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Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 10-22-2014, 06:13 PM:

Being a point guard goes beyond your play on the court.

Andrew Harrison says being a point guard in college is nothing like being a point guard in high school.

“In college, you can close to not being the oldest guy on the team,” said Andrew Harrison here Wednesday during the Southeastern Conference Media Day. “You have got to prove yourself and earn their respect and make them want to follow you.

“It’s not awkward. You just have to prove yourself daily and lead by example.”

Harrison is not always the most vocal player on UK’s team, but he says he is plenty vocal enough to be the leader coach John Calipari wants.

“You can’t just say it and not do it,” he said. “If you see a player not working hard, you have got to be there when he needs you.”

He also said he learned last year not to let off-court distractions — or the clutter as Calipari calls it — bother you.

“You just have to play for yourself and your team. You cannot listen to what is going on outside the locker room,” Harrison, who was named to the all-SEC preseason second team Wednesday, said.

Part of that leadership included him being at the SEC Media Days along with his brother, Aaron, who was named the conference preseason player of the year.

“It is a good experience to be here,” he said. “Once you have been here (at Kentucky) a year, you have a lot of the same questions and I am glad to talk about my new teammates.”

Harrison goes into this year with questions about his play. He was often criticized last year for “bad body language” and not being a shutdown defender. Both are reasons he opted to stay at UK for his sophomore season rather than enter the NBA draft.

“He’s been really good. He’s taking care of his body. He’s playing with great pace. Even Tyler (Ulis) will tell you – Tyler will say, ‘You don’t realize how strong he is. I’ve played against all of them. He is strong.’ He’s a big point guard and great attitude about his team,” Calipari said when asked about Harrison’s summer improvement.

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