MOHEGAN SUN ARENA, Uncasville, Conn.
Soon after the NCAA Final Four concluded last April, attention immediately turned to which Kentucky underclassmen would enter the NBA draft. The least among that group, among amateur analysts, was Doron Lamb, a freshman who could shoot three-pointers but not much else.
Lamb did quickly opt to return for his sophomore season. Three games in, that was clearly a wise decision as Lamb scored 26 points in UK’s 85-47 victory over Penn State in the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic.
“I walked in the locker room after the game and I asked, ‘Why is Doron playing so well?’” UK coach John Calipari said. “His motor is going. He’s not playing a casual game, which is what he did last year at times. Now, he’s got a motor running and you see him out there and you say, ‘Man, is he playing.’”
It’s unmistakable that Lamb and fellow sophomore Terrence Jones have more complete games this season.
“He’s making shots. He only had one turnover. He’s handling the ball. He’s playing the point, he’s playing the wing. He’s defending now,” Calipari said in a rapid-fire tribute. “He’s not our fastest, he doesn’t jump the highest, he’s not the longest, he’s not the tallest. He just has a feel for the game.”
Calipari then created a new statistical category just for Lamb.
“In my opinion, he’s the best two-point shooter in college basketball,” Calipari said. “He’s a good three-point shooter, but if he gets something from 15 to 17 feet, he’s one of those guys who makes that shot and I don’t know if there’s anybody better in college basketball.”
Lamb scored 10 of UK’s first 35 points as the Cats built an impressive 35-12 advantage just 13 minutes into the game. By halftime, Lamb had 17 points and UK was on top 47-15.
“I’m just playing my game,” Lamb said in his classic understated style. “I’m trying to be a veteran on this team, a leader. I’m pushing my teammates to play hard. If we play hard together, I don’t believe anybody can beat us. I think we can be a great team.”
Lamb does, however, admit to a change in attitude.
“My role is really different this year,” he said. “I huddle us at every dead ball to talk to my teammates on what defense we’re in and what we’re going to do on the next possession. If somebody is having a bad night, I say, ‘Don’t worry about it. Just pick it up.’”
Calipari admitted to being concerned about the Penn State game because of the early noon tipoff, but Lamb and friends made sure that wasn’t an issue.
“Our main focus is to be prepared,” Lamb said. “We have to play hard 40 minutes. People ask how we’re still playing hard when we’re up by 40 points, but we’re not thinking about Penn State at that time, we’re thinking about playing North Carolina and Louisville and Rupp Arena. We have to be ready for those games.”
Calipari was impressed, or as much as a coach will admit it.
“When we created a gap, I was worried about us getting sloppy, and we truly didn’t get sloppy,” Calipari said. “They continued to get better. That’s what we’re trying to do. We’re playing against ourselves. Let’s get better. How do we do this? If you let up during a game, or it’s a noon game and I don’t feel like playing, or a team you think you can beat, then we’re not quite as good as everybody thinks.”
Lamb’s complete game is also bearing fruit for Kentucky as freshman Marquis Teague predictably struggles with playing point guard for John Calipari.
“What I told Marquis after the game is, ‘I want people looking at you and saying, ‘I want him to be my point guard.’ Right now, there’s no one saying that,” Calipari said. “By the end of the year, I want people saying, ‘I want him to run my team.’ So I’ve just got to keep coaching. He’s a great kid and he listens, but I’m not settling for anything less than he’s capable of doing to run our team.”
Another freshman groping to find his way is Kyle Wiltjer. After playing sparingly in UK’s win over Kansas on Tuesday, Wiltjer had 19 points in 28 minutes against Penn State.
“I made a commitment that we were going to get him in early,” Calipari said. “But I met with him last night and I said, ‘If you don’t come up with balls and you don’t defend, then I can’t play you as much. We can’t go into the SEC exchanging baskets because you’re not guarding or coming up with balls.’
“I said to him, ‘Every day, you go up against Anthony Davis and Terrence Jones. Work on your defense, work on coming up with balls because if you can do it against those two, you can’t do it against anybody in the country,” the coach added. “If you don’t come up with balls, it’s hard for me to give you minutes. The Kansas game scared me. That’s why I didn’t put him in as much.”
