Lancers find bright side in losses to Kentucky
By Josh Kolm
Sports Editor
August 31, 2010
 The University of Windsor once again hosted the OUA/NCAA Tip-Off Classic Weekend, featuring the Lancer Men’s Basketball team in a pair of games against one of the top ranked American basketball programs, the University of Kentucky Wildcats. Despite the scores, the weekend was worthwhile for everyone.
Out of the gate, the Lancers hung in with the Wildcats, matching them basket for basket and trading leads through the beginning of the first half. The Lancers played best when they took their time with the ball and set up on offense, not allowing the bigger, rougher Kentucky team to force the ball out of Windsor control.
However, the Wildcats’ super-aggressive style on offense and defense, well-suited to a team unfamiliar with playing together, eventually got to the Lancers and forced them off their game for most of the weekend. While finishing the games with 18 and 23 turnovers is by no means desirable, the most harmful statistic was the Lancers’ shooting percentages. Finishing the first game with 31 per cent shooting, the Lancers were unable to finish on many of their offensive drives, allowing the Wildcats to score nearly a dozen points with no answer on several occasions.
Despite being an exhibition game against a non-NCAA team, Kentucky Head Coach John Calipari forced his starters to log the same amount of time they would in a normal game. While returning starter and future NBA star Darius Miller impressed as expected, the big name over the weekend was freshman Brandon Knight, who finished with nearly 30 points in both games.
“He’s fast,” Isaac Kuon said about trying to play defense against Knight. “Really, really fast.”
The Lancers were not without impressive performances. Kuon scored 40 points over the two games, while Lien Phillip contributed 25 points, 3 blocks and 2 steals.
A pleasant surprise for Lancer fans was seeing fifth-year forward Andre Smyth on the court. Smyth was a question mark during the off-season as he waited on academic options.
Smyth had 11 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks in the first game. Despite lower numbers in the second, Smyth still managed to impress. Smyth was taken out of the game for 10 minutes after an elbow from Knight left him with a bloody nose. With wads of paper towel protruding from his nose, Smyth made up for lost time on defense under the net, and finished the game with 3 blocks.
The main benefit of the weekend for the Wildcats was a chance to get some competitive play for the young team. Miller is the only starter to return from last year’s squad.
For Chris Oliver, the biggest benefit was the recognition it brought to Windsor. Steakhouses and bars aside, Oliver said the games, broadcast nation-wide in the US, brought new recognition to the athletic program at the university.
“During the game, I got emails from players in the U.S. who are interested in finding out more about our program,” Oliver said.
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