guard talents to the table in Wagner, Dillingham and Sheppard.

“The biggest thing with all of these kids, him and DJ, Reed, ‘Get rid of the ball.’ You can’t come up and bounce it 12 times and think we can start offense,” Calipari said. “Just throw it to anybody, just get it moving. And then we start driving and spacing.

“One of the Canadian coaches said, ‘I love watching your team play.’ It’s my old-school dribble-drive, but you’ve got to play with three point guards to play this way. And when I had Maxey and Quickley and Ashton, I had three points. That team could’ve won a national title, COVID ended the season. That wasn’t 22 years ago, that was just a few years ago. When you don’t have three point guards, you’ve got to play different unless you don’t want to win.”

Fortunately for him, Calipari doesn’t have that problem with this group. In fact, the team’s shooting, scoring and playmaking versatility has him wanting to go all-in on the guard movement — to the point he’s willing to play four at a time.

“If he could gain ten pounds by the time we start, to have DJ, Robert, Antonio and Justin, or have Reed in there, and have four literally — like, (pass, pass, pass, pass), shoot,” Calipari said. “We’re not wrestling, it’s not a decathlon, it’s not a track meet. This is basketball.”

Music to Kentucky fans’ ears.