In a noticeably effective way, Davion Mintz has answered the call this month. Of course, the call coming from Kentucky Coach John Calipari was direct and impossible to misconstrue: SHOOT!!!
“It’s real,” Mintz said of Calipari’s instruction. “It’s not many shots that Cal doesn’t like that I’ve taken.”
What’s not to like? In the six games in February, Mintz has made 42.9 percent of his three-point shots (18 of 42). That’s manna from basketball heaven for a UK team that had been starving for three-point baskets. He’s averaged 12.5 points in those six games.
“That’s rare,” Mintz said of Calipari’s encouragement to fire away. “You don’t play for a coach like that. My dad coached me for a little bit when I was younger. He would even tell me, ‘Pass the ball. You’re shooting too much.’”
And Calipari?
“He has never once told me that I’ve taken a bad shot,” Mintz said. “He’s always screaming to shoot the ball. . . . And I’ve never seen that before in the places I’ve been.”
They’re watching
With attendance capped at 15 percent of capacity, Rupp Arena will be largely empty for Senior Day. This will contrast with what Mintz experienced with Creighton’s Senior Day last season. An announced crowd of 18,519 watched Creighton beat Seton Hall 77-60.
“I think it’ll still be a surreal moment,” Mintz said of UK’s Senior Day. “Your family and friends will be there.
“And the biggest part of being here is that even though the gym is empty, the whole world is watching because this is Kentucky basketball.”
Welch on Askew
From one point guard to another, Riley Welch saluted Devin Askew’s work ethic.
“Sometimes when maybe he should give his body a rest, he’s still trying to improve, still trying to get better. That’s something I really respect about Devin.”
After noting that Askew would be a high school senior had he not reclassified, Welch added, “He’s really improved throughout the season. He can still get a lot better, and he’s going to get a lot better.”
Father-son
When asked about the importance he places on getting an education, Olivier Sarr said, “It’s all about how I was raised.”
He cited the example set by his father, Massar. The elder Sarr left his native Senegal for France, earned a college degree and “he is now living a comfortable life,” the UK player said. “He built his own legacy. I think that’s the path I want to choose.”
Aspiring coach
Welch aspires to be a coach. His father, John, has coached on the college and NBA levels.
When asked about how being part of Kentucky basketball could help him in coaching, Welch said, “It’ll be huge for me. . . . Getting to see Coach Cal up close and personal every day. See how he handles teams. How he handles individuals. I’ve been fortunate to play for an unbelievable set of coaches. . . . It’s really helped me see how they deal with high-level players, how they get them to buy into a team.”
Florida wary
In its last two games, Florida beat Georgia 70-63 and Auburn 74-57. But Coach Mike White sounded wary when asked Friday if he was feeling good about his team.
“Yeah, and maybe too good,” he said. “We weren’t very good these last couple days in practice, today specifically. . . . We’ve got to mature. We’ve got to grow up. We’ve got to be more consistent.
“And tomorrow’s going to be extremely difficult. We’ve got to be much better tomorrow than we were these last couple days, and even better than we were . . . at Auburn in our last time out. You want your guys to feel good about themselves and you want to have momentum. But you don’t want to be complacent.”
Home and home
Of course, Kentucky won 76-58 at Florida in January. If Florida were to win at Kentucky, that would mark only the fifth time in the series history that each school won the game on the other’s home court in a season.
It happened in 1974, 1985, 1989 and 1998.
Etc.
Brad Nessler and Clark Kellogg will call the game for CBS.