Kentucky basketball, now sitting at 13-6 overall and 4-2 in the SEC, is an injury-ravaged team. Sounds exactly like last year.
Mark Pope has lost his QB1 in Jaland Lowe, his versatile wing and deep threat in Kam Williams, and his lottery-pick big man Jayden Quaintance. Being down three bodies, and three starters at that, there is now a burning question circulating the Big Blue Nation: Should Kentucky burn Braydon Hawthorne's redshirt?
Braydon Hawthorne has elite potential
There is a reason fans are looking toward the end of the bench. Hawthorne is talented.
Draftstrack noted in their evaluation: "A running theme throughout this article is that Hawthorne is the definition of a 'work-in-progress' prospect... At every scoring level, he possesses a few standout traits while lacking others, painting a rather clear picture of what he needs to improve upon throughout his freshman campaign."
That "work in progress" label is exactly why Kentucky decided to put the redshirt status on the talented wing in the first place. Everywhere you look, the 6'8" slender freshman has the ability to be effective; he just needs time to develop his body and his game.
That was supposed to be the plan for this year. He practices against the current crop of Cats and gets ready to contribute next year. Bringing him in late in the recruiting process was a big win for Mark Pope's strategy of developing players who stay in the program for multiple years. And that is why you have to deal with the temptation.
The temptation vs. the long term
But now, with Kam Williams most likely done for the year with a broken foot, the desire to burn that redshirt could be very strong. Suddenly, that 6'8" frame looks very useful on a depleted roster.
However, the decision likely comes down to how Trent Noah performs.
If Noah steps up and performs really well, then there is no reason to abandon the developmental plan you have for Hawthorne. If he struggles, and the staff thinks Hawthorne could give them better minutes immediately, it might be something worth considering.
Ultimately though, for the health of the program long-term, and for the kid himself, allowing him to complete his redshirt year is likely the best thing for all involved. Burning a year of eligibility for a few weeks of emergency minutes is a high price to pay.
NCAA basketball needs to adopt the football rule
This situation brings about an interesting point: College basketball really needs to mimic the college football rule regarding redshirts.
In football, a player can appear in up to four games without losing their redshirt status. If basketball adopted a similar policy, allowing a guy to play in a handful of games during injury crises without burning his year, it would help the kid and the school. There is really no downside to it, and in a season like Kentucky is having, it would be a lifesaver.