Keion Brooks (SEC Photo)
Having his team become more “engaged” on the court is something Kentucky coach John Calipari has been looking for all season. Wednesday’s 82-78 victory at Vanderbilt could have been another baby step toward that happening.
“You can’t, if you’re not playing well, you’ve got to say what am I going to do to help this team win. I can’t worry about me. I can’t shake my head on a missed shot. Forget it, it’s next,” Calipari said after his team’s second straight win.
“And we’re learning to be a better team. All I’m trying to tell you is, let’s have individual players be at their best, let’s have this team coming together.”
Sophomore Keion Brooks seemed to do exactly what Calipari wanted. He was 1-for-6 from the field and had four turnovers — in fairness one was on a controversial charge late in the game that also wiped out his thunderous dunk. But rather than hang his head over mistakes, Brooks went to work on the boards and pulled off nine rebounds. He found open teammates and led U K with five assists. He didn’t pout on defense and came with up four blocked shots and one steal in his 28 minutes.
I asked Calipari if what Brooks did was what he was wanting to see players do when shots were not falling. What the coach told me was not exactly what I was expecting.
“It is, but I expect more from him. Like, he had four turnovers. You know what I’m saying?” Calipari said. “I see him as a star. And, there are times, we all see it. And there are other times we don’t see it. So what is that?
“That is all mental. And that is all a toughness, a mental toughness, that he is growing into. But I’ll tell you, whether it’s him or BJ (Boston) or Devin (Askew) or Davion (Mintz), I’m rolling with who’s playing at that point.
“Like Jacob (Toppin), I wouldn’t have subbed him at all if he could have lasted in the game because he was playing too well. He came up with the last rebound and won the game, correct?”
Kentucky did indeed win and while Brooks was not the offensive star Calipari wants, he certainly was the team player the coach has been looking for to make big contributions when he’s not making shots and that’s an important example for younger teammates to see.
