In the midst of all the hoopla of the opening game, one thing hasn't been talked about a whole lot... where in the world was DeAndre Liggins? Well, the word on the beat is that DeAndre hadn't practiced well, and because of that, didn't get to play in Monday night's contest. Apparently, Liggins and Stevenson were in the same boat coming into the game, the only difference was that Perry was given a few minutes at the end of the game to perform, and he did just that, scoring 11 points in just six minutes of action. Liggins, meanwhile, rode the pine for the entire game, never having a chance to redeem himself on the court.This whole situation of playing time has certainly helped us get to know Coach Cal a bit better. For all the things that he and our former Coach Clyde do differently (which is ALOT), one thing is the same... what happens on the practice floor equates playing time on gameday. While DeAndre was a popular sleeper pick as a surprise impact player this season, he'll have to learn the system, play hard in practice, and come ready to play everday, or he'll never get that chance.
It'll be interesting to see if Liggins sees any action on Friday, especially with the return of fellow guard John Wall to the rotation.
**UPDATE** There's a rumor going around the internet that Liggins was held out of the game as some sort of self-imposed sanction of some kind by Coach Cal and the UK compliance department. We can't confirm or deny this, so we're just adding this little note to let our readers know we're aware of the rumor. One thing was certain, Liggins was dressed out, while John Wall was not. Take that for what it's worth.
I was one of those drinking the Liggins coolaid coming into the season. It is too early to give up on him just yet, but definitely not the start to the season you would hope for from Dre.
ReplyDeleteIn my Blue-White game mock draft I took Liggins over Dodson, and I would certainly take a do over on that at this point. Liggins' strenghts should play well in this system, but he has to find a comfort level and a niche to contribute to this team. It is seemingly in his court. We have enough talent on this team that he might not get a ton of opportunites, so he had better take advantage of everyone that comes his way.
that comment was from me if there was any confusion..
ReplyDeleteI was surprised to see Liggins on the bench for the whole game, especially given the fact that Wall was not available. I hope he gets it together though, because I really think we'll need him as the season goes on.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't surprise me if he gets redshirted. He just isn't grasping it yet.
ReplyDeleteLiggins was dressed out but was sitting further down the bench then Wall...that can never be a good sign...
ReplyDelete