Why do we practice in the Craft Center?

[LowCountryCat]

My understanding is that our opponents get to practice in Rupp Arena but we have to practice in the Craft center. So we spend all day practicing in a different arena than the one we play in. It’s been a theory for a while that that is what affects our shooting. Especially from long range. Funny how our opponents never really seem to suffer from that same problem.

if I am incorrect about this please correct it. But if I am right about this, why do we do it? Is Rupp Arena fragile or something?

 

[chroix]

My understanding is that our opponents get to practice in Rupp Arena but we have to practice in the Craft center. So we spend all day practicing in a different arena than the one we play in. It’s been a theory for a while that that is what affects our shooting. Especially from long range. Funny how our opponents never really seem to suffer from that same problem.

if I am incorrect about this please correct it. But if I am right about this, why do we do it? Is Rupp Arena fragile or something?

Wouldn’t have changed anything Saturday right?

 

[26MichaelUK]

My understanding is that our opponents get to practice in Rupp Arena but we have to practice in the Craft center. So we spend all day practicing in a different arena than the one we play in. It’s been a theory for a while that that is what affects our shooting. Especially from long range. Funny how our opponents never really seem to suffer from that same problem.

if I am incorrect about this please correct it. But if I am right about this, why do we do it? Is Rupp Arena fragile or something?

Having played in a huge arena its like night and day shooting in a small enclosed gym and then Rupp. It messes up your depth perception like crazy.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

This can't be true, can it? Or maybe something we're missing? Any way we can confirm this?

Absolutely no reason we should be practicing anywhere else and letting the other team get reps in Rupp. Talk about such a silly setup and something easy to fix.

 

[SemperFiCat]

Well, they should be used to it. They do shoot arounds in there. And not like they've never been in there. I hear ya, but I wouldn't think it's the issue. Who knows.

Ha, reminds me of the scene from Hoosiers when coach Dale had them measure the court.

 

[KYWildCatsFan]

This can't be true, can it? Or maybe something we're missing? Any way we can confirm this?

Absolutely no reason we should be practicing anywhere else and letting the other team get reps in Rupp. Talk about such a silly setup and something easy to fix.

This is a long known fact and It makes no sense at all. Why not practice where you play? Just absolutely no sense.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

This is a long known fact and It makes no sense at all. Why not practice where you play? Just absolutely no sense.

So stupid. Maybe this board could focus all its energy lately into something we can actually fix. UK should be practicing in Rupp tomorrow and the other team can go practice in the park for all I care.

We sure have other problems.. but this probably fixes our 3pt percentage enough that it could have meant a win on Saturday and maybe a few other wins throughout the years

 

[K_TIME]

Practicing in Craft Center/Memorial and playing in Rupp hasn't hurt

Monk, Murray, Lamb, Derek Willis, Knight, Meeks, Prince, Fitch, Sparks, Anderson, Delk, Ford, Mash, Pelphrey, Chapman, Master, Givens, etc....

No more than kept these guys from being good shooters

Wheeler, Boston, Hami, Briscoe, MKG, Rondo, Turner, Davender, Minniefield, etc....

When you have a 20+ seating arena...it's going to be multi purpose no matter how you slice it. So you're going practice in a seperate gym than you play. UL does not practice in the YUM. If you want to go like Duke and build a 9k facility......it's not going to happen. This is a non issue...you recruit and perfect shooters no matter where it is.

 

[Ky_Bred_Cat]

UK doesn't own Rupp Arena so I believe cost, logistics and scheduling challenges are factors.

 

[LowCountryCat]

Practicing in Craft Center/Memorial and playing in Rupp hasn't hurt

Monk, Murray, Lamb, Derek Willis, Knight, Meeks, Prince, Fitch, Sparks, Anderson, Delk, Ford, Mash, Pelphrey, Chapman, Master, Givens, etc....

No more than kept these guys from being good shooters

Wheeler, Boston, Hami, Briscoe, MKG, Rondo, Turner, Davender, Minniefield, etc....

