In a perfect world, Dakari Johnson would catch the ball at what's known in basketball parlance as the left block. Then, he would wheel into position for his favorite shot.
“Hook in the lane,” he said before acknowledging that this world is not perfect. “But recently teams have been taking that away.”
Stubbornly insisting on trying to win, opponents have been collapsing defenses ever tighter into the lane. UK's many big men, Johnson included, have had little room to operate. The crowd-pleasing alley-oop dunk has become a much rarer sight.
By contrast, teammates on the perimeter, especially the ultra-hot Devin Booker, have had plenty of time and space to shoot.
Walter Cornett, of Glendale, Kentucky, is the owner and operator of Walter's Wildcat World. He founded WildcatWorld.com in 1998 making it one of the oldest Kentucky basketball fan sites in operation today.