Photo by Barry Westerman, courtesy of UK Athletics
Kentucky head coach John Calipari met with the media today to preview tomorrow’s SEC matchup with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
The Wildcats are in the midst of the programs first four-game losing streak since 2009 and the first under Calipari. Even though the league is improved, Calipari knows his team has given some games away in recent weeks.
“A bunch of these games, it’s not that they were taken, they were given,” said Calipari. “Because of that, even watching the last game, we will have a spell of three minutes, four minutes and then instead of being up ten or twelve, its anybody’s ball game.”
Despite the struggles, Calipari still believes his team will get things right but they just have to win a game. Kentucky isn’t the only team in college basketball that is struggling as of late.
“Other programs are looking around the country and everybody is getting beat. I just gotta get this team right and if I’m worried about fans or all the other clutter, I can’t do my job.”
Fans have seen this story play out many times in Calipari’s previous eight seasons at Kentucky, which is why he hopes that they will continue to trust the process and understand that this team is playing for March.
“All I’m focused on are these kids. I’m not worried about convincing the fans of anything. I would hope we have established enough of a relationship, I have, this program has with the vast majority of the fans that they trust the program is in good hands.”
With the youngest team in college basketball history, Calipari is taking a little longer to get his guys to understand how they have to come together before things will get easier. The UK coach is trying to show them that they have had opportunities in recent weeks but they haven’t been able to close the door on opponents.
“Like I told them yesterday, this game you had the lead, you had a seven point lead. This game, come on now you had a four point lead. The last game you had a four point lead. Should’ve won all those and we would be feeling different.”
The recent four game losing streak is delivering a blow to the Wildcats NCAA tournament seeding but like struggles in the past, Calipari hopes this brings his team together, rather than breaking them apart.
“This is the hard part of it and this could make us what we are going to be at the end of the year or it could break people down. What I’m trying to do is say lets use this as fuel, lets have this make us stronger.”
You can listen to everything John Calipari had to say here:
