By Keith Taylor
Special to NKyTribune
Isaiah Briscoe has changed his mindset and hopes the renewed confidence carries over into the regular season.
“I’m in a better state of mind. I feel confident, a lot more confident on the court,” Briscoe said Thursday. “I’m just getting comfortable. Me and (coach John Calipari’s) relationship is a lot better. I know what he wants from me. I know what he wants from the team and the more I talk, the less he has to talk in practice. I think that he enjoys that.”
Calipari expects Briscoe to build on the success he had down the stretch last season. Briscoe also will be counted on to provide leadership for a squad that likely will feature three freshmen in the starting lineup when the second-ranked Wildcats take on Stephen F. Austin Friday night in the season-opener for both teams at Rupp Arena.
Briscoe said sharing the leadership role with veterans Dominique Hawkins and Derek Willis “only makes sense” and is ready for the challenge that lies ahead.
“As a leader, I know that everything starts with me and they’re looking at me, so I just try to lead by example and be vocal and just make sure everybody’s working hard.”
Briscoe said stepping into the leadership role has improved his mentality on and off the court.
“I think being a leader pushed me to be a better person every day,” he said. “That’s on and off the court trying to help these guys out with whatever they need. Overall that’s just been — I’ve been inspired by being a leader, so I’ve just been trying to become a better player.”
Calipari has noticed the transition and likes the way Briscoe has improved on the court. In two exhibition games, Briscoe averaged 11 points per game, dished out 18 assists and collected seven steals.
“He’s owning his own game. Like, he’s in that gym, he’s working on his shooting, he knows that’s what he’s got to do. I love the fact that he’s competitive in what he does.”
The Kentucky coach also likes the way Briscoe has developed as a potent and consistent defender.
“He’s transformed who he is,” Calipari said. “When you’re first getting started and you’re not hearing what you want to hear: ‘I don’t like him.’ I’m not going to tell you all what you want to hear, but I’m proud of him. I’ll tell you what, if I’m in a foxhole, that’s who I want beside me.”
On the court, Briscoe anchors a backcourt that features the freshman tandem of De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk and said the newcomers have adjusted to Kentucky’s style of play.
“We’re starting to play together,” he said. “We’ve been playing better, but we’re starting to get a feel for each other’s game. We’re sharing the ball a lot and we’re just running out in transition and just trying to fly.”
Briscoe added that playing in a talented backcourt has been “fun” during preseason workouts.
“I like playing with them both and I’m sure they’ll say the same,” he said. “We all complement each other’s game and none of us are selfish and things like that, but we just look out for one another.”
Briscoe has been impressed with the team’s ability to bond in such a short period of time and likes the team’s unselfish demeanor.
“I think that that was probably a big question for everybody because we got a lot of talented guys on the team, but everybody looks after one another, none of us are selfish with the ball,” Briscoe said. “We all just play together.”
Game tracker: Stephen F. Austin at Kentucky, 7 p.m., Friday. TV/Radio: SEC Network, 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