After Kentucky Basketball’s 72-63 win over Ole Miss, head coach Mark Pope provided some clarity on the status of Braydon Hawthorne. With injuries piling up, the idea of pulling the freshman’s redshirt had been greatly speculated over the last few weeks.
When asked after Saturday’s win over the Rebels, Pope acknowledged that he’s considered pulling Hawthorne’s redshirt while also delivering the gut-punch that the freshman is dealing with an injury.
“It’s something that has certainly been a discussion,”
Pope said of potentially burning Hawthorne’s redshirt. “There are so many dynamics that…most importantly right now, he is not healthy. We can’t burn the redshirt now, because he’s not healthy.”
The Big Blue Nation has become all too familiar with digesting news like this, but hearing it again just seems impossible.
At 6-8, 190 pounds, is it possible that the freshman from Huntington Prep could slide into a contributing role this late in the season?
With the way college basketball works these days, it would make sense to get on the floor as soon as possible, even if it’s limited action.
”He (Hawthorne) is an incredibly talented player who could really help us down the road. We’ll see. He’s got to get healthy first,“ said Pope.
Let’s not put a damper on what was UK’s fifth straight SEC win. This roster seems to be figuring things out and finding ways to pull out victories in conference play.
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