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Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 09-29-2013, 04:31 PM:

It's good to hear Calipari is excited about his players, it sounds like he can't wait for the season to start. He says he is going to let them run a lot and with the depth of this team means a ton of excitement for all concerned.

CBSSports.com: Have you ever anticipated the start of a season like the one you're about to begin?

Calipari: I've been doing this a long time. I'm just focusing on this team and these guys and what we have to do. What is the best way to play with this group? There's a lot of ways we can play. We're going to press a little bit more. I like what I see from guys like Marcus Lee. He's a high energy guy who I'm going to have to find time for. There's a lot of different things we're going to have to work out. It's not normal doing what we're doing and I tell people "don't try this." Every year we have a new team. I can't say right now that I know how we're going to play. I can't say we're going to do these drills or use this system. We know we're going to play fast. We know we're going to be a great defensive team. We know we're going to share the ball. We know we're going to use a little more dribble-drive. How do we play pick and rolls though with this group? What's our zone offense with this group? It's different from last year's group. Every year we have to figure out our team which means early in the season we won't be nearly as good as we'll be later in the year.

CBSSports.com: You won a National Championship two years ago by only really playing seven guys. What is it like to have the type of depth that you have?

Calipari: Well when you look at it, we have seven or eight guys and then we have a couple of others vying for minutes. I think any team that's going to be a really good basketball team, seven is about the number. I've had two people in my life tell me that. One is Jack Leaman when I was at UMass, the other was Coach Wooden. I called him and talked to him about my 2010 team and he said "you're playing too many guys." He told me when he was at UCLA they only played six or seven guys and they fought every day in practice to develop a team. That's how you learn to play together. I don't know if you can play nine or 10 guys and win at the level we hope to win at.

CBSSports.com: Two years ago you talked about how important your veterans -- Doron Lamb, Terrence Jones, and Darius Miller -- were in terms of leadership because they had played in the Final Four the year prior. How different is that dynamic now because your returning players played in the NIT and not the NCAA Tournament?

Calipari: That's hard. Willie (Cauley-Stein) and Alex (Poythress) and Jon Hood, the experience they had wasn't good last year. We're asking them to do what Terrence (Jones), Darius (Miller), and Doron (Lamb) did two years ago but those guys had been to the Final Four the year before. Those three returning players were very important two years ago. That's part of coming together. The question is how fast can we come together? Can we get guys to play for each other and not for themselves? It's all questions that aren't answered right now.

CBSSports.com: How would you compare Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's motor two years ago to Julius Randle's right now?

Calipari: Until we get into games and Julius is really comfortable playing, making mistakes, missing some shots, and not letting it affect how he responds -- that's when you find out where that motor really is. We're going to drive and drive and drive. We're going to miss four footers. We're going to miss layups. Now, does that affect you? Michael just kept playing. That's something Julius has got to learn, but he's physical. He's probably more physical than Michael. He's probably not the agile athlete that Michael was but he's still a good athlete. It will be interesting to see how that plays out.

CBSSports.com: A big part of your success the past five or so years has been due to elite guard play. Do the freshmen you brought in this year have a chance to take a seat at that table?

Calipari: Andrew and Aaron Harrison have got some myths to bust. You talk about two great kids who when it's time compete at that level will be ready. Now there's been times when the competition wasn't high or they got bored and they stepped back. My challenge is to keep them involved. I think you'll find that they're different than guys I've had. They're bigger. They're 6-5, 220. Derrick Rose wasn't that big. I don't think Tyreke Evans was that big. John Wall was kind of in between that and he was faster. Brandon Knight wasn't as big but could really shoot the ball. He was a different type of point guard. I think Aaron and Andrew bring great size. They should be two great defenders. They've got to be in shape. They've got to be used to staying in a stance. But they should be two great defenders.

CBSSports.com: You talked a lot two years about how important it was to have a sixth man like Darius Miller. Could James Young be that for this team?

Calipari: He could be. I think we have seven starters with Willie, Alex, Dakari Johnson, James, the twins, and Julius. We've got seven guys who can all start so two are going to come off the bench. In a normal season, the sixth man always seems to get the most minutes on my team. I don't know, but the rotation works out that the sixth man gets the most minutes and even the seventh man is going to get around 20 minutes a game. It will be interesting to see.

CBSSports.com: Out of all the players that you've brought in so far, who has been the biggest surprise?

Calipari: Probably Aaron Harrison. People say there's this big difference between him and Andrew --- I laugh. They've got the same DNA. I will say this. Their personalities are different, but Aaron has played really well up to this point.

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Posted by handycat (Member # 2323) on 09-29-2013, 05:32 PM:

Kind of sounds like Coach may be thinking about going with a 7 man rotation. I would have thought it would have been at least 8 and maybe more. I'm guessing he may no a little more about this than me.

Posted by Bama Cat (Member # 153) on 09-29-2013, 05:44 PM:

Still don't like what Wooden and Calipari say about playing 6 or 7 players. I know there is only 200 minutes a game for a team. But has Wooden or Calipari ever had a team like Pitino's 1996 team?? I think not. They have had 6 or 7 outstanding guys who have won championships for them, true. But Pitino managed 10 great college players who all had a part in the championship. It will be interesting to watch and see if we have 10 guys who get enough time to contribute to a championship. I think this is the year that Calipari gets his biggest challenge to manage so many good players and come away with a championship. I know in 96 we had some experience along with some new faces. We have 5 guys who have played significant minutes before so the excuse of not enough experience can be used only so far. I know we have 8 new freshmen but they should all be able to contribute something to the cause, if given a chance. This is the year Calipari has been waiting for and now that it is near the excitement is overwhelming. I just hope it doesn't overwhelm Cal into forgetting he has good reserves on the bench for this year.