Last night I was at Northern Kentucky University to watch the Dominican national team, under the direction of John Calipari, take on Team Ignition in the second of two exhibition games.
I must admit, one of the main reasons I attended the event was to see (and touch) Kentucky’s national championship trophy as it continued its tour around the bluegrass state.
However, we were also rewarded with a pretty good basketball game. The crowd was fairly sparse and mainly decked out in UK shirts, showing up to support Coach Calipari, Coach Antigua, and Kentucky alum Eloy Vargas, who ended the night with three points.
After defeating Team Ignition the previous night, the Dominican team managed to pull off a second win in overtime with a final score of 103-99.
For most of the first half Calipari’s players noticeably dominated the Cincinnati-based team, with standout performances by a young Karl Towns and current NBA players
Al Horford (Atlanta Hawks) and Francisco Garcia (Sacramento Kings).
The first half also saw the return of former U of L guard Edgar Sosa to the court for his first game since he suffered a serious leg injury in September of last year.
Ending the half with a 12 point lead, Calipari chose to bench most of his starting lineup starting in the third quarter, which allowed Team Ignition to regain a lead. With a few minutes left in the fourth quarter it looked as though Ignition might be able to pull off a win, but a combination of missed free throws and a failed inbounds pass gave the final advantage to the Dominicans.
For Kentucky fans, it was a great experience to be able to watch Calipari coach in a more relaxed environment. You could hear exactly what he was instructing the players to do, and it was especially interesting to hear the players interact with one another while on the court, sounds that are usually lost in the din of collegiate games.
Although very different from a UK game, both in terms of roster and crowd size, Cal’s style of play and coaching abilities still shone through, proving his true versatility as a coach and mentor. I was also impressed by the camaraderie between the players despite their differing ages and experience levels, which was undoubtedly a major key to their success.
Next month, the Dominican team will attempt to earn a spot in this summer’s London Olympics by competing in the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Venezuela.
