By KEITH TAYLOR, Kentucky Today
LEXINGTON, Ky. (KT) — Tyrese Maxey currently is mired in a slump but he’s not concerned about his lack of scoring during the past three games.
“It’s one time for everything and I’m still happy,” Maxey said. “I put in work every single day, so I know I’m never going to stop shooting because I feel like the next one’s going to go in.”
Although Maxey has made just one shot from long range in his past 17 attempts, he’s making strides on defense and it was obvious in Kentucky’s 67-53 win over Georgia Tech last week.
“Scoring is not (a top priority),” he said Tuesday. “We have a lot of guys on our team that are going to be able to score, so I don’t need to score every single night. I just want to help my teammates win, whatever I need to do. Rebounds, assists, play defense. It was my night (Saturday) to stop the best player and that’s what I did.”
Kentucky coach John Calipari is starting to see a change in Maxey and said the freshman guard is starting to mature, especially on the defensive end of the court.
“That’s when you start seeing the change (and) it’s hard because of the clutter,” Calipari said. “The clutter is the only way you get your name in the newspaper when you’re in high school, in grade school, in junior high —score points. So, go out there and score points.
“At this point, none of that matters. Going forward, I’ll be honest with you, you have to be skilled at each level. If you’re not skilled, you can’t make it. But the whole point of it being, do you play basketball? Do you help your team win? Do you play with unbelievable effort?”
Maxey will attempt to get back on track offensively in Kentucky’s two neutral site games in Las Vegas, starting with Wednesday night’s contest against Utah, followed by a showdown against No. 5 Ohio State in the CBS Classic Saturday in Las Vegas.
Both games will be a test for Kentucky, which hasn’t played away from home since a 69-62 win over Michigan State in the State Farm Champions Classic on Nov. 5 at Madison Square Garden. Although the Utes and fifth-ranked Buckeyes are a step up on the talent ladder, Maxey isn’t worried.
“I think we test ourselves every single game,” he said. “We just play against ourselves. Coach always says we’re in the way of ourselves and we play against each other. I feel like we’re just going to go out there, do what we’ve been doing in practice, compete and have a lot of fun.”
HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
The tipoff against Utah is set for 11 p.m. Wednesday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Although Calipari is used to his current sleeping patterns, Maxey said the late tipoff isn’t a concern.
“We’re teenagers,” he said. “What are we doing, playing a game or something? We’re up doing something, so the time’s not going to do anything to us. We’re just ready to play, have a lot of fun with each other.
“Yesterday in practice there was a lot of competing. We were going at each other like we always do, and I feel like we got a lot better.”
Calipari expects his team to be alert against the Utes.
“They will be happy-go-lucky. It’s 11 o’clock, they’re just getting up, ready to go,” Calipari said. “If you’re a coach at that time, it’s a little bit harder.”
MARKED TEAM
Calipari said his team is used to be tested and wasn’t surprised by Ohio State’s 81-74 loss to Minnesota Sunday night.
“My teams historically are marked teams, so we’re used to doing it,” he said. “A lot of teams are not. Like, you’re just the next game on that team’s schedule. We’re marked. So, our kids get used to having an unbelievable effort and you’re not surprised by shots going in. You’re not surprised by players getting 40 points and the next game they get eight. They get 40 on you because they’re playing out of their minds.”
Despite the loss, Calipari said the Buckeyes are the real deal.
“If Ohio State isn’t the best team in the country right now, they’re the second-best team,” he said. “They’re physical. They’ve got size. Their guard play … they’re so well-coached. They defend. They fight. They’ve got some veterans. They’re legit.”
Gametracker: Kentucky vs. Utah at Las Vegas, 11 p.m., Wednesday.
Keith Taylor is sports editor for Kentucky Today. Reach him at keith.taylor@kentuckytoday.com or twitter @keithtaylor21.
