By Keith Taylor
Special to NKyTribune
It’s easy to see why Kentucky coach John Calipari considers Tyler Ulis as his floor general. It showed Tuesday night.
Ulis, who split time with Andrew Harrison at point guard as patt of the Wildcats’ blue-platoon last year, provided a glimpse into what the offense will look like under his guidance on a full-time basis Tuesday night, scoring 10 points and dishing out 15 assists to lead the white team to a 74-66 win over the blue team.
For Ulis, knowing it was his time to shine, he liked being in charge of the offense.
“It felt good to get out there, control the team, see what we could do and learn more about our team,” he said.
Ulis originally had no intention of dishing out assists at such a random rate, but just wanted to spread the wealth to his teammates and wants to make that a top priority this season.
“I’m just out there trying to feed the open players and make things happen,” the 5-foot-9 Ulis said.
Ulis, one of two players who played the entire 40 minutes, finished with just three turnovers, earning applause from Kentucky coach John Calipari.
“The assist to turnover ratio was good,” he said. “I thought we had some good shot making”
Kentucky freshman center Skal Labissiere was on the receiving end of most of the assists dished out by Ulis, who threw easy lobs to Labissiere in transition. Labissiere finished with a team-high 18 points and 11 rebounds, providing Ulis an easy option in the post on drives to the basket.
“He’s a great leader out there,” Labissiere said. “He is ways looking for me and telling me to run and get easy baskets. I enjoy playing with him and I think he’s the best point guard in the country. I love playing with Tyler.”
Behind the scenes, Ulis and Labissiere have been “working totterer all year practicing in open gym” in preparation for the upcoming season. Ulis said Libissiere is “coming along.”
“He’s got a long way to go, but he’s going to be great for us. He’s a very skilled player on the block and he can shoot the mid-range side jumper very well. Once we get him to fight, he’s going to be a monster on that post.”
As for the rest of the team, Ulis said the team bonding is coming along and will take time to develop as the regular season draws closer.
“It (developing chemistry), comes with time and just practicing with them throughout the year,” Ulis said. “I understand how Skal likes to play, I understand where Isaac (Briscoe) can score and how Marcus (Lee) likes to play. It’s going to come along and we’re going to gain more chemistry throughout the season.”
Ulis liked the way Alex Poythress competed in the scrimmage after he missed the last 29 games last season because of a torn ACL. Poythress scored 17 points while playing for both teams.
“It was good for him to come out and play hard, not worry about his leg and just come out play,” Ulis said. “After he gets more confidence it’s going to (to help his game).”
In his overall observation following the scrimmage of the year, Ulis said the Wildcats “did all right” but have plenty of room to grow.
“A couple of guys came out a little shaky, but once we got it going, everybody came together and we played pretty well. Offensively and defensively, we should get a lot better but I think we’re playing pretty good.”
Keith Taylor is a columnist and senior sports reporter who covers UK sports for the NKyTribune