Will Camp Cal cure the ‘Cats?

After an ugly win against Samford, John Calipari was not all that happy with his team. A lackluster at best performance from the young ‘Cats saw them barely beat Samford in the 2nd half after leading 45-14 at halftime. Kentucky only scored 1 more point than the Bulldogs in the half, and Calipari thinks he knows why. In the post-game interviews, he stated the team must be out of shape. For them to not come out and step on the throat of Samford was discouraging to a lot of people, including myself. The 2nd half seemed to lull everyone to sleep after such a great performance in the first stanza. Coach Cal was probably the most discouraged his team didn’t play the full 40 minutes, so now the ‘Cats get to take a visit to Camp Cal.

What is this “Camp Cal”? With the middle of December approaching, the University of Kentucky will be inching towards their end of the semester final exams. After those exams are over, the NCAA mandated 20-hour a week practice limit will be lifted. Coach Cal will put these players through physical and mental workouts to prepare them for an upcoming conference slate. Kentucky will have a few cupcakes at home before heading down I-64 to meet the Louisville Cardinals on December 28th. Perhaps an ominous sign was sitting on the bench during the game with Samford. Strength and Conditioning coach Rock Oliver was among the Wildcats during the duration of the game. Calipari may have already asked him to analyze his players in game situations and form a workout plan to remedy their mental lapses and physical shortcomings.

As bad as this all sounds for the players, a lot of good can come from “Camp Cal”. Being together and going through these vigorous workouts will increase their bond with each other. Calipari has always said until the team can form together and play like brothers, they will not be special. When you care more about your teammate then you do yourself, that’s when you are going to Final Four’s and winning national championships. As for this group of ‘Cats, look for them to really show drastic improvements in their game over the next few weeks. As rabid as the Big Blue Nation can be, nobody will be harder on these guys and himself than coach John Calipari.