bearcat jeff
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The kid they call Killer was the third option off the Bearcats' bench Wednesday night. The player UC assistant coach George Jackson calls "Microwave'' didn't start nuking jump shots until 12 minutes remained in the first half.
Microwave?
"As soon as I get in, it's instant scoring," Sean Kilpatrick allowed. I told him Jackson borrowed the nickname from a former Detroit Pistons guard Vinnie Johnson. Vinnie was the original Microwave. He "heated up" the Bad Boy Pistons, 25 years ago.
Kilpatrick, who is 21, had never heard of Vinnie Johnson. "Was he good?" Kilpatrick asked.
Yeah, in a Sixth Man Deluxe kind of way. If Sean Kilpatrick keeps working hard, keeps doing what Mick Cronin says and keeps pouring in points-per-minute faster than any of his teammates, he, too, might actually graduate to Sixth Man status.
Right now, he's the best Eighth Man in America. Has to be.
Dear Mick: Can we please get Microwave Jr. a few more minutes?
Eleven Bearcats participated in Wednesday night's 74-66 bump-around win over South Florida. In the first half. For the year, no Bearcat averages more than 27 minutes a game; 10 average at least 11 minutes. Cronin's everybody-plays policy has its benefits. Everybody feels a part of things. The Bearcats starting 10 can be harder to defend. But who scores?
Close game late, who gets the ball? Who takes the shot?
The Bearcats' shared wealth makes that a hard question to answer. The proverbial Go To Guy is who, exactly? This is important, especially when you hear Cronin offer this stat:
Twenty-four percent of Big East conference games last winter came down to the last possession. Who takes the shot? This is especially important in March, when games and throats get tighter.
These Bearcats are fun to watch. They are high energy. They enjoy one another's company on the court. They play want-to defense. They've been effective, to now, playing a casting-call roster of people. Who takes the last shot?
"I've been scoring all my life," Kilpatrick said. "I can score from everywhere."
Killer - "I've always had the nickname and the killer mentality," he explains - is not cocky, wondering why he's averaging just 19 minutes a game.
Exactly the opposite. "I pick up the slack for what other guys aren't doing," he said. "Basically, it's whatever coach (Cronin) wants me to do."
Wednesday, Kilpatrick scored 12 points in the last nine minutes of the first half. He opened with a three-pointer, proceeded with a drive in the lane, took a pass off a steal for a layup, drilled a three from the left wing, then finished with two free throws.
Microwave, indeed.
Against Wright State, Kilpatrick had 26 points in 28 minutes. Seton Hall, it was 14 in 18. He torched St. Francis for 21 in 25 minutes. Think of what he could if he played more than half the game.
Some teams might have the luxury of playing a guy named Killer 19 minutes a game. Some might be accomplished enough to keep Microwave Jr. on the bench for the first eight minutes of a conference game. UC isn't yet one of those teams.
Kilpatrick isn't arguing that case. He says coming off the bench is "a huge adjustment. Accepting that role is huge for me." It'd be for you, too, if you averaged 28 points a game in high school and spent your summers earning the Killer nickname in the pickup wars at Rucker Park in Harlem.
Kilpatrick is handling it well. "I'm happy that I'm accepting that role," he says.
OK, fine. It builds character. But for how long?
He has a Big East game. He has a Big East body. At 6-4 and 215 pounds, he can score from anywhere. The Bearcats come at you in waves, which is fine for the moment. At some point, Microwave Jr. has to be the first to hit the beach.
"Hopefully, everything goes into that," he says. "Right now, I'm scoring and doing the dirty work. Whatever coach wants."
Put him in, coach. Sooner. Microwave is ready to play.
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/...1007/SPT/Doc-Time-to-take-wraps-off-Microwave
Microwave?
"As soon as I get in, it's instant scoring," Sean Kilpatrick allowed. I told him Jackson borrowed the nickname from a former Detroit Pistons guard Vinnie Johnson. Vinnie was the original Microwave. He "heated up" the Bad Boy Pistons, 25 years ago.
Kilpatrick, who is 21, had never heard of Vinnie Johnson. "Was he good?" Kilpatrick asked.
Yeah, in a Sixth Man Deluxe kind of way. If Sean Kilpatrick keeps working hard, keeps doing what Mick Cronin says and keeps pouring in points-per-minute faster than any of his teammates, he, too, might actually graduate to Sixth Man status.
Right now, he's the best Eighth Man in America. Has to be.
Dear Mick: Can we please get Microwave Jr. a few more minutes?
Eleven Bearcats participated in Wednesday night's 74-66 bump-around win over South Florida. In the first half. For the year, no Bearcat averages more than 27 minutes a game; 10 average at least 11 minutes. Cronin's everybody-plays policy has its benefits. Everybody feels a part of things. The Bearcats starting 10 can be harder to defend. But who scores?
Close game late, who gets the ball? Who takes the shot?
The Bearcats' shared wealth makes that a hard question to answer. The proverbial Go To Guy is who, exactly? This is important, especially when you hear Cronin offer this stat:
Twenty-four percent of Big East conference games last winter came down to the last possession. Who takes the shot? This is especially important in March, when games and throats get tighter.
These Bearcats are fun to watch. They are high energy. They enjoy one another's company on the court. They play want-to defense. They've been effective, to now, playing a casting-call roster of people. Who takes the last shot?
"I've been scoring all my life," Kilpatrick said. "I can score from everywhere."
Killer - "I've always had the nickname and the killer mentality," he explains - is not cocky, wondering why he's averaging just 19 minutes a game.
Exactly the opposite. "I pick up the slack for what other guys aren't doing," he said. "Basically, it's whatever coach (Cronin) wants me to do."
Wednesday, Kilpatrick scored 12 points in the last nine minutes of the first half. He opened with a three-pointer, proceeded with a drive in the lane, took a pass off a steal for a layup, drilled a three from the left wing, then finished with two free throws.
Microwave, indeed.
Against Wright State, Kilpatrick had 26 points in 28 minutes. Seton Hall, it was 14 in 18. He torched St. Francis for 21 in 25 minutes. Think of what he could if he played more than half the game.
Some teams might have the luxury of playing a guy named Killer 19 minutes a game. Some might be accomplished enough to keep Microwave Jr. on the bench for the first eight minutes of a conference game. UC isn't yet one of those teams.
Kilpatrick isn't arguing that case. He says coming off the bench is "a huge adjustment. Accepting that role is huge for me." It'd be for you, too, if you averaged 28 points a game in high school and spent your summers earning the Killer nickname in the pickup wars at Rucker Park in Harlem.
Kilpatrick is handling it well. "I'm happy that I'm accepting that role," he says.
OK, fine. It builds character. But for how long?
He has a Big East game. He has a Big East body. At 6-4 and 215 pounds, he can score from anywhere. The Bearcats come at you in waves, which is fine for the moment. At some point, Microwave Jr. has to be the first to hit the beach.
"Hopefully, everything goes into that," he says. "Right now, I'm scoring and doing the dirty work. Whatever coach wants."
Put him in, coach. Sooner. Microwave is ready to play.
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/...1007/SPT/Doc-Time-to-take-wraps-off-Microwave
