Jerry Tipton on UK basketball

Freshman Alex Legion used another sport to explain Kentucky Coach Billy Gillispie’s desire for tough play.

“He just wants pretty much football players,” Legion said on Monday. “When somebody comes in (to the lane), he doesn’t want them to think again about doing that.”

Gillispie noted the improvement Kentucky has made in practicing competitively. Although he acknowledged that the team lacks an identity so far this young season, he seemed to make it clear he’d like a tough-minded approach to be its signature style.

“I see great improvement in practice,” he said. “I’m greatly encouraged by what I see in practice.”

Gillispie isn’t totally satisfied. He wants more intense competition in practice and in games even though several players have been sidelined by injury, thus reducing the chances for competition for playing time.

“We don’t have enough guys who are totally live and breathe to compete,” he said. “But I don’t know that we have anybody who won’t compete.”

Backup point guard Michael Porter recalled how Gillispie’s desire for competition began at a meeting.

“When he first got here, he asked me did I want to settle for fourth-string point guard,” Porter said. “I said, definitely not.

“He’s trying to instill in me to beat my guy every day.”

The players noted the physical nature of practices, as if two broken noses and Porter’s concussion didn’t make that point.

Porter, who played high school football well enough to draw recruiting interest from Southern California, could judge how successfully Kentucky is bringing a football mentality to basketball.

“I’m more sore after basketball (practice) than football,” he said. “If you want to compete, you’re going to get hit.”

As for the team identity, Porter said, “I think he wants us to be a mean team. We don’t want to give up anything. We don’t want the other team to have any easy baskets. We’re going to shove it down your throat.”