How are the players really coping with everything?
Back to January 22, 2021, and Kentucky is preparing for the most daunting part of its schedule and needs us to be supportive of this team. We can’t pack Rupp Arena with 22,000 screaming fans but we can support them and be respective through our comments.
According to Kenpom.com North Carolina ranks 326th, Kentucky 341st, and Duke 344th in the country in experience this season. So along with the Wildcats the Tar Heels (9-5), and Blue Devils (5-4) are also in danger of missing the NCAA tournament.
And there is no sense in deep diving into more historical records.
We have to remember these players are young and the history they know is what has unfolded not only on the basketball court but the world around us over the past 10 months. Again no need to spell out the details.
These kids came to Lexington for an experience they won’t forget. Instead, they have been living in a bubble since summer and having very little contact with each other much less the outside world.
"“You guys know that we’ve been a long time and we haven’t had issues here. I keep coming back to, we’re in a bubble here. The problem is, we’re in a bubble here. That’s why we’re safe but the other side of it is, we’re in a bubble. We rented out a movie theater. You and I know that’s dangerous. It’s dangerous. Having them come to my house. I didn’t have staff or managers come. We’ve done it three or four times. Guess what, if one of our guys gets it, we’re going to end up having to shut down because I’m doing stuff to bring them together."
Devin Askew should be a senior in high school right now hoping for a senior prom. He had his worst game of the year against Georgia. We’ve all had bad days but he was blamed for the loss for missing a free throw and some turnovers.
The true freshmen are away from home for the first year and don’t get to see their families except on Zoom. They didn’t even play their senior year of high school basketball.
How do you think Olivier Sarr feels isolated from his family in France?
Even Dontaie Allen who lives just a couple of counties away misses his family. The past players would have teammates come home with them on breaks and Calipari has had them over to his house countless times trying to instill a bit of normalcy.
What about the bench walk-on players in Brennan Canada and Zan Payne from Lexington and Kareem Watkins from New Jersey and Riley Welch from Colorado who give everything they have to help this team ride the rollercoaster it’s on yet never get in a game.
How about Oscar Tshiebwe who just arrived this week after transferring from West Virginia? Think he is missing his family in the Congo in Africa.
So before we are quick to judge and know what these kids are going through let’s take stock of our own mental state.
Is everything sunshine, rainbows, lollipops in your world?