When you have a 20+ seating arena...it's going to be multi purpose no matter how you slice it. So you're going practice in a seperate gym than you play. UL does not practice in the YUM. If you want to go like Duke and build a 9k facility......it's not going to happen. This is a non issue...you recruit and perfect shooters no matter where it is.

Depth perception is a real issue.

 

[NC Weasel]

UK doesn't own Rupp, so its multi-use. Visiting teams get game day shoot around. This isn't the issue.

 

[chroix]

We should have an on campus arena. Would fix this. Also I love the idea of making our opponents warm up in a park.

 

[Atrain7732]

This is always bothered me as UK’s home gym you would Expect they could workout a system where the team could practice there 1-2 times a week.

Having said that, as others have mentioned, this has zero to do with our issues this year.

 

[K_TIME]

Depth perception is a real issue.

So what's your solution...build a 20k facilty on campus that only UK b-bball can access?

 

[Ugoff]

Perhaps it's time to move back to Memorial. We could almost fill it.

 

[rick64]

This topic has been brought up NUMEROUS times over the years. The horse is dead, and in the can already.

 

[serdi]

UK doesn't own Rupp Arena so I believe cost, logistics and scheduling challenges are factors.

Should have never moved out of Memorial Coliseum...could have knocked out the wall on the Ave. of Champions end and had close to 17,000...biggest mistake ever made was moving out of there.

 

[WildcatfaninOhio]

I thought that The Craft Center was designed as a practice facility. That’s where teams practice. You can have the team workout. Then maybe go to the video room to review tape of the upcoming opponent. Then go directly to the practice court to practice. Wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense to pack up and drive downtown to Rupp Arena to practice.

And as I type this I realize that it sorta sounds like an AI postgame interview.

 

[DraftCat]

Having played in a huge arena its like night and day shooting in a small enclosed gym and then Rupp. It messes up your depth perception like crazy.

People don't understand it until they actually play. I tend to shoot really really well in small gyms but the bigger ones I struggle. Likely cause I don't play there enough.

 

[Kats meow]

…but this probably fixes our 3pt percentage enough that it could have meant a win on Saturday and maybe a few other wins throughout the years

How so? Saturday’s game was in South Bend.
We’ve been practicing in the Craft Center since 2007. Why is this just recently becoming such a problem?

 

[Joerules19]

People don't understand it until they actually play. I tend to shoot really really well in small gyms but the bigger ones I struggle. Likely cause I don't play there enough.

lmao

 

[fastpaste101]

Make the visiting team practice at an elementary school and shoot around on the 9 foot rims. Screw em.

 

[Anon1658882690]

Well, they should be used to it. They do shoot arounds in there. And not like they've never been in there. I hear ya, but I wouldn't think it's the issue. Who knows.

Ha, reminds me of the scene from Hoosiers when coach Dale had them measure the court.

Rim.. He measured the rim showing it was 10' same as their gyms..

 

[Anon1658882690]

Make the visiting team practice at an elementary school and shoot around on the 9 foot rims. Screw em.

Our grade school rims were always 10'.. Was solid backboards. Graduated in '88-'89 year.. Sometime in the 90s they put adjustable backboards in all grade schools.. I can't remember any basketball before I started playing in 6th grade.. Was county champs all 4 years I played and then regional champs in soph,, jr and sr year in high school that went to state.. Soph year was played at freedom hall when it rotated back n forth from rupp and freedom hall.. Think that was last year the did that.. Football was the main sport back in grade school.. They took grade-school football serious back then.. You started about 3rd grade playing football.. 6th grade basketball..

 

[Dr. H Lecter]

Because the Coal Lodge where they actually live is like 30' away from it. They can sleep until 30 seconds before practice begins and still be on time.

Do any of you realize what Lexington traffic is like to drive from Coal Lodge to Rupp every day.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

How so? Saturday’s game was in South Bend.
We’ve been practicing in the Craft Center since 2007. Why is this just recently becoming such a problem?

Oh doy.. my mistake. Yeah that wouldn't make much sense.

But still wild how we don't seem to shoot well even at home.

