When they needed it most, fifth-year guard Antonio Reeves was the stabilizing presence for a young Kentucky team representing the United States, scoring a game-high 24 points in their 81-73 win over Germany in the opening men’s game at GLOBL JAM.
Alongside him was fifth-year big man Tre Mitchell who scored 20 points of his own while going four-for-six from long range in his first game as a Kentucky Wildcat after transferring from West Virginia in the off-season.
The problem with fielding one of the best recruiting classes in college basketball is that the inexperience littered throughout the lineup is evident. The impact of retaining Reeves and acquiring Mitchell was apparent in the Wildcats’ first game together as a team, particularly when it comes to the leadership both players brought.
“I expect that from me,” said Mitchell. “There’s a lot of young guys and I’ve seen it all at this point. I’ve seen a lot of basketball, a lot of crowds, a lot of moments. If I’m someone they can lean on when they need it, I’m here for it.”
Germany, though they came into the game as heavy underdogs, put up a serious fight. They finished the first frame tied at 17 apiece and were only down three at the half. They pulled within six with less than a minute to go but the U.S. was able to ice the game from the charity stripe.
They were led by wing Malte Delow, who plays his club basketball ALBA Berlin of the G-BBL, Germany’s top league. The 22-year-old showed his proficiency from long-range, going 5-for-11 from deep en route to a team-high 21 points.
Jonas Mattiseck (ALBA Berlin), the team captain, scored nine of his own and dished out eight assists. Big man Norris Agbakoko (EWE Baskets Oldenburg – G-BBL), taking advantage of Kentucky’s lack of big men, scored 13 points and grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds.
Elsewhere for the Wildcats, their big-name recruits didn’t have particularly big games in their first appearance in blue and white. No. 3 recruit Justin Edwards finished with four points, No. 15 Robert Dillingham had six and No. 23 Reed Sheppard had zero.
“Yesterday at the scrimmage, Reed [Sheppard] played unbelievable. If you were here you would’ve said wow,” said Kentucky coach John Calipari. “So today, after the game I said ‘I need you to say this: I couldn’t make a shot today. I couldn’t make a shot.’ And he just smiled”
Of the four top-25 recruits according to ESPN, D.J. Wagner, the five-star recruit from Camden, N.J. was the most complete product for the Wildcats. He scored 15 points while dishing out six assists and picking up two steals and blocks apiece.
Wagner – a combo guard who could be viewed as the heir to the prized Kentucky line of guards stretching from Canadians Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray to Devin Booker – showed an affinity for getting into the paint with shifty stop-start moves. He also knocked down clutch three-pointers in the fourth quarter to give Kentucky a 16-point lead and 13-point lead later in the frame.
“It’s been a good experience so far, just being able to play with that Kentucky on our chest,” said Wagner. “It’s an honour just to be able to go out there and play for America, especially wearing the Kentucky name as well.”
The Wildcats forced turnovers on back-to-back-to-back possessions early on, initiating a full-court press and taking advantage of Germany’s mistakes. They racked up a 13-6 turnover differential by the end of the first half and 22-13 by the end of the game.
However, Calipari wasn’t impressed by his team’s defence, particularly on close-outs, saying that they “left their feet a thousand times today.”
With fresh faces all around, Kentucky had to find a level of cohesion in their first game together to dig themselves out of a seven-point deficit in the second quarter.
They weren’t able to get quick rotations onto the perimeter to stop the hot-shooting Delow who finished the first half three-for-four from deep.
However, once the second half came around, the Wildcats pulled ahead, outscoring Germany by nine points in the third frame.
It was a victory, but it was tight for a Kentucky team that likely sees itself as having higher aspirations than a victory over Germany. Every team starts off somewhere, and today, the Wildcats and a stadium full of Big Blue fans saw the first steps of what they hope builds into something with real cohesion.
“It’s good to win the first one. You’ve got 10 practices, and I’ve got a brand new team,” said Calipari. “And you’re trying to say ‘Oh you’re only doing two or three things.’ That’s all we can do, we can’t even get it in on a side-out!”
“But they competed and that’s all you want to see. Do they have fight in them, do they play to win?”
Though the team was filled with new faces, they shared a common thread: The grit to win through all the hardships they dealt with in the lead-up to GLOBL JAM.
They lost eight players to the NBA or the transfer portal coming into the year including 2022 Consensus NCAA Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe and 12th overall draft pick Cason Wallace.
Unfortunately for Kentucky, they lost two big men ahead of the tournament. Highly recruited freshman Aaron Bradshaw (ranked No. 6 on ESPN 100) elected to undergo foot surgery to repair an injury in late June and sophomore Ugonna Onyenso sustained an ankle injury in a scrimmage on Tuesday ahead of the opening game.
Next on the docket for this Kentucky team is a game against host nation Canada on Thursday at 8:00 p.m. Germany will take on BAL Select (Africa) Thursday at 1:30 p.m.
The two squads hope to find themselves facing off once more come Sunday when the championship rolls around.
“Good first game for us, against a good team. One of their [Germany] players walked out and said ‘We want to see you again Sunday’ I said let’s do it,” said Calipari, accepting the European team’s challenge.
from Sportsnet.ca https://ift.tt/LYQaFeE
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