By Keith Taylor
Special to NKyTribune
Wenyen Gabriel wasn’t surprised when he started in Kentucky’s exhibition opener last week.
“I’ve been in that lineup during practice the last few weeks,” Gabriel said Friday. “It was nothing new.”
Gabriel isn’t sure if he will be among the starting five when the Wildcats take on Asbury Sunday in the team’s final exhibition game of the season but said Kentucky coach John Calipari is still tinkering with different lineups in search of the right combinations.
“He made a few different groups together,” Gabriel said. “In the game (against Clarion) he had the matchups kind of already planned and he wanted to see how different players played together. So that’s one of the things we’ve been working on. (We’re) still looking for our identity as a team.”
Instead of inserting a three-guard lineup in his team’s 108-51 rout of Clarion last weekend, Calipari started Gabriel in place of Malik Monk. The 6-foot-9 freshman forward scored nine points and was 3-for-3 from the field. He grabbed two rebounds and added a block and an assist in 17 minutes.
Those numbers impressed Clarion coach Marcell Williams and Gabriel took the praise in stride.
“I just take it as a compliment and keep working on my game and keep playing hard,” Gabriel said.
In addition to his scoring abilities, Gabriel has developed a knack for defending, a point of emphasis for Kentucky’s post players during preseason workouts.
“That’s one emphasis we have during practice with our defense,” Gabriel said. “We keep track of things like that: deflections, steals, how many time you get your hands on the ball, things like that. I think I do a lot of things that don’t show up on the stat sheet that kind of define my game as well. It’s what gets me on the floor and helps me stay out there.”
Gabriel said attacking on defense and running the floor fits his style.
“That’s an emphasis coach Cal’s really putting on our team, is our defense,” he said. “(It’s) one of the things we work on every day. We make sure we get on that and partially one of the reasons why I came here, why I feel like I can make a big impact here.”
Since arriving on campus, Gabriel has already developed a reputation for his energy and athleticism and has made more adjustments mentally to keep pace of the adjustment from high school to college.
“I had to slow down my mind mentally so I can keep running my feet fast and stop worrying about mistakes and kind of just playing the game,” he said. “I think that’s the biggest adjustment I had to make.”
Gabriel admitted it was a challenging adjustment but added the pressure of playing at Kentucky is what he expected when he signed with the Wildcats last year.
“That’s one of the challenges that I’m up for and I think will make me a better player,” he said. “I’m not surprised about it. This is what we signed up for. We know all the pressure. And when you’re feeling it, it’s kind of exciting, too, at the same time. When you overcome that is going to be a big thing.”
Although he’s not sure about what his role will be throughout the season, Gabriel is happy being part of the team.
“I’m not sure what’s most comfortable for me yet,” he said. “(I) just like being out on the floor.”
Game tracker: Asbury at Kentucky, 7 p.m., Sunday. TV/Radio: SEC Network, 98.1 WBUL.
Keith Taylor is a senior sports writer for KyForward, where he primarily covers University of Kentucky sports. Reach him at keith.taylor@kyforward.com or @keithtaylor21 on Twitter