After the Florida game, Goose Givens questioned whether this team truly believed they could win. That’s bad enough, but now another Kentucky legend, Kenny Walker, believes things have to change. If not, Kentucky risks becoming “UCLA and Indiana” under Mark Pope.
“The talent was there but injuries started to pile up. I think that got into coach Pope’s head,” Walker said in an interview with Larry Vaught. “He had to play a lot of guys he was not ready to play… I think they got frustrated and confused and just have not been sure about their roles.”
The “confusion” factor: Trent Noah and Andrija Jelavic
Walker’s observation hits on the most frustrating part of the season. Trent Noah went from a starter to a player who never saw the floor, then suddenly he was back. Andrija Jelavic was in the rotation and then didn’t play for two weeks, only to suddenly return as a starter. That kind of confusion doesn’t help players grow or stay confident in who they are.
Even Malachi Moreno was forced into a spotlight Walker didn’t think he was ready for. “I really did not think he would play much, and now he is the best big guy we have,” Walker noted. While Moreno has been a bright spot, the drop-off to Brandon Garrison, who should be better in his second year in Lexington, is astonishing…