Every single day around the state of Kentucky, thousands of pickup basketball games are played in gyms, yards, and rec centers. But in Lexington, those casual games can frequently feature future pros and current SEC studs.
One such game happened this week when Andrija Jelavic, Braydon Hawthorne, and Reece Potter took to the campus's Johnson Rec Center to play some hoops against regular Kentucky students. And while the game itself was incredibly entertaining, the post-game banter might have actually been even better.
This specific pickup game is highly significant because Hawthorne and Potter are already locked in to return to Kentucky next season. So, does running the floor and building off-court chemistry with those two mean Andrija Jelavic is leaning towards coming back, too? It is definitely something.
But it turns out that even having three Division I Kentucky basketball players on your intramural squad doesn't guarantee you walk away undefeated.
Getting humbled at the Johnson Center
The Kentucky Kernel was on hand interviewing the three players and asked what exactly made them come out to the student rec center. Reece Potter noted they were just looking to get a "good run" and initially claimed they came away "undefeated," before being immediately fact-checked by his own teammate.
"Nah, we got defeated at the end. We lost one, I ain't gonna lie. We lost one," Braydon Hawthorne corrected with a laugh.
When asked how an SEC frontcourt actually loses to college students, Jelavic was quick to throw his 7-foot-1 teammate completely under the bus.
"Reece happened. He didn't rebound the ball for us well," Jelavic interrupted, causing Potter to throw his hands up in pure disbelief while Hawthorne cracked up.
"We got bullied in the paint," Jelavic continued to joke.
Potter quickly grabbed the mic to defend his honor: "It was 4 to 3 and they made two layups."
But the 7-footer caught one final stray from a regular student who was playing on their squad. The student leaned in and delivered the final blow: "I just wanna say the only reason we lost is Reece Potter didn't play any defense." That's brutal and hilarious. Potter just walked away.
Reading the offseason tea leaves
Beyond the incredible banter and the fact that these guys are clearly building the exact type of locker room camaraderie Mark Pope desperately needs next year, Jelavic was asked directly about his future in Lexington.
His response was entirely focused on the culture of the fanbase.
"Hundreds of students came here and wanted to hoop against us, and I think that's what's really special here at Kentucky," Jelavic replied.
Actions usually speak louder than words in the transfer portal era, where things can change. You do not typically spend your offseason nights hanging out at the student rec center, building chemistry with confirmed returners, and praising the local culture if you are secretly packing your bags to leave.
But Jasper Johnson was also there, and he is definitely leaving.
But if Jelavic officially announces his return in the coming days, we can all look back at a hilarious, defensive-lacking loss to a bunch of college kids as the moment we knew AJ would be back.