Kentucky’s first night of the season brought a comfortable 85-57 win over Manhattan, but Mark Pope spent part of Tuesday talking about a different kind of opponent: the noise that follows a high-profile program everywhere it goes.
Pope made it clear his team is not spending much time chasing outside opinions. The message inside the program has been consistent from day one.
"The most important thing for our team that we’ve said since the first day we were here is that the only opinion that matters to us is the one in our locker room," Pope said Tuesday after the win.
He said Kentucky works on that idea constantly.
"We practice that. We actually talk about it," he said.
"We’ve broken that down a hundred different ways. We probably address it every other day."
That approach matters in a world where online criticism can turn ugly fast, and Kentucky has already felt it this season. Zoom Diallo drew angry posts during the exhibition slate, some of them vile enough that he temporarily suspended his own accounts.
Diallo’s adjustment has been one of the early storylines for this team. The former Washington point guard averaged 6.0 points, 4.7 assists and 2.7 rebounds in Kentucky’s three wins, shooting 38 percent from the field and 25 percent from 3-point range.
At Washington last season, he averaged nearly 16 points for a Huskies team that finished 16-17 overall and 7-13 in Big Ten games. There, he had room to pound the ball and create.
At Kentucky, that style is not the plan.
The Wildcats want pace, movement and quick decisions. In these first games, the ball has moved fast until it reaches Diallo, where things have looked sticky.
"He’s coming into a new situation like all of our players are and learning how to play with new guys in a new environment," Pope said. "He’s going to continue to grow, he’s going to get more comfortable in the vibe of what we’re doing."
Pope also pointed out how easy it is for critics to zoom in on one play or one stat and build a whole story around it.
He said critics are going to "nitpick individual plays or individual stats or individual things, and we are all drawn to that because those are the easy stories to tell."
Diallo’s response in the opener was a step forward. Against Manhattan, he finished with 12 points, two assists, two steals and four turnovers, and he was greeted by loud "Zooooommmmm!" cheers at Rupp Arena throughout the night.
"It brought that joy out that I needed," Diallo said after the game.
Pope sees more than numbers when he looks at Diallo.
"Zoom is an integral part of this team," Pope said. "Zoom is like the great connector of our team.
His value is going to be always more than his numbers. He’s going to continue to grow and have success and he’s going to be a crucial part of what we are as a team this entire season."
For Pope, the bigger issue is how the group handles the outside static that comes with the job. His answer is to keep the focus tight and the message simple.
"The only thing the noise does is it takes away energy from this pursuit of what you’re trying to accomplish in the locker room and on the court," Pope said. "Our guys are learning this really important life skill. That is, it’s really important that you have the capacity and the discipline to block out the noise, and then the noise that filters in, you just use it as motivation.
"Everybody’s going to face criticism, it’s part of the world today and it’s part of life," Pope said. "But we are not scared of it.
We’ve got work to do and we are focused on the work and we are focused on winning. That’s where we spend our time."
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Kentucky Heads Into Tennessee With One Big Availability Concern
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Tennessees report brings its own set of concerns, with multiple long-term injuries and several starters already ruled out for the season. For Kentucky, the bigger question is how much the latest availability shift changes the rotation and whether the Wildcats can absorb the absences well enough to stay competitive in a game where depth and health may matter as much as anything else. [Read more 🡒]
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Lance Heard Is Giving Kentucky Fans One More Reason To Watch Tennessee
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Heard has logged 461 snaps and drawn praise for both his performance and the way he has carried himself inside the program. Coach Will Stein has singled out Heards leadership and overall impact heading into Kentuckys matchup with Tennessee, adding another layer to a game that already carries plenty of weight for the Wildcats. [Read more 🡒]