Kentucky couldn't stop Missouri in the final four minutes and Keion Brooks admits UK's late game play "sucks." (SEC Photo)
Give Kentucky sophomore Keion Brooks credit for not being afraid to give honest answers to tough questions. Remember it was Brooks that got sent out to answer media questions in a December game when he was injured and not even playing because teammates were too emotional in the locker room.
Friday it was the sophomore’s media time again coming off UK’s loss at Missouri and going into Saturday night’s game with Tennessee. The Cats are now 5-11 and cannot seem to finish to win any close games.
So what does Brooks see when he watches UK’s late gameplay and miscues?
“We look like a team that can’t get it done in the last four minutes of the game. Too many breakdowns, mental errors, too many times we don’t come up with a very crucial ball. Stuff like that,” Brooks said.
“It sucks because I know we’re capable of doing it. We’ve done it a couple of times this year. We’ve just lacked consistency and being able to close people out in close games. Watching the film, it shows what we’re not doing and we’ve got to go out there and correct it.”
Assistant coach Jai Lucas was a successful collegiate point guard at Florida and Texas who knew how to help close out wins. He understands not having a “go-to guy” late in games hurts UK.
“Well, it’s something that is always a security blanket. When you can go to somebody and you can throw them the ball or kind of spread the floor and let them drive, create, get fouled. Especially that last four minutes of the game, that’s really when it’s the biggest,” Lucas said Friday.
“Ours right now is a game-by-game thing. It may be Olivier (Sarr) one game when he’s got it going. It may be Davion (Mintz) when he’s making jump shots or in a few games, it may be Keion. It’s just kind of a feel thing. I think that’s kind of what Coach Cal was saying. We just don’t have that one definite that we know we can go to, but dependent on how that game’s going, that person can be anybody.”
Or nobody. That seems to have happened too often when no one can make a clutch play late in a game. That’s why John Calipari says he needs some daggers (made shots) in the final minutes of close games.
Lucas knows making a couple of clutch shots would be a “simple” solution to the late-game woes.
“I wish I had a more educated answer for you, but it is that simple. Or it’s as simple as what Mizzou did, which is being able to get fouled and make free throws. It just changes the pressure, changes the momentum of the game,” Lucas said.
“You have to have a little bit of luck. Some of those shots that you get at the end of the shot clock that is a somewhat clean look, you just need one of those to go in. I think that’s just been a big thing the whole year. Watching other games, it’s something that you see, especially with younger teams that it’s a problem on both ends.”
