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Lock Ready To Make Contribution For Vats
6-10 Junior Center Ready To Start '87 Season
With Kenny Walker now playing his basketball for pay in New York these days, it doesn't take a Phi Beta Kappa to realize that Kentucky needs a big man to come in and take charge of things inside the paint this season.
Junior center Rob Lock says he is ready to throw his hat in the ring and apply for the job.
"I'm ready, this is a do-or-die season for me," the 6-10, 225-pound redhead from Reedley, Calif., said as he left the Shively Center weight room last week. "I don't want to just play one year at this school. That kind of defeats the whole purpose of why I'm here.
"I've paid my dues for two years as a freshman and as a sophomore, sitting on the bench and only playing at the end of the games. I'm ready to go in and prove I can
Mike Estep
Cats' Pause Columnist
play and get on with it. I don't want to be remembered as a player who just played his senior year. I want to be remembered for more than that."
The Rob Lock story has been well documented. After starting for four years at Reed-ly High School where he was named to nearly every prep AU-American team following an outstanding senior year in which he averaged 21.7 points and 13.4 rebounds per game,
Rob Lock Putting Up A Jumper
Lock came to UK being billed as one of the top 30 freshman recruits in the country. But Lock lacked the strength, aggressiveness, and most importantly, the mental maturity to compete on the collegiate level.
"The name of the game is (being prepared) mentally," Lock said. "I could always play, but I have times when I don't feel comfortable doing some things, and then at other times I feel comfortable doing the same things.
"When I was a freshman, coach (Joe B.) Hall told me it was gonna be a year-and-a-half until I started playing, and of course at that time I didn't know what he was talking about. It was in the middle of the season last year before I started playing halfway decent. If you could measure-how much better I feel about playing now than when I was a freshman. . .you can't really measure it. Right now, I feel good doing everything I'm
doing. I really feel I can keep everything on an even keel this season."
Assistant coach Wayne Breeden, the only member of the UK coaching staff who has been around long enough to witness the metamorphasis of Lock first-hand, says he has noticed a dramatic difference in his play.
"I've seen a big change in Rob," Breeden said. "He's maturing and gaining confidence in himself. When Rob first came here, we asked him if he had ever lifted weights before. He said, "Yeah, a little with a friend of mine.' 1 think he said he got the bar caught on his chest one time or something.
"Rob had a lot of baby fat his freshman year, but now he's a man. He goes in and squats over 200 pounds, he's doing around 175 on the incline bench press and he's cleaning over 200 pounds. I think that's one reason Rob is starting to feel good about himself."
Lock Hoping Hard Work In Off-Season Will Pay Off
After taking an emotional rollercoaster ride in his first two years at Kentuckyplaying very well at times and playing very poorly at othersLock says he has worked hard during the off-season to ensure that Wildcat fans will remember his final two seasons.
"I believe that 80 percent of the game is mental," Lock said. "You can be tall and gifted, but if you don't have your head on right, you're not gonna play well. I believe that I've made great strides in getting my attitude right by coming into practice, working hard in the weight room every day and playing well. By doing that you're gonna develop consistency, and that's always been my downfall.
"I didn't work (at a summer job) this summer, so my job was to play, to get prepared for this year," Lock said. "I spent a lot of time on the game. I feel comfortable right now playing. I'm playing well. If I can just keep it up throughout the season, I'll be alright."
Almost as soon as Kentucky was eliminated from the NCAA tournament last year, Lock began preparing himself for the 1986-87 season. He toured Japan with the rest of the team in June. And after spending a couple of weeks at home in California, he returned to Lexington and has spent nearly three months working on basketball.
In addition to lifting weights and playing in informal pickup games, Lock was tutored by former Kentucky Ail-American and current NBA player Rick Robey.
"We did a lot of post work inside," Lock said. "He taught me a lot of things he's learned by playing in the pros. He's not a real great leaper, but he's real big inside. He taught me little tricks of the tradehow to get my shots off quicker, and what to do when I'm playing somebody my size. He stressed the hook shot with me, and I've been working on that. Hopefully when the season starts I'll be comforatble with it and be able to put that into my game."
Started Playing Well During Japanese Tour
But Lock is able to step in this season and hold his own with the big boysDerrick McKey of Alabama, David Robinson of Navy, Pervis Elllison of Louisville, Jeff Moore of Auburnthe Japan trip, more than anything else, will be responsible.
"No question, it helped my confidence playing over there," Lock said. "I was able to score, rebound. I started five games and of course that's gonna help your confidence. It's the first time since I've been here that I've felt like an integral part of the team. Before, I've just been a substitute, they didn't really need me for anything. But over there I felt like I was needed, and that's good for you confidence.
"I know now, I proved over there to myself and the coaches that I can play consistently, I had only one bad game. That was important. I proved I can play on a day-to-day basis."
Breeden and head coach Eddie Sutton both say that if the Wildcats are to come anywhere close to the 32-4 campaign they enjoyed last season, Lock will have to make a major impact in the middle.
"He should get a lot of playing time," Breeden said. "Rob is capable of getting in there and rebounding, scoring down in the post area and playing good post defense. He'll definitely be a contributor. If he's not, we're gonna be hurting.
"Rob has shown flashes. The big key for him is he needs to maintain his intensity. He can't decide to play one game and not the next. To be a great player, Rob needs to show his aggressiveness and take charge. And I think Rob can do that."
"I think Robert Lock holds the key to how well we will do this year," Sutton told TCP this summer. "Robert is really the only one, in my opinion, that's a true center. . .He has proven at times in our practice sessions last season, and even in ballgames that he has the potential to be a very fine college center."
Since the team has been practicing only a few days, Breeden said that it would be impossible for him to hazard a guess whether Lock will be the full-time center or whether he and forward Cedric Jenkins will share time at that spot.
"We'll just have to wait and see," Breeden said. "Cedric and Rob can both play in the middle. Rob's strong suit is that he has a nice soft jump shot. It's hard for me to project, but I look for Rob to play a lot at center. I don't want to say how many minutes he's gonna get, but he'll be among the top seven players for us this year."
Lock says that's all he's asking for.
"By working hard and conditioning like I have been, and I know coach Sutton will get us into condition, I know I can play 30 minutes (a game) at least, because my freshman year I was playing 26 and 27 (minutes) at the beginning of the year. I don't care about my playing time. I just want to be a part of the team that is needed and important. Even if I'm not scoring, as long as I'm in there and am a part of the team and playing, that's all I'm shooting for."