By Keith Taylor
Special to NKyTribune
Five games into his collegiate career, Skal Labissiere isn’t the player John Calipari wants him to be, but the Kentucky coach likes what he’s seen from his freshman center.
“He’s getting better,” Calipari said. “He’s trying, but this is all new. He doesn’t react like the other guys right now. He’s got to start reacting quicker.”
Although a step behind the learning curve, Labissiere doesn’t mind the criticism from Calipari and simply wants to keep improving as the season progresses.
“He’s always pushing me more and more,” he said. “I appreciate that from him because it shows how much confidence he has in me. I’m just going to have to keep listening to him and keep working.”
In his latest outing, Labissiere scored 16 points, grabbed a career-high seven rebounds and recorded three blocked shots to lead the top-ranked Wildcats to an 82-62 win over Boston University Tuesday night.
BOXSCORE: Kentucky 82, Boston University 62
It was the third double-figure outing of the year for Labissiere, who had 13 points in the Wildcats’ 78-63 win over Wright State last week.
In addition to his point production, Labissiere said he’s “getting a little more aggressive each game” and wants to take command in the post.
“That’s what I’m still working on — getting lower,” Labissiere said. “The past couple of days, coach Calipari has been on me about that, learning how to play lower. That’s one of the things I struggle with. In high school, I used to stand straight up and everything was easy. But here at this level, everybody is stronger and bigger, so you have to play lower. So that’s one of the things I’m working on right now.”
Led by Labissiere, most of Kentucky’s scoring came from the low post, where the Wildcats scored 58 of their 82 points.
“After (Wright State), we worked on learning how to play against the zone,” Labissiere said. “That’s what we focused on the past couple of days. So I was a little bit more comfortable with it.”
Overall, Labissiere’s biggest challenge has been getting used to the faster pace and learning the team’s schemes on both ends of the court.
“Just adjusting to the speed of the game and learning everything really fast (has been the toughest adjustment),” he said. “We put a lot of stuff in. Here at this level, you have to be more focused for it and everything. So that’s what I struggled with at first.”
In addition to getting used to the pace of the game, Labissiere also is making strides on defense, especially around the rim.
“I feel more comfortable (blocking shots),” said Labissiere, who has recorded 11 blocks this season. “That’s one of the things we work on every single day with coach Kenny Payne. I feel like I’m getting better at that.”
Kentucky senior Alex Poythress said Labissiere is “starting to get the hang of blocking shots and his timing is getting better.”
“That’s something we need,” Poythress said. “We’ve always had great shot blockers and we need him to step up and get blocks.”
As a team, Labissiere said the Wildcats are still trying to find the right chemistry and added “it’s going to be a process.”
“I’m still learning how to play with the guys,” Labissiere said. “We’re still learning how to play with each other. As the season goes on, we’ll get better and play better as a team. I’m still trying to find my way in and I think that’s going to get better as the season goes on.”
Notes
* Alex Poythress recorded his second straight double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
“He played like a beast,” Labissiere said. “He’s a great athlete. We’re going to need him to do that for the whole year for us and I think that’s what’s going to make the difference for us.”
* Poythress is looking forward to Friday’s game against South Florida, coached by former Kentucky assistant coach Orlando Antigua.
“O’s my dude,” Poythress said. “He’s always laughing, joking around. I can’t wait to see him when we go down to Miami. He’s one of the dudes that recruited me since he was here my freshman year. So I can’t wait to see him again.”
* The Wildcats will spend the Thanksgiving holiday in Miami, preparing for the Hoophall Miami Invitational set for Friday.
“We’ll leave (today) and we’re going to do something at the Alonzo Mourning Center,” Calipari said. “Then we’re going to practice at their Miami facility, take (the players) out to dinner tonight, then practice probably around noon on Thanksgiving Day and have a Thanksgiving (meal) at 5 p.m.”
Game tracker: Kentucky vs. South Florida, 5 p.m., Friday. TV/Radio: ESPN, 98.1 FM WBUL
Keith Taylor is a columnist and senior sports writer who covers University of Kentucky athletics for KyForward.com