By Keith Taylor
Special to NKyTribune
De’Aaron Fox got his first real taste of winter Friday.
“It’s different,” the Kentucky freshman guard said. “When I looked outside (at 1 a.m. this morning) the whole car was white. It’s supposed to be blue, but it was different. I’m not used to this (kind of weather).”
Used to a warmer December climate in Texas, Fox is not only getting used to the colder weather, but to the fast pace of collegiate basketball and is adjusting nicely through the team’s first nine games.
Fox is averaging 15.1 points per game and 7.4 assists per outing going into Sunday’s contest against Hofstra set for 3 p.m. Sunday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Despite the impressive numbers, Fox sees plenty of room for improvement and takes his assists in stride.
“The last game (against Valparaiso) wasn’t so good,” Fox said. “I’m just trying to brush to off and have a good start (Sunday). I’m not taking pride in my assist numbers. It’s just setting up teammates. If they make the shot, they make it and it gives me an assist. If they miss, they miss. I just play it by ear. I mean, I’m not looking at the numbers. I don’t see the (stat) sheet during the game, so sometimes I end with 10 assists and sometimes I end with four. It just depends on the game and depends on what happens. I’m not really worried about it.”
Fox also isn’t worried about his outside shot. Through the first nine games, has just made three shots in 20 attempts from behind the arc but has made two 3-pointers in the past three games, a sign he’s starting to come around.
“I’m still trying to find my rhythm,” he said. “I feel like it just hasn’t happened yet. I’m going to keep playing basketball and at some point (the shots) will start falling. It will be more difficult for teams to guard me instead of going under screens and things like that. I’m just going to continue to play basketball.”
As the sixth-ranked Wildcats delve deeper into the season, Fox also wants to reach his full potential as a player, especially when it comes to game and practice preparation.
“I just need to come out with more energy, focus more and be ready for the game,” Fox said. “Sometimes I’m just out there in what I call ‘chill mode.’ Some people think that I’m playing good, but I think there’s more (within) me that I haven’t shown.”
Kentucky coach John Calipari isn’t a fan of the ‘chill mode’ and wants Fox to keep climbing higher to reach his proverbial ceiling.
“He hates it, he calls it casual (mode) and I call it chill (mode),” he said. “He’s trying to get me out of that with new habits. It’s something I have to work on even in practice, always bring the intensity ad energy.”
Following finals next week, the Wildcats will devote their full attention to basketball, starting with “Camp Cal” a string of three-a-day practice during the Christmas break. Although the schedule will be an adjustment, especially for the newcomers, Fox isn’t concerned, even though it will be a first-time experience for the freshman point guard.
“We have two-a-days on the weekend (and) I’ve never had three practices in a day,” Fox said. “I really don’t know what to expect.”
Fox said the biggest adjustment from making the leap from high school to the collegiate has been a transition, even though it hasn’t shown on the court. Fox was named Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week for the second time earlier this week and became just the second player in school history to record a rare triple-double in a win over Arizona State in the Bahamas.
“Having a handle of the college schedule (has been the biggest difference),” Fox said. “You have to know when practice is, getting up for class and now with this weather, it’s harder for me to get to class than in high school, because you’re always in one building. Now, you’re going to class in 20-degree weather and it’s different as a college student.”
Gametracker: Kentucky vs. Hofstra, 3 p.m. Sunday, Barclays Center, Brooklyn. TV/Radio: ESPN, 98.1 FM 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