Kellan Grady delivers late long-range daggers in overtime to seal the win
When Kellan Grady separated himself from the Bulldog defenders for back-to-back three-pointers in overtime to seal the victory I could hear the late great Joe Dean’s trademark saying in his southern draw “Kellan Grady playing string music here in Lexington KY.”
Indeed he did.
Grady is such a quiet player you sometimes forget he is on the court until he rises up and always seems to have space between him and a defender for a long bomb. While he doesn’t hit them all Calipari is glad he is shooting them.
Just 2 of 9 shooting before those winners, it doesn’t matter for the transfer whose poise and composure seems as though there is very little pulse in his body.
Despite missing a 3-pointer at the end of regulation, Grady was undeterred and drove the baseline for a layup before adding threes with 2:23 and 1:13 remaining.
Kellan Grady hits BACK-TO-BACK triples in OT for @KentuckyMBB ♨️ pic.twitter.com/pcCrHkXTiG
— ESPN (@espn) January 26, 2022
Of course, after nailing the second one, the lights in Rupp went blue and he gave a huge yell and shot his fist high toward the rafters.
Grady was asked about knocking down the big shot and how rewarding it is in a tight game.
"“It’s a rewarding feeling. We either went at me for a shot or for a scoring opportunity or we went at me to then post Oscar [Tshiebwe]. So just knowing that Coach Cal, the staff, and our team trusts me to be in those situations, whether it’s a passer or a shot-maker, gives you a little added confidence before you let it go. Just having that awareness that there’s that type of trust, I think today I showed that that trust is worthy.”"
The win was the ninth season that UK has won an overtime game by at least 8 points, and the Wildcats now have won four overtime contests in a row. One of those was against Mississippi State last season.
With Grady you know we always have a shot and he was even more active along the baseline. His final stats were 18 points to go with a pair of rebounds and assists. But he played 43 of the 45 minutes and never looked tired.
His team and BBN needed him and he rose to the occasion.