 

[TheWyldKat_rivals45219]

My understanding is that our opponents get to practice in Rupp Arena but we have to practice in the Craft center. So we spend all day practicing in a different arena than the one we play in. It’s been a theory for a while that that is what affects our shooting. Especially from long range. Funny how our opponents never really seem to suffer from that same problem.

if I am incorrect about this please correct it. But if I am right about this, why do we do it? Is Rupp Arena fragile or something?

Kentucky ranks 352nd in three point attempts.
Practicing at the cract has little to do with anything. This team at the current moment doesn’t run any real kind of offense that can succeed at the college level.

I love Cal, he is a hall of farmer, that being said I’ve seen some grade school teams Run more fluid offense then I’ve seen with Kentucky.

Cals offense Thrives when he has athletic players that can create their own shot. This current team I truly believe could be really good. Just need to change the way that they play

 

[JonathanW_rivals]

Would be interested to see, in SEC games, historically what is our 3pt % on the road vs at home?
I say SEC games because those are the same (quality) teams. Whereas in Non-Conf games, most home are not good teams.

 

[502 Wildcat]

It would be absolutely moronic to practice at Rupp. There are other events there for one, and the commute would be a complete waste of time.

The Craft Center is a 30-second walk from the Coal Lodge (where they live), it's also where the staff's offices are. Everybody stays in close proximity for max efficiency and convenience.

Not to mention, we do have shootarounds before every game at Rupp. It's not like the game itself are the first reps we get there that day. A full shootaround is more than enough to get acclimated to the gym.

 

[The_Answer1313_rivals]

Sure it might not have made a big deal for a road game in ND but it does call to question all over the games where we shoot cold at Rupp and some dude from a no name school ends up going crazy lol.

 

[CatInCanuckLand]

Practicing with Wilson basketballs are more important, especially on the road vs. non-Nike schools. But like Tubby78 says, Rupp Arena is WAY too far from campus to expect students to make it to games. So it’s just not feasible and we shouldn’t subject our boys to travel that far of distance just to practice.

 

[AllBall]

I see the point but we have enough excuses as it is. Bottom line UK basketball has lost it's winning mentality. Every game we play MATTERS and we should expect to win. Players first motto is good for draft night but UK first is what got us to the top. If UK succeeds then everyone benefits.

 

[WildcatfaninOhio]

I’ve been around long enough to remember people on this forum complaining that UK needed a state-of-the-art basketball practice facility. It would be the only way we could keep up in recruiting, because other programs had such facilities. Now we have one. And now, people question why the team uses it. And I scratch my head!

 

[Wildcats1st]

I would say everyone is wrong and UK practices in Rupp from time to time

 

[TortElvisII]

People don't understand it until they actually play. I tend to shoot really really well in small gyms but the bigger ones I struggle. Likely cause I don't play there enough.

Josh?

 

[Catapult_rivals218351]

I was never good enough to play on my HS team but I did grow up playing outdoors. Talk about lack of depth perception! Never noticed it affected my (or anyone else's) shooting. Sorry, I just don't buy the small gym, large gym argument. JMHO

 

[26MichaelUK]

People don't understand it until they actually play. I tend to shoot really really well in small gyms but the bigger ones I struggle. Likely cause I don't play there enough.

Exactly.

 

[DraftCat]

Josh?

Who's Josh.... LOL

 

[DraftCat]

I was never good enough to play on my HS team but I did grow up playing outdoors. Talk about lack of depth perception! Never noticed it affected my (or anyone else's) shooting. Sorry, I just don't buy the small gym, large gym argument. JMHO

It's a thing... also players shoot differently depending on the style of basketball. But each to their own

 

[CatInCanuckLand]

This is from me and Jutahn’s high school. This isn’t even close to the depth perception issue of Rupp but I struggled at this far goal because of it. I was a 59% 3-point shooter but at this endzone I was a lousy 42.6%. Also my free throw percentage dipped to a mediocre 91% at this basket.

When I was like eight or nine my dad took me to see Erik Daniels playing point guard in this arena. Yes, point guard before the growth spurt!