Short-handed Wildcats stay positive
Kentucky relying on two-man bench until injured return.
Kentucky basketball won an SEC game with just seven available scholarship players for the second time in as many tries Saturday at Vanderbilt, and coach John Calipari isn’t sure when this short-handed act will end.
After the Wildcats’ 74-67 victory, Calipari couldn’t say when starting point guard Quade Green will return from a back strain that cost him the past two games or when five-star freshman forward Jarred Vanderbilt will make his debut for the Wildcats (14-3, 4-1 SEC).
“I didn’t even ask (Green),” Calipari said. “I didn’t know if Jarred was going to play before the game when I was doing the board. I’m just acting like he’s not here, and if he is — if they are, they are.”
Vanderbilt, who injured his left foot for the third time since high school during the preseason and only recently returned to practice, caused quite a stir in the hours before tip-off Saturday. A video from Kentucky’s official Instagram account showed Vanderbilt’s uniform hanging in the locker room — as it has for several games this season — setting off speculation that he was ready to play for the first time.
Then Vanderbilt partic- ipated in almost all of the team’s pregame warmup activities, a step up from a weeks-long routine of getting a few shots up hours before games and then switching into sweat pants and watching from the bench. This time, he did a full stretch with the team and most of their drills and was still in his game shorts and a long sleeve T-shirt when UK tipped off.
When the Wildcats came out for their final pregame layup line, Vanderbilt started to head to the bench with the other three injured players — Green, Tai Wynyard (back) and Jemarl Baker (knee) — then veered back onto the court to participate. It seems even he is wavering on his return.
For his part, Calipari, who said Tuesday that Vanderbilt has looked good in practice and physically can play, is not begging the 6-foot-9 McDonald’s All-American to play. That isn’t his style.
“The problem with being injured when you’re on my teams: I really spend no time with you, and sometimes — I don’t want to say this — I forget names. Like, I even forget who he is. Who are you?” Calipari said Saturday. “Because I’ve got to focus on the guys I’m coaching right now. They’ve got to get healthy and be ready to come back, and Jarred is the same.”
Teammates hope that is soon. They’ve squeaked out wins over Texas A&M and Vanderbilt despite having just a two-man bench.
“I feel like he’s getting there, he’s making steps every day,” said freshman guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 22 points on Saturday.
Noteworthy: Kentucky moved up three spots to No. 18 in Monday’s AP Top 25 Poll.