Wildcat Den

South Carolina coach Darrin Horn sees Kentucky guard John Wall as one of the top guards in the nation.
“I think he’s special,” Horn said earlier this week. “I don’t think there’s any question about that.”
Although Wall can score at any pace at any given time, Horn said it’s Wall’s versatility that stands out on the court.
“I think what separates him is he’s not a guy who can just go out and get 25 points.  He’s a guy that impacts every area of the game,” the South Carolina coach said. “He’s had some huge blocks in recent games and that helps save games.  I think that’s an example of where his ability and athleticism allows him to literally impact the game in every area and ultimately that’s what makes him special.”
Wall had a clutch block in Kentucky’s win over Vanderbilt in Nashville last weekend and has a knack for making key plays and free throws in key situations.
Although Wall isn’t afraid to pull the trigger, Kentucky coach John Calipari would like to see his team to shoot the ball without deferring to other players.
“It didn’t happen 20 times (at Vanderbilt). On those, they lead to bad shots or turnovers,” he said. “We are one of best offensive rebounding teams in the country. Only three things can happen if you shoot. You make, and I like that. You miss and we rebound and make and I like that. You miss and they rebound, I don’t like bit but I am okay because we get two out of three.
“We have guys not making shots and won’t shoot, so they can not be in the game. They say, ‘What if I am 0-for-5? I am embarrassed.’ Get in the gym and spend more time. Be in there at 11 o’clock at night. It doesn’t happen in two days.”
Calipari said other teams are aware of the Cats’ ability to knock down shots from the perimeter.
“There are still times we do not shoot well because there are times we are tentative,“ Calipari said. “We are better than everybody gives us credit. That’s why Kevin (Stallings) went man to man. He did not want to give us open threes.
“All this stuff about you have got to play us zone - but the two teams that beat us and played us tough played man to man in Vanderbilt and South Carolina. There is not one way to play us. You have to go into game and figure it out.”