John Calipari Says This Kentucky Team Is the Hardest Working Team He Has Ever Coached

When Kentucky battled then No. 1 Kansas in the Champions Classic back at the beginning of the season, taking them to the wire, most came away from that game with the thought “Kentucky is back”. Despite the loss, the Wildcats displayed a star power and exciting style of play that had been absent in recent seasons under John Calipari.

This doesn’t just happen overnight, this happens because of the hard work and repetitions put in over time, building self-confidence, and collectively a team confidence, to be able to run with anyone as young as they are according to Calipari.

“You have to have so much supreme confidence that no one can take it away,” Calipari said after Kentucky’s win over Arkansas. “The only way you get that way is if you live in the gym.”

There is no better example of that than Justin Edwards.

Back in early January, Edwards was visibly in a low. Hitting the side of the backboard on a wide-open three against Missouri, Edwards was subbed out and put his head down on the bench. The support system was there from the staff and teammates and he was putting in the work in the gym, but things didn’t immediately get better. Over the next five games, Edwards averaged just 3.6 points on 35 percent shooting. Against Arkansas, he played just nine minutes.

Then a gradual improvement took place. First, it was grabbing four rebounds in a physical Tennessee game. Then it was putting up a career-high against Vanderbilt. Then playing some of his best defense in a loss against Gonzaga.

Now Edwards is playing with supreme self-confidence. Over the month of February, Edwwards averaged 10.9 points and 2.9 rebounds on 58.5 percent shooting from the field and 47.6 percent shooting from beyond the arc. This past Saturday against Arkansas, he was big down the stretch, recording three steals and hitting two straight baskets in just over 90 seconds to seal the win.

It’s not just Edwards, it’s the whole team.

“I’ve had players live in the gym. I’ve not had this many that live in the gym,” Calipari said.

Over the last few weeks, there have been breakout performances from multiple players (i.e. Edwards, Bradshaw, Burks, Ivisic) and that does not come without hard work. The bottom line is the guys on this team get it, from the star-studded freshman class to the elite veteran transfers. This team puts the work in, and hopefully, that will pay off in a big run in March.