UK Basketball: Freshman Anthony Davis says he has to get tougher inside

LEXINGTON — Kentucky coach John Calipari wants freshman center Anthony Davis to be tougher in games. Davis knows he also has to be tougher.
“It’s just something that I¿have to do a better job of,” Davis said Tuesday.
Davis has primarily scored off lobs in the low post or during fast break action. Calipari wants him to develop more of a traditional low-post scoring game.
“He’s just got to get tougher right now. Until he does that it doesn’t matter what we do. He’s got to bend over and play an aggressive game. We throw him the ball in the high post to drive the ball, but then again you have to be physical, you have to bend over, you have to play through bumps,” Calipari said.
“You’ve got to play in an aggressive way; you have to bend over, which he is still learning. You just have to bend. It’s not hard to bend those knees. If you are standing straight up and down you have no leverage. Most guys are not strong from the waist up, but from the waist down, that’s where they get their leverage. So if you are standing straight up and down, you have no strength and then you have no balance and then you look like you are flopping around out there.”
Then Calipari made sure everyone knew he had answered more than enough questions in recent days about Davis’ toughness. He’s averaging 12.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.5 blocked shots per game going into tonight’s game against Radford.
“He’s doing great. He’s the No. 1 pick (in the draft). I am not answering any more questions. He’s just got to be stronger. He’s got to play lower,” Calipari said.
Calipari noted that only Darius Miller played through contact in Sunday’s win over Old Dominion. He cited Terrence Jones and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist as other players who did not play through the contact Sunday.
“We are a good team. We just have guys that have got to be more physical. No one can make excuses,” Calipari said.
Davis isn’t.
“That was an eye-opener for us (against Old Dominion Sunday) just knowing we can’t let them get in our heads and we have to play physical right back with them. If the refs are not going to call the fouls, you just have to be physical,” Davis said.