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Men's Basketball

Louisville Assistant Coach Seemingly Throws Shot at Kentucky and John Calipari

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© Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

In 2010, when Kentucky had five players selected in the first round of the NBA Draft, John Calipari infamously called it the “Greatest day in the history of the program”. In the thirteen seasons since, Calipari has continued that NBA Draft success.

As the head coach at Kentucky, 47 of 78 players under Calipari have gone on to be drafted, twelve more than the school in second (Duke). For many of those players, Calipari has sat in the draft green room to celebrate their success with them and their families.

Yet, Nolan Smith, an assistant coach for the Louisville Cardinals, believes Calipari’s presence at the draft is selfish in intent. Smith claims that Calipari’s draft attendance with his player(s) is for a “photo op” to “help with recruiting.”

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It is hard to believe Calipari has such a shallow reason to attend the draft, especially given how his former players speak of him and how much he cares for them. Just last week, former Wildcat Julius Randle talked about how a relationship with Calipari “lasts forever”, long after their days after playing at Kentucky. That included helping Randle and his family through a medical situation last year.

Men's Basketball

Mark Pope Says Jaxson Robinson Broke Into “Inconsolable Tears” Knowing His Season Was Over After Oklahoma Win

Jaxson Robinson broke into tears following Kentucky’s win at Oklahoma upon the realization that his injury may end his college career early.

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Kentucky guard Jaxson Robinson warming up.
Chet White | UK Athletics

Jaxson Robinson’s college story came to an end in the worst possible way this past week, as Mark Pope confirmed he will need season-ending surgery to repair a wrist injury that he originally suffered in practice before the South Carolina game last month.

Robinson, who will end the year with an impressive line of averages at 13 points, four boards and two assists per game, attempted to return from his ailment on the road against Oklahoma last Wednesday. Despite the team winning, Robinson went down once more, and according to Pope, he knew “in his heart of hearts” that he was done.

After sticking it out and keeping spirits high on the sideline for the sake of his teammates, Robinson broke into “inconsolable tears” in the locker room following the game at the aforementioned realization that his playing time at Kentucky had likely come to an end.

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“It’s one of the worst parts of basketball,” Pope said in a press conference today. “(Jaxson) was just having an unbelievable run.”

That he was. Whether it be his 27-point performance on the road against Mississippi State or one of the many three-point barrages that helped propel the ‘Cats to countless victories, Robinson had become a beloved, invaluable member of the team up to this point.

Though the road without him will certainly be difficult, perhaps Robinson’s absence will give the Wildcats yet another thing to play for as March Madness draws near. Either way, one thing is for certain: the Big Blue Nation will miss Jaxson Robinson dearly. His contributions in Pope’s first season are not and will never be taken lightly.

Get well soon, #2. Thank you for everything.

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Men's Basketball

Mark Pope Announces Jaxson Robinson Will Miss Remainder of the Season

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Kentucky guard Jaxon Robinson watching warmups as he sits with an injured wrist.
Tristan Pharis

Following a 94-78 loss to the Auburn Tigers, where Kentucky was never really that competitive, there was a double dose of bad news.

Mark Pope announced that Jaxson Robinson will miss the remainder of the season.

Robinson who injured his wrist in practice earlier this month, returned to action on Wednesday against Oklahoma, but fell and reinjured the wrist after only 12 minutes of action. That fall was ultimately what ended his season.

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“We came to the final conclusion last night that he’s going to get surgery,” Pope started. “He is going Wednesday, to the world specialist, to have surgery on his wrist.”

“He’s got a torn sub-sheath to his ECU tendon. What’s happening is that it is slipping out and when went down we kinda knew he was going to need surgery, but he just wanted so badly to play. He rehabbed it and had an injection to try and make it functional. He was doing okay, then he went down in the first half at Oklahoma.”

“There is no way that he going to be able to play.”

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Men's Basketball

Mark Pope gives Injury updates ahead of Kentucky’s matchup versus #1 Auburn, “It’s a Mixed Bag”

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Mark Pope helps Kentucky big man Amari Williams off the floor after an ankle injury.
Chet White | UK Athletics

Kentucky has been dealing with injuries for weeks, and while things are trending in the right direction in time for March, the injuries still have to be monitored.

On Friday, during his press conference to preview the Wildcats’ matchup with no. 1 Auburn, Mark Pope provided updates on where his injured players stand after a tough battle with Oklahoma.

“Lamont (Butler) came out great,” Pope said, opening with a positive note. Butler has been dealing with a shoulder injury since mid-January that has kept him out of six of the last nine games. In 20 minutes against Oklahoma, he recorded 7 points and 6 assists, and stated that he felt “no pain” after the game.

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Pope also noted that Andrew Carr came out “really good” after the win against the Sooners. The Wake Forest transfer has been playing through back pain since December and is looking much more comfortable on the court in the last week or two, putting up double figures in two of the last three games.

The updates weren’t all positive, though, as is the case with Jaxson Robinson and Amari Williams.

Robinson, who has been dealing with a wrist injury on his shooting hand, played just 12 minutes against Oklahoma before putting his warmups back on and icing his wrist. He came out “not quite so good,” from the game said Pope. It’s possible, if not likely, that Robinson is out for the Auburn game. It’s not worth him to

Finally, there is Amari Williams. The potential All-SEC big suffered a minor ankle roll in the opening minutes against Oklahoma, but went on to finish the game and played 19 minutes. Pope’s update on him was not quite positive or negative, but neutral.

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“Amari seems like he had a decent day yesterday [Thursday], we’ll know more about him today [Friday],” he said.

As the Cats look to see where they stand against the no. 1 ranked team in the country, Pope isn’t making any excuses.

The initial availability report will come out around 8:00 EST on Friday.

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