Kalkbrenner’s Monster Night
In his first two games back from a non-COVID illness, Ryan Kalkbrenner had a great offensive game (19 points on 8-of-9 shooting against Butler) and a good defensive game against DePaul. Tuesday, he was a monster on both ends, looking as close to his form from the end of last season as he has all year.
He had 17 points with eight rebounds and six blocks, tying both a career high and arena record for blocks in a game. Five of those came in a first half where he did everything he could to demoralize the Pirates — an offense predicated on scoring at the rim and drawing fouls was unable to do either, often looking unsure of what to do when their initial shot was altered by Kalkbrenner’s textbook-perfect rim protection.
“His parents have been in town this week, and I told them that in the last two practices I’ve seen him getting there — he feels better, his conditioning is better, he’s catching his second wind better, he’s quicker off the floor,” Greg McDermott said on his postgame radio show. “He was incredible at the rim tonight. Besides the six that he blocked, he changed at least another six or seven.”
In a postgame interview on FS1, McDermott confirmed publicly for the first time that Kalkbrenner’s illness was mono. Kalkbrenner got sick on the flight back from Maui, with common cold symptoms including stomachaches, headaches, a sore throat and a cough that made it tricky to diagnose. He played through it in the Nebraska and Texas games, looking like a shadow of himself, before further examination revealed what ailed him.
“I still think my conditioning can improve, but I finally don’t feel sick anymore,” Kalkbrenner said. “I feel like I have the energy to run up and down the court, which I haven’t for a lot of games this year. I finally feel like I can do the things I know I can do.”
On a three-possession span midway through the first half, he had dunks on three consecutive possessions, single-handedly turning a 13-10 lead into a 19-10 advantage and forcing a Seton Hall timeout.
Coming out of that timeout, he blocked a shot that led to a transition three for Mason Miller, knocked down a jumper, and then Miller hit a second three. Just like that, it was 27-12 Bluejays.
“As Ryan gets healthier now, you can see how it’s lifted our team,” McDermott added. “Besides his play, his voice is really important to us defensively. While he’s not the most outgoing leader in the world, he does talk in the locker room and in the huddles and he has the respect of everybody on the roster. It’s great to have him back. He had a huge impact on this game.”
Kaluma’s Double-Double Flies Under the Radar
Arthur Kaluma hasn’t been totally healthy most of the season, and for the first time this season, looked more like the player he was last March. From making the correct reads, to selling pump fakes, to moving without the ball, and making sure his shot selection come within the offense, he was fabulous.
He had 14 points and 11 rebounds, but as he told John Bishop on the postgame radio show, he’s not concerned with numbers — he’s concerned with wins. To that end, he’s a happy guy with his team on a three-game winning streak.
Asked how he spent his holiday break, Kaluma said he didn’t take any time off.
“I wasn’t very impressed with how I played the first part of the season, so I spent a lot of my break in the gym,” Kaluma said on the postgame radio show. “I haven’t played at the level I was at the end of last year. That comes with injuries and losing stamina. Getting back to where I was, and getting even further than that, has taken time.”
His coach noticed.
“Art’s activity was great tonight,” McDermott said. “It was the best it’s been this season. It’s something we talked about during the holiday break, and he carried it over to the practice floor.”
Alexander Follows Up Career-Best Offensive Game with Another Impressive Outing
After scoring 32 points in a Christmas Day win over DePaul, Trey Alexander followed it up with what might have been a better all-around game — even if the stat sheet was quieter.
He had 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting, but showcased his versatility, hitting shots from inside the arc, outside the arc, and from the line. He had six assists, both as the PG1 when Ryan Nembhard was on the bench and as a secondary playmaker alongside him.
But it was his defense that caught McDermott’s eye. On Seton Hall’s first offensive possession, he drew an offensive foul on leading scorer Kadary Richmond. It seemed to rattle him — he had just two first half points and because of that early foul, when he picked up a cheap one a few minutes later it sent him to the bench for the decisive portion of the half (and arguably the game).
“Trey was incredible on Richmond. The first play of the game, he beat him to his spot and took a charge. That’s something we talked about in practice while watching film — if Trey could get to that spot, he’s going to lower his shoulder,” McDermott said. “And he did exactly that.”
“We watched a lot of film and knew that he’s very good going downhill,” Alexander added. “If you beat him to the spot like I did the first play of the game then he’s going to get those charges and you can get him in foul trouble. That’s kind of what I tried to do. I tried to set the tone early on the defensive end and get the game started off well.”