Kentucky’s Ulis makes big impression with SEC coaches
If needing a slogan for a Player of the Year campaign for Tyler Ulis, Kentucky could borrow from one of the Republican presidential candidates. How about: Tyler! Judging from this week’s teleconference, the UK point guard would have strong support in a caucus of Southeastern Conference coaches. When asked about Ulis’ candidacy for SEC Player of the Year, the coaches enthusiastically approved that message.
When asked where Ulis stood in such a race with six league games remaining, Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said, “Perhaps, at the very top,” then chuckled.
“He’s a guy who plays the game exactly how it should be played,” Stallings said, “and rarely deviates from that. That’s a rare commodity to have in your point guard.”
Several SEC coaches mentioned Ulis’ basketball intelligence, steadiness on the court, ability to make teammates better and leadership.
Florida coach Mike White said he saw all this on game tape as he prepared for the Gators’ game at Kentucky on Feb. 6.
“But I appreciated Tyler at an entirely different level when we competed live in Rupp Arena,” White said. “I thought he completely dominated the game offensively and defensively. …
“I thought he was their engine.”
It’s an engine with a high-performance motor, which caught White’s eye as Kentucky soundly whipped Florida.
“His motor jumped out,” White said, meaning Ulis’ endurance. “I knew he was fast and he was quick, but he played unbelievably hard every second he was on the floor. … He just seems like he’s an ultracompetitive kid.”
Ulis’ endurance defies his size. At 5-9 and 160 pounds, he would seem to invite a strategy of wearing him down.
“I’m sure it’s happened,” White said of such a plan by opponents. “I’m not sure if you try it, you’d try it again.
“I know when they come back to our place (March 1), that thought won’t cross my mind. I don’t know if you can wear that guy down.”
UK coach John Calipari went beyond the primaries and pushed Ulis for a national election.
“I think it’s beyond just SEC Player (of the Year),” he said. “Obviously, he should be mentioned. I was looking at why about (National) Player of the Year? … He has numbers you don’t see except every five to 10 years.”
And, Calipari said, Ulis is getting better. In Kentucky’s last three games, he’s had 31 assists and three turnovers. That ratio is 36to-4 in the last four games.
In the last three games, Ulis has made 20 of 37 shots. He’s eight of 17 from 3-point range in the last four games.
“I forget he’s only a sophomore,” Mississippi Coach Andy Kennedy said. “Because it seems like he plays like a fifth-year senior.”
Ulis bolstered his Player of the Year credentials in Kentucky’s victory at South Carolina on Saturday. Not only did he score a careerhigh 27 points and hand out a career-high 12 assists, he got credit for coaching UK’s offense in the absence of Calipari, who was ejected with 17:34 left in the first half.
Freshman Jamal Murray scored 26 points in UK’s 8962 defeat of South Carolina.
“What he and Murray did at South Carolina without Coach Cal on the sideline was absolutely mindboggling i mpressive,” Mississippi State coach Ben Howland said.
“I was just blown away by that score because I know how good South Carolina is, and how tough they are. (Ulis and Murray) were just incredibly dominant.”