Malik Monk

De'aaron Fox, Malik Monk Don't Help Draft Cases In Elite 8

... quickness and speed are no guarantees of success in the NBA. Even so, Fox’s passwork is NBA-ready. Although he was the originator of virtually every offensive possession, every single one of his passes was perfect. Skip passes, entry passes, pocket passes — he made them all. His handle, too, was flawless — including crossovers going both ways, plus a between-the-legs change of direction. While not reputed to be a good shooter, Fox pulled left to nail a trey early in the game, then drilled a super-clutch triple under extreme defensive pressure with 48 seconds left in the game. Fox was often too aggressive on defense — hence his early foul trouble and limited minutes. But he has a wide stance and terrific lateral movement going both left and right. He was also able to squeeze through most screens and maintain a presence with his man. Moreover, Fox’s snake-quick ...

Kentucky Star Malik Monk Of Lepanto, Arkansas

... Briscoe (13) celebrate during the overtime period of an NCAA college basketball game against Georgia, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017, in Lexington, Ky. Kentucky won 90-81 in overtime. (AP Photo/James Crisp). James Crisp, AP. Kentucky guard Malik Monk (5) makes a pass around Wichita State forward Rashard Kelly (0) during the second half of a second-round game in the men’s NCAA college basketball tournament in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 19, 2017. Kentucky defeated Wichita State 65-62. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy). Michael Conroy, AP. Kentucky's Malik Monk (5) shoots between Duquesne's Tarin Smith (3) and Mike Lewis II (1) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016, in Lexington, Ky. (AP Photo/James Crisp). James Crisp, AP. Kentucky's Malik Monk (5) shoots while defended by Arkansas' Moses Kingsley during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 7, ...

Tar Heels On Bam Adebayo, Isaac Humphries, Malik Monk

... And then did you expect for Isaac Humphries to play the way he did even though you all were so effective on Bam. KENNEDY MEEKS: I feel like our main objective coming into the game was to play them straight up, wall when you got the ball inside, and try to do our best job of boxing him out because he is a strong guy and does a tremendous job of hitting the boards. As the big man, I think we did a tremendous job of executing that game plan. We did a great job of running down the floor like Coach asked us to do, posting up, setting screens for our teammates to get them open. And for Humphries, he’s a great shooter; he definitely — you could tell he works on his shot all the time, and he hit some big-time shots for them to go up. Not taking anything away from them, but I think we did a great job of execution and being a great defensive team. JUSTIN JACKSON: I mean, I never really guarded him, but Humphries, he hit some ...

With Josh Jackson, Malik Monk Out, What Impression Did They Leave

... this weekend: Kansas forward Josh Jackson and Kentucky guards Malik Monk and De'Aaron Fox. Let's take a closer look at how those players might have helped and hurt themselves in the NCAA tournament. De'Aaron Fox, Kentucky. We'll start with the player the Celtics are least likely to draft, but who may have helped himself the most with his tournament performance. Fox's athleticism was on full display in every game, particularly in Kentucky's win over UCLA. We broke down Ball's performance in that game at length, but Fox's performance shouldn't be understated. First things first: Fox's defensive potential is very high, sporting ridiculously fast feet and long arms. While he will need to add size to deal with strong NBA guards (don't be surprised if he gets posted up frequently in his first couple of years), he could be a special point guard stopper. Fox is far from just a defensive prospect, however. He is also a gifted distributor with an elite handle. On multiple occasions against UCLA, Fox broke his defender down with a vicious crossover (and yes, that defender was often Lonzo Ball), then either made a nice pass or finished around the rim. He was ...

Malik Monk Is Uk’s Sixth Wooden All-american In Calipari Era

... as other UK players to earn the distinction. Monk finished his freshman season averaging 19.8 points per game, second among all freshmen nationally, and reached double-figure scoring in all but two games this season. With 14 points in the second-round game against Wichita State, he became UK’s all-time leading freshman scorer with 721 points, passing Jamal Murray’s output of 720 from a season ago. His record-breaking season ends with 754 points scored. That’s fourth all-time in UK’s history books regardless of class, trailing only Dan Issel (948; 1970), Jodie Meeks (854; 2009) and Jamal Mashburn (767; 1992). Monk produced 18 games of 20 points or more, including a Kentucky freshman record 47 points against North Carolina in December. Monk is the only freshman in program history with four 30-point games, and six times this season he scored at ...

