Calipari: Poythress at 80 percent
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Senior forward Alex Poythress found himself sitting on Kentucky's bench when Monday night's exhibition game against Ottawa started.
But after barely three minutes, Kentucky fans made sure to let him know how excited they were to see him check into a competitive game for the first time since a season-ending ACL injury last December.
"I love the fact the fans went crazy when he went in," Cats coach John Calipari said. "It lets him know we're all here for you, we want you to do well."
Three Stars | UK routs Ottawa in exhibition
Poythress had uneven performance, though, against Ottawa. He totaled eight points and six rebounds in 17 minutes but looked very much like a player returning from a long absence.
Calipari acknowledged the playing time was near Poythress' current limit, but he wants the former five-star recruit to push himself to make the next step in his rehab process.
"I was trying to let him play through," Calipari said. "I kept telling him he's got to stay in practice, stay off the bike and get into game shape."
Poythress' tendency to lag behind the action in the exhibition opener drew Calipari's ire. As did several plays where he went for a layup instead of a dunk.
While there was no shortage of highlights from Kentucky's other stars, Calipari again noted that Poythress, at his best, brings things to a rotation no other Wildcat can.
"You better have a beast," Calipari said. "That's why I'm saying we really need Alex to make strides now. I think he's 80 percent of what he should be. He made some shots. Don't care. It's all energy. It's playing people before they catch it. It's being where you're supposed to be early, staying in a stance, flying up and down the court, having unbelievable energy when you play. He doesn't have that right now."
As the first scholarship recruit to sign with Kentucky since Calipari was hired to make it to his senior season in Lexington, Poythress has been pointed to as an important source of leadership for an otherwise young team.
His teammates know how vital Poythress' progress could be to the squad's ultimate success.
"Coach reminds him every day in practice how important he is to the team," freshman guard Isaiah Briscoe said. "He's the glue guy and we need him to rebound and do things like that. Once he knows his role, everything else will fall into place and we will be that much better."
Email Jon Hale atjahale@courier-journal.com. Follow him on Twitter@JonHale_CJ.