Dick Weiss on College Basketball
NEW YORK—It hasn’t taken long for Kentucky’s 6-3 freshman guard Tyrese Maxey to become the newest hero in the Blue Grass.
Maxey became part of Wildcat folklore Tuesday night when lit up for Garden for 26 points as second-ranked Kentucky defeated top-ranked Michigan State, 69-62, in the feature game of the Champions Classic on the first night of the college basketball season.
A day after his 19th birthday, Maxey created a moment to remember in the final moments of the dramatic finish in a game that ended at 12:20 a.m. With the Cats clinging to a two-point lead, Maxey walked the ball up the floor and went to drive the middle. When the Spartans took away that option, Maxey took two power dribbles back toward the logo, then launched a deep a three-point jump several feet beyond the new international three-point line that got nothing but net and gave UK a 65-60 lead with 59 seconds remaining that turned out to be the dagger in the heart of a Spartans team.
“I’m like that,’’ Maxey said, flashing his infectious smile. “I honestly trust my training. I must have shot that shot a thousand times.’’
Maxey, came to Kentucky from Texas where he was named Mr. Basketball and the Dallas-Fort Worth Area Player of the Year in 2019 when he averaged 22.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.7 steals per game for South Garland. He was a McDonald’s All American who played the Team USA’s U19 2-18 gold medal team in the FIBA tournament of the Americans in Canada.
Maxey always pictured himself as When Calipari made his home visit to Maxey and his family, he had a pretty good idea Maxey would sign with the Cats. “There was a picture he drew of himself when he was in ninth grade with a Kentucky uniform on.’’
Maxey chose Kentucky over SMU, where his dad was the director of recruiting.
Maxey might not be the best freshman in the country, but he was easily the best freshman in a double header that featured four brand name teams– Kentucky, Michigan State, Duke and Kansas.
Don’t think NBA scouts and GMs didn’t notice.
There are no lock first picks in the draft like man child Zion Williamson in this freshman class. But Maxey is now in the conversation for the No. 1 pick in draft, along with 7-1 James Wiseman of Memphis, guard Anthony Edwards of Georgia and La Melo Ball, who plays in Australia. Maxey shot 7-for-12, including 3 of 7 from the NBA distance three and 9 of 10 from the free throw line. He has unlimited range. Maxey also finished with rebounds and one assist and played the type of intense defense that will make the Cats a championship contender again.
“I wanted him to come in firing,’’ UK coach John Calipari said.
Kentucky has been a perennial Final Four team under Calipari. They have been there in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015, winning it all in 2012 when 6-10 Anthony Davis was a freshman and the first pick in the draft. They looked like they could win it all in any of those years, and again in 2017, when they lost to eventual champion North Carolina in the Final Eight on a last second shot by Luke Maye.
This year’s Cats has a lethal combination of blue- chip freshmen and experienced sophomores. Guard Ashton Hagans is one of the best defenders in the country. Sophomore guard Immanuel Quickley is a five-star option off the bench, as is 7-0 junior Nick Richards. Nate Sestina, a 6-10 grad transfer from Bucknell, is a quality three- point shooter and 6-10 E.J. Montgomery can clean up mistakes. Maxey will lead a freshman group that includes wing Khalil Whitney, forward Keion Brooks and guard Jonny Juzang.
The veteran backcourt of Hagans and Quickley combine for 21 points, but the night belonged to Maxey. “He put on a show,’’ Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. “He’s got great intangibles. He’s happy -go-lucky but plays hard.’’
This was the first- time pre-season No. 1 and 2 have met since 1975 and the Cats made a strong case for being No. 1 in next week’s poll. Michigan State entered the season as the No. 1 team in the country for the first time, but aside from All American guard Cassius Winston, who finished with 21 points, the Spartans struggled to score.
Izzo wasn’t about wave any white flags.
“Do I look at us and say Kentucky is going to get better,’’ Izzo said. “I bet you we get better than they do. That’s how much we’ve got to improve and how much we can improve.”