The Return Of Malik Monk's Shot Was A Warm Welcome For Kentucky

... guard Dominique Hawkins said. It was Monk’s outing that backed up Fox’s center stage performance. Fox’s 39 points set an NCAA Tournament freshman scoring record. He delivered a knockout blow in the Fox vs. Lonzo Ball bout. But Monk’s perimeter shooting opened wide lanes for Fox. “Don’t nobody leave me,” Monk said. “I tell him to come to my side of the floor if he wants to score.”. And the slashing Fox, shooting Monk and senior contributions between Derek Willis and Dominique Hawkins is what makes Kentucky maddening in March for opponents. Up next is North Carolina in the Elite Eight. The Wildcats and Tar Heels will tip off at 5:05 p.m. ET in Memphis on Friday. It’s a rematch of Kentucky’s 103-100 win in December — a night where Monk exploded for 47 points. He showed glimpses of the fire catching ability Friday night, a possible prequel to the North Carolina showdown. “People want to say a lot of stuff when he misses, and write stories and all that,” Mulder said. “Everybody in the country knows that Malik’s an elite scorer. When we have him scoring the basketball at a high rate like that alongside Fox, and just ...

Malik Monk Could Become A Darling Of The Dance

... Florida with a 27-point outburst against Vanderbilt at the end of February, Monk has made just 32.5 percent of his shots, including only 3 of 15 from 3-point range. RELATED: Calipari’s preseason prediction for Bam is coming true. But in his mind, that merely means the next nuclear explosion is just around the corner. He’s yet to go more than four consecutive games without scoring more than 20 points –  his current drought ties that mark – so look out. Monk is the first freshman in UK history to score 30-plus four times and he’s the second-leading scorer nationally among freshmen at 20.4 per game. Remember when he swished seven 3-pointers against Michigan State at Madison Square Garden in his third college game? Or when he dropped 47 points and the winning 3-pointer on North Carolina in Las Vegas? How about that time he poured in 31 of his 37 points after halftime, ...

Visiting Lepanto, Arkansas

... title game in school history. (Photo: Mark Weber/The Commercial Appeal). 'The people of Arkansas feel betrayed'. Once in Northwest Arkansas, Monk’s rise continued. He starred on the basketball court at Bentonville High and discovered a more cosmopolitan existence than the one he left behind in the Delta. Marcus, meanwhile, became a graduate assistant for the Razorbacks’ men’s basketball team and got involved with the grassroots basketball scene. Their mother got a job as a nurse. Given the family’s Arkansas roots — Monk’s cousin, Rashad Madden, also played for the Razorbacks between 2011 and 2015 — the expectation in Fayetteville was that Malik would follow in their footsteps. But he harbored one-and-done NBA dreams and committed to Kentucky in November 2015. The backlash in Arkansas was immediate and fierce, and the emotions are still raw. Monk was reportedly heckled by a member of the Razorbacks’ basketball staff during pregame warm-ups when Kentucky faced Arkansas in the SEC tournament championship game earlier this month. His aunt, Hope Young, said she ...

When Malik Monk Smiles, 'that's A Good Sign

... else. ► Sullivan: Flashy Fox leads Kentucky into Elite Eight. "We're just going to see what they're going to do at the beginning of the game, and we're going to go off that," Monk said. The beginning was slow for Monk against UCLA. He didn't find the net until nearly 14 minutes into the action. And then he scored 14 points, hitting 3 of 6 from beyond the arc in the second half and finished with 21 total. "I feel like we're unstoppable if he's hitting for us," Kentucky senior guard Dominique Hawkins said. Previously, Monk reached 20 points in a game only once since March 4 and twice was held below double figures. Even though he hit only 5 of 26 3-point attempts (19 percent) during that stretch of six games, he insisted nothing was wrong with his stroke and said he was healthy after taking two hard falls during the Southeastern Conference Tournament. He often explained the off-shooting as a lack of focus and energy and admitted he didn't know why that ...

Malik Monk's Block 'biggest Play Of The Game' For Kentucky

... But when he’s not, when he’s dormant, he’s able to play defense, he does the little things for us.”. The block, however, was not small at all. “That was the biggest play of the game,” senior Dominique Hawkins said. “Without him it probably wouldn’t have happened.”. Monk’s imprint on the game looked like it came two minutes earlier when he drilled a 3-pointer to put Kentucky up 61-56. The play was to get the ball to Adebayo in the post, but Monk saw a chance to fire. Asked if the block or the bucket felt sweeter, Monk the scorer wasted no time picking the shot. “I like scoring better,” he said. But the block is what Kentucky fans will remember, and it represents important progress for Monk, a projected top-10 NBA draft pick about whom the only critique is that he’s merely a scorer. “I’ve come a long way,” he said. “I never played defense, never had to play defense. I knew coming to Kentucky, to play, I had to play defense.”. WATCH: Malik Monk discusses his big block at the end of ...