UK Basketball: Hood 'confident'

UK Basketball: Hood 'confident'

By Keith Taylor/Sun Sports Editor
August 13, 2010

LEXINGTON – Jon Hood no longer feels like a “deer in headlights.”

The former Madisonville North Hopkins guard and Kentucky Mr. Basketball is one four returning players on Kentucky’s basketball team this season and one of the team’s veteran players. Hood said he’s looser and has gotten past the shock and awe of being a Wildcat.

“I’m just more confident on the floor,” he said. “Last year I would have never tried to take off and dunk over so many people in practice or dunk on Enes (Kanter).”

Hood’s slam on Kanter is on record.

“He will tell you otherwise, but I did dunk on Enes,” Hood said with a smile. “There is video proof.”

Hood will likely collect a significant amount of minutes during the Wildcats’ trip to Canada beginning Sunday. Hood played 17 games last season and scored two points and grabbed three rebounds in the team’s second-round victory over Wake Forest in the NCAA Tournament.

The biggest thing Hood and the Wildcats seek from the trip is experience in the team’s three exhibition games against Windsor and Western Mustangs.

“(The new guys) are inexperienced in college basketball and we don’t want throw in to the wolves the first game out,” he said. “This is also a team-building thing. We know what we’re doing, we’ve been around each other and we know how to have fun. At some point you’ve got to play against other teams. I would like to go out and perform well, but it’s still early. We have a lot to work on and I have a lot to work on.”

Although he’s a sophomore in the classroom, Hood is a veteran on the court, compared to the rest of the team’s roster. Kentucky’s list of players consists of seven newcomers, including six freshmen.

“I didn’t realize we are younger than we were last year,” Hood said. “They’re going to help us tremendously down the road. Maybe not in Canada, but when tournament time, we’ll have all of that experience under our belt.”

In preparation for the visit to Canada, Kentucky has held several practices over the past two weeks. Hood has been impressed with his new set of teammates, especially picking up on the dribble-drive motion offense.

“They’ve picked up the dribble-drive really well,” he said. “We didn’t pick it up this fast last year.”

Hood brushed up his skills during a mission trip to China with SportsReach over the summer with teammate Josh Harrellson. The Kentucky guard said the trip overseas was beneficial.

“It’s a big improvement from where I was last year,” he said. “Everybody that has been here and watched practice can see that. (The trip to China) helped me out a lot, just to be able to get on the court, make those mistakes and learn from them.”

Even though he was surrounded by a cast of five future first-round draft picks last year, Hood never lost confidence in his abilities, but was apprehensive at times.

“I know I can play,” he said. “I’ve always known I can play. I just wasn’t confident on the court and didn’t show it off in practice. Last year was the first year I had the deer in headlights look since I was a freshman in high school. I’m glad that’s gone and I hope it doesn’t come back.”