UK 'in shock' over Poythress' injury
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Teammates saw him go down, heard Alex Poythress scream after his left knee buckled on a breakaway layup attempt during the University of Kentucky's basketball practice Thursday. But then they watched him get up, walk it off, bend that knee without the pain typical of a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
They had hope. They went back to practicing while Poythress left to get further tests. Then came an evening text message from coach John Calipari to gather for an unscheduled team meeting. Their hearts sunk. And there it was: Poythress, a starting junior forward for the top-ranked Wildcats, did tear his ACL and will miss the rest of this season.
"It was honestly like somebody in your family died," said fellow junior Willie Cauley-Stein, Poythress' best friend on the team, his former roommate and current suitemate in the players' lodge. "Everybody was quiet. Nobody was talking. Nobody was anything. We were just in there with him. It was just real sad."
Tears flowed for the former McDonald's All-American, not because his injury could disrupt Calipari's two-platoon plan or because Kentucky (10-0) hosts No. 21 North Carolina (6-2) on Saturday, fewer than 48 hours after Poythress went down.
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"Guys cried," Calipari said, because Poythress meant more to this team than his averages of 5.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 20.3 minutes per game this season. He twice considered entering the NBA draft and twice returned to school — to improve his own pro stock, yes, but also to settle unfinished business.
He wanted to erase the bitter taste of an NIT appearance as a freshman and then to win one more game than he did as a sophomore, when the Wildcats were NCAA runners-up. He didn't mind limited minutes on a loaded roster. He wanted to do his part, the way he did in an electric stretch against rival Louisville in last season's Sweet 16.
"He's just that older brother," Cauley-Stein said. "He's just that good brother that's always doing the right stuff, got his grades right. And it's just crazy. Why's this got to happen to a dude that just does everything right, that definitely doesn't deserve to go down with an injury like that?"
Sophomore center Dakari Johnson said he was "disgusted" when he learned the news. He and the rest of the Wildcats greeted Poythress when he returned from the doctor's office Thursday night. They watched a game with him and shared a meal with him.
They tried to cheer him up, but mostly just wanted to let Poythress know they were there — and will be.
"He wasn't really saying nothing," Johnson said. "He was very emotional. Everybody was emotional. We didn't know what to say."
Calipari said he hadn't even considered how this loss affects Kentucky on the court, and Cauley-Stein said his coach seemed to be "in shock" Thursday night. The only good news, whenever the pain subsides, is that few teams in the country, if any, are as well-equipped as the Cats to absorb such a significant loss.
(Actually, the other good news is guards Tyler Ulis and Devin Booker — who missed Wednesday's game with unspecified injuries — practiced Thursday and should play against UNC.)
Freshman and former McDonald's All-American Trey Lyles plays the same small-forward position as Poythress on the second platoon and could simply move up to the first. Derek Willis, a 6-9 sophomore with 3-point range, could move up from the end of the bench to take the open spot on the second unit.
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Or the Cats could tighten their rotation and scrap the platoon system altogether.
"It just kind of ruins our platoon," Cauley-Stein said. "Nobody can make the plays that he makes. He's a freak athlete, does special things that you can't really replace. So now we've just got to figure out how to play differently."
Poythress, who was on the cover of Sports Illustrated's 2014-15 college basketball preview issue, was the best athlete on the team. He played in 81 games and produced 649 points, 410 rebounds and 55 blocked shots. DraftExpress.com rated him the 36th-best prospect available for the 2015 NBA draft. Whether he declares after this season or stays for yet another year at UK remains to be seen now.
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He qualifies for a medical redshirt, although he'll earn his undergraduate degree in May. While Poythress' college career has been up and down, he's always had an uncanny ability to deliver a dunk or block – in high-flying, emphatic fashion – just when the Wildcats need a spark.
Calipari agreed with Cauley-Stein that there's no true substitute for that on this otherwise well-stocked roster. The coach planned to start addressing that in Friday's practice. He said Kentucky could take some lumps while he figures it out.
"Things like this can bring people together or it could break people apart," he said. "It's a hard deal. I mean, it's hard for all of us. Our practice yesterday just went 'poof.' Next man up and all that, it's all great coach speak. The reality of it is the fear and the anxiety and all the other stuff that Alex has and we have for him, it just zaps you. It zapped me."
There was a funereal feel at the Joe Craft Center before the Wildcats practiced without Poythress for the first time Friday. Cauley-Stein's voice cracked as he talked about his friend. This injury, though, affords him an opportunity to return a kindness.
When Cauley-Stein suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the Sweet 16 last season, Poythress stayed by his side. They still shared a room then, and the two of them watched movies and TV shows and played video games for hours.
"It meant a lot to me that he was just there when he didn't have to be," Cauley-Stein said. "That's what everybody has to do now, especially with this kind of injury. Just be there and let him know that we're thinking about him.
"I know firsthand how he's feeling. You get hurt like that, it feels like everything is just coming down on you. That stuff that we're trying to accomplish this year — not only me and him together but us as a whole team — just to have that kind of just end and not knowing what's going to come next is the worst part."
Kyle Tucker can be reached at (502) 582-4361. Follow him on Twitter @KyleTucker_CJ.
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