By KEITH TAYLOR, Kentucky Today
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (KT) — Kentucky is still dancing and John Calipari showed off a few moves of his own after the Wildcats defeated Wofford Saturday to reach the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.
After a decade on the sidelines and his ninth
appearance in the NCAA Tournament as coach of the Wildcats, Calipari
still gets emotional when the Wildcats are victorious in any fashion,
shape or form. It keeps the Kentucky coach yearning for more, especially
when it comes to chasing a national championship.
“If winning
is a relief, it’s time to retire,” he said. “I may not be showing it
right now, but I danced in that locker room. I am ecstatic when my team
wins.”
Calipari got even more excited when his team charted a
path to victory without their leading scorer, PJ Washington to open the
tournament. The meaning of surviving and advancing took on a new
meaning for Kentucky after he suffered a foot sprain in a loss to
Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference semifinals last weekend in
Nashville.
The Kentucky coach also doesn’t consider the “what
ifs,” either, What if PJ Washington was healthy and played during the
first two games of the tournament? Would the outcome had been more
dominant?
“I don’t think that way, and I don’t,” he said.
Washington went from walking boot to cast in a matter
of four days and cheered on the Wildcats in wins over Abilene Christian
and Wofford. Washington’s support was welcomed by his teammates and they
weren’t surprised he was all smiles after the Wildcats defeated Wofford
Saturday.
“He’s had our backs since the beginning,” freshman
Keldon Johnson said.”Just him being on the sideline with us doesn’t
surprise us. We always know that he has our backs.”
Johnson and his teammates have picked up the slack in
Washington’s absence with a collective team effort, especially on the
defensive end of the court. In addition, the calming presence of Ashton
Hagans at the point and Reid Travis in the post also have proven to be
beneficial during the first two rounds of the Big Dance.
Calipari praised Hagans’ performance against the Terriers but wants to see Hagans become more of a threat on the perimeter.
“I thought Ashton just has a will to win — you see him
make every free throw, and then you say to yourself, he should probably
shoot perimeter shots better,” Calipari said. “Again, it’s mental. Get
in the gym more, build your own confidence, make a couple in the game,
which he has this year. Last couple (of games) he’s not made shots. He’s
got to get in this week and get ready for this weekend.”
Hagans is willing to put the team on his shoulders,
especially if Washington isn’t cleared to play in the Midwest Region
semifinals next weekend.
“I’m willing to take that so we can go as far as we can,” Hagans said.
In moving forward, it’s not known whether or not
Washington will play next weekend in Kansas City, but Calipari simply
wants the Wildcats to stay the course and enjoy the ride.
“I just want my team in the hunt,” he said. “I want them playing at their best.”
Keith Taylor is sports editor for Kentucky Today. Reach him at keith.taylor@kentuckytoday.com or twitter @keithtaylor21.
