By Keith Taylor
Kentucky Today
Tyler Herro was impressive in his professional debut.
The former University of Kentucky guard scored 18 points and knocked down five 3-pointers on 10 attempts to lead the Miami Heat to a 106-79 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in an NBA Summer League game.
Herro wasn’t afraid to take shots, a trait that impressed Miami’s summer league coaching staff.
Tyler Herro scored 18 points in a NBA Summer league game earlier this week. (Miami Heat photo)
“We definitely like that aggressiveness,” Summer League head coach Eric Glass said. “He’s got a pretty unique skill set. He’s not just a shooter. He can handle. He’s learning how to make plays. Every game he’ll learn something new, but we like him in that spot.”
Herro also created shots and got open often in the open court.
“That’s kind of a talent you have,” Glass said. “He can find those open spaces. He knows where to get the ball. We’re not teaching him that. That’s something that he came in with.”
Herro said his main goal is to continue “working on shooting off the catch.”
Four former Kentucky players are competing in Summer League game this month. Wenyen Gabriel (Kings), Keldon Johnson (Spurs) and Jarred Vanderbilt (Nuggets) are playing in the Salt Lake Summer League and California Classic.
Gabriel scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a win over Golden State Monday night.
The Las Vegas Summer League begins Friday and concludes on July 15. All 30 teams will be featured as well as the Chinese and Croatian National Team.
Calipari to speak at dinner
Kentucky coach John Calipari will return where he began his college playing career this fall when he will be the keynote speaker at the University of North Carolina Wilmington men’s basketball tipoff dinner on Sept. 19 at the Burney Center at Wilmington, North Carolina.
“We’re very excited that coach Calipari is going to speak at our tip-off banquet,” said C.B. McGrath, UNCW’s third-year head coach. “It’s going to be a great event and we’re thrilled to welcome him back as a former student-athlete. His success as a coach is second to none. What he does off the court to help others is phenomenal. He is extremely generous to help UNCW basketball.”
Seth Greenburg (ESPN), Roy Williams (North Carolina) and Brad Brownwell (Clemson) have been previous speakers at the annual event.
Calipari appeared in 25 games in two seasons with the Seahawks in 1978-79 and 1979-80 before transferring to Clarion, Pa. A point guard, he played in 25 games, scoring 21 points with seven rebounds and 22 assists. He scored a career-high nine points at Campbell on Jan. 8, 1979.
Keith Taylor is sports editor for Kentucky Today. Reach him at keith.taylor@kentuckytoday.com or twitter @keithtaylor21
