The Kentucky Wildcats are still awaiting the return of sophomore big man Jayden Quaintance to full health following ACL surgery in March.
When the talented big man committed to Kentucky back in April, the hope
was that he’d be cleared for contact by September. While that did not materialize, he has been able to do some very light on-court work, so there was hope he could still return potentially in late November or December.
During the Kentucky basketball media day on Monday, head coach Mark Pope gave a brief update on the status of his star center, saying the rehab process continues to go extremely well.
“The one thing I can tell you is he is breaking every record known to humankind in terms of his rehab,” said Pope.
However, Pope was not ready to give a timeline on when Quaintance could make his UK debut.
“Time-wise, he’s going so fast, but we’re going to proceed with extreme caution,” said Pope. “He’s going to get the opportunity to make this team great, but also an opportunity for his career later.”
At the end of the day, Pope wants to ensure UK does right by Quaintance for his college career and what hopes to be a long, productive NBA career.
“There’s a balance we’re trying to strike,” said Pope. “He’s got an incredible future in this game, and we’re going to make sure he gets every opportunity to help this team and also have an opportunity to go on (to the NBA).”
For the time being, UK fans should be prepared for Quaintance to miss at least the first month of regular-season play and hopefully return sometime in December.
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