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03-02-2012, 10:26 PM
LEXINGTON, KY. â Senior Day for the University of Kentucky got off to an early start when a panel on ESPNâs âOutside the Linesâ spent a couple of segments talking about the one-and-done success of John Calipari.
And nobody would, with a straight face, try to argue that the recruitment of NBA-ready talent by Calipari was not the driving force behind the swift resurgence of this proud program.
But hereâs a statement I will make with a straight face.
It wouldnât have happened without Darius Miller.
Oh, UK wouldâve won plenty of games. It wouldâve earned high tournament seeds, climbed in the national rankings. It certainly wouldâve beaten Georgia on Senior Night in Rupp Arena Thursday, although Miller tossed in a team-high 17 points in a 79-49 win.
But look back to last season.
UK doesnât go to the Final Four without Miller. In fact, while one-and-dones were the subject of the day on Thursday, nobody mentioned that Calipari ended a 13-year UK Final Four absence with a team heavy on overachieving upperclassmen.
The guy who has become one of UKâs best late-game performers this season passed up a couple of chances to make big shots late in games a year ago. Remember the loss at Ole Miss, when Miller had an open look late and passed it up?
Weeks later, he was holding up the SEC Tournament Most Valuable Player trophy.
But what about this season? Surely a team with Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrence Jones and the rest wouldâve been fine without Miller.
Sure they wouldâve. But they wouldnât be 29-1. They wouldnât be perfect in the SEC. By my count, the statistic on how many times Calipari has said at some point after games, âWe won this because of Darius Miller,â is five.
The C-Jâs Kyle Tucker outlined Millerâs late-game exploits in a story on Thursday: In the final 10 minutes of UKâs 10 closest games, he is 15 of 20 from the field, 5 of 8 from three-point range and 13 of 14 from the free-throw line.
Miller has been described as a âglue guy,â but that works on several levels. Heâs an experienced player who seems to know what this team needs and when it needs it.
And heâs a player who binds UKâs frustrating not-to-distant past to its promising present.
Donât underestimate this. UK has never been to a Final Four, much less won a national title, without a native Kentuckian among its top five in scoring.
And while a bunch of one-and-dones has drawn the headlines, a former Kentucky Mr. Basketball from Maysville has stood in the middle of it and very much provided an understated substance to the new style brought by Calipari.
A lot of talented guys came to UK in the 13 years between its last Final Four and last seasonâs run. I donât know if anyone wouldâve picked Darius Miller to be the most instrumental Kentucky kid in breaking the drought.
His long-term place in the UK story probably is greater than many now realize. And heâs further proof that there remains a special bond between in-state stars and this storied program.
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/2...ext|Sports
And nobody would, with a straight face, try to argue that the recruitment of NBA-ready talent by Calipari was not the driving force behind the swift resurgence of this proud program.
But hereâs a statement I will make with a straight face.
It wouldnât have happened without Darius Miller.
Oh, UK wouldâve won plenty of games. It wouldâve earned high tournament seeds, climbed in the national rankings. It certainly wouldâve beaten Georgia on Senior Night in Rupp Arena Thursday, although Miller tossed in a team-high 17 points in a 79-49 win.
But look back to last season.
UK doesnât go to the Final Four without Miller. In fact, while one-and-dones were the subject of the day on Thursday, nobody mentioned that Calipari ended a 13-year UK Final Four absence with a team heavy on overachieving upperclassmen.
The guy who has become one of UKâs best late-game performers this season passed up a couple of chances to make big shots late in games a year ago. Remember the loss at Ole Miss, when Miller had an open look late and passed it up?
Weeks later, he was holding up the SEC Tournament Most Valuable Player trophy.
But what about this season? Surely a team with Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrence Jones and the rest wouldâve been fine without Miller.
Sure they wouldâve. But they wouldnât be 29-1. They wouldnât be perfect in the SEC. By my count, the statistic on how many times Calipari has said at some point after games, âWe won this because of Darius Miller,â is five.
The C-Jâs Kyle Tucker outlined Millerâs late-game exploits in a story on Thursday: In the final 10 minutes of UKâs 10 closest games, he is 15 of 20 from the field, 5 of 8 from three-point range and 13 of 14 from the free-throw line.
Miller has been described as a âglue guy,â but that works on several levels. Heâs an experienced player who seems to know what this team needs and when it needs it.
And heâs a player who binds UKâs frustrating not-to-distant past to its promising present.
Donât underestimate this. UK has never been to a Final Four, much less won a national title, without a native Kentuckian among its top five in scoring.
And while a bunch of one-and-dones has drawn the headlines, a former Kentucky Mr. Basketball from Maysville has stood in the middle of it and very much provided an understated substance to the new style brought by Calipari.
A lot of talented guys came to UK in the 13 years between its last Final Four and last seasonâs run. I donât know if anyone wouldâve picked Darius Miller to be the most instrumental Kentucky kid in breaking the drought.
His long-term place in the UK story probably is greater than many now realize. And heâs further proof that there remains a special bond between in-state stars and this storied program.
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/2...ext|Sports
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