Wednesday, March 03, 1999
UK searches for answers
New lineup possible for SEC tourney
BY NEIL SCHMIDT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Kentucky has backed itself into its Big Blue Bunker. With lineup changes in the works, the Wildcats will spend the week searching their souls.
What they seemingly won't find: a one-man answer.
“This Kentucky team is the sum of their parts,” Vanderbilt coach Jan van Breda Kolff said. “I think that's what's hurting them. They don't have a natural scorer, that one guy to turn to for 25 points a night.”
With UK's Southeastern Conference Tournament opener two days away, critics are taking turns diagnosing the Wildcats' woes. UK coach Tubby Smith is sending back curious signals.
Asked Monday afternoon which players were candidates to raise their games, he said, “All three of our seniors. They're the guys who've carried the team all year.” But Monday night on his weekly radio show, Smith admitted he may change his starting lineup and player rotations.
“He said the players had come to him and said, "We think it's time to be re-evaluated,'” UK play-by-play announcer Ralph Hacker said. “They said looking at videotape and practices is a better way to say who should be starting.”
The inference was that seniors Scott Padgett, Heshimu Evans and Wayne Turner, who all sat out the final minutes of UK's loss Sunday at Tennessee, could be benched. “Maybe all three,” Hacker said.
Imagine this starting lineup Friday night: Saul Smith and
Desmond Allison in the backcourt, Souleymane Camara and Tayshaun Prince at forward, and Michael Bradley at center. That's three freshmen and two sophomores.
“This is a team a lot was expected of because of those three seniors,” Hacker said. “They never really turned it up on a consistent basis.”
The popular theory is UK was crippled by the early NBA defections of Ron Mercer and Nazr Mohammed, who would have both been seniors. Perennial powers Kansas and North Carolina share the same pains.
“Kansas lost Paul Pierce, North Carolina lost Antawn Jamison and Vince Carter, and Kentucky lost Nazr,” South Carolina coach Eddie Fogler said. “Those teams don't have a go-to guy, so they're going to have a tough time down the stretch.”
Last year, Jeff Sheppard became UK's big-game threat, averaging 19 points in the last five games of the NCAA Tournament. UK had a player score 20 or more points 16 times last year, with six different players turning that trick.
This winter, UK has had a player score 20 or more points just six times — three each by Padgett and Evans. Padgett leads the team at 11.9 points per game, which would be the lowest average to lead UK in 52 years.
UK (22-8) went 3-4 last month.
“I would never say this season has been a disappointment,” Smith said. “It's constant bombardment here with media scrutiny and pressure. Then when you don't win every game, that just compounds it.”
Hacker sees hesitation.
“I can't come up with the answer why they won't come down, pull up and fire a shot,” he said. “Scott, who says he loves to be in pressure situations, has been passing up shots. Wayne and Heshimu can't score from the perimeter.
“They're playing not to lose rather than to win.”
What does Smith need to see this week?
“Just confidence. We need to get back to fundamental things — screening, passing, executing. And remembering how to win.”
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