By Keith Taylor
Special to NKyTribune
John Calipari knows he can rely on Dominique Hawkins to come through when his team needs a lift defensively. The Kentucky senior did just that Wednesday night as the sixth-ranked Wildcats rolled to an 87-63 rout of Valparaiso.
“Dom was great,” Calipari said. “Dom got in and just changed the whole complexion (of the game), because of how he defended on the ball. He kind of disputed what they were doing offensively. Their point guard got those two fouls right away and then got a third (foul) because of how we played.”
Hawkins gave Kentucky the boost it needed following a 97-92 loss to second-ranked UCLA last Saturday, ending the Wildcats’ 43-game home winning streak.
“I know my role,” said Hawkins, who knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and scored six points and dished out four assists against the Crusaders. “I come in the game, I’m able to bring energy and if I’m open, I take an open shot.”
Link: Boscore — Kentucky 87, Valparaiso 63
Hawkins and the Wildcats used a 21-0 spurt in the first half to build a dominating 25-4 lead on their way to improving to 35-7 under Calipari in bounce-back games after a loss during his tenure at Kentucky. Hawkins said the Wildcats “basically tied into our defense” during the decisive spree, the biggest run of the season for Calipari’s squad.
“We got really focused,” Hawkins said. “Coach (Calipari) was telling us the whole week after the UCLA game we needed to be more focused on our defense, disturbing the ball-handler and making sure they make tough shots.”
Hawkins added the run was “all energy” and the focus was centered on stopping Crusaders’ star Alec Peters, the second-leading scorer in the nation, who came into the contest averaging 25.3 points per game. Peters finished with 23 points and scored 16 of those in the second half with the game out of reach.
“We were pressuring the ball, making it hard for them to run the play and when (Alec) Peters got it we were trapping him and making other players have to play,” Hawkins said.
Derek Willis, Hawkins’ classmate, agreed and said “without a doubt” Hawkins provided the rest of the team a boost they needed on the defensive end of the court.
“He’s an unbelievable defender,” Willis said. “He brings energy, pressures the ball full court and he played great. He hits his threes tonight, made shots and he overall played really well.”
While Hawkins’ defense has never been a concern for Calipari, the senior guard is starting to knock down his 3-point shoot after missing his first seven attempts from long range to open the season. Hawkins has since made 4-8 shots from long range, including the two he made against the Crusaders. Hawkins hopes he’s starting to turn the proverbial corner on the offensive end of the court.
“I just hope to God I continue to hit shots for our team,” he said.
Even when his shots aren’t falling, Hawkins remains consistent on defense, a trait he’s maintained in his four seasons with the Wildcats.
“I never thought about that, but I probably should put that in my mindset to think that way,” he said. “I just get in and just really start playing. I feel like I have more confidence than I ever did this year to be able to shoot the ball, so I’m going up and just letting it go.”
The team will get a brief break for finals next week, but then the focus will all be basketball for the Wildcats until spring semester begins next month.
“Three-a-days — it’s going to be tough for (the freshmen),” he said. “You wake up, you eat breakfast, then go right to the gym. Take a nap, go back to the gym, then eat dinner. Come back, back to the gym. It’s a lot for the first couple of days, but they’ll get used to it and it’ll be fine.”
Although Calipari said he will include free time during the Christmas break, Hawkins said “you’ll be too tired at all” to play video games.
“The video game that we usually play is Mario Kart or something,” Hawkins said. “We’ll have like two races and then, like, all right, let’s take a nap. Because we know that we’re going to be too tired for the next practice.”
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