Men's Basketball

Belief Never Wavered That Justin Edwards’ Breakthrough Would Come, “I stayed in the gym, and I believe in God”

Published

2 years ago

February 27, 2024

Tristan Pharis

After a dominant win over Alabama, the Kentucky Wildcats will take on Mississippi State on the road.

^{Co-authored by: Wyatt Huff}

What a journey it has been for Justin Edwards.

The top recruit in Kentucky’s heralded 2023 No. 1 recruiting class, many, including myself, believed that Edwards held the highest star potential of the group. At 6-8, 203 pounds, Edwards was one of the most versatile players in high school basketball, which led many outlets to project him as a Top 5 pick in the 2024 Draft, and in some cases even the No. 1 draft pick.

In his first action for Kentucky, during the Wildcats’ summer trip to Canada for GLOBL JAM, Edwards looked the part, averaging 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds over four games. However, when the regular season started, Edwards met “true adversity” for the first time in his basketball career.

While his talent and athleticism helped him put up good numbers against lower competition, he struggled in big games against Kansas and North Carolina. In the process, his struggles on the court became more visible, as did his lack of confidence.

From early December to the end of January, Edwards did not score in double-figures one time over an eight-game stretch. That culminated in a game against Arkansas where he went scoreless and recorded just nine minutes of action, both season lows, and was followed by a DNP against Florida due to a hip injury.

When things looked their bleakest, feeling “the weight of the world” as John Calipari has referred to it in the past, something changed for Edwards.

Part of that is that the Kentucky staff and his teammates never gave up on him, calling their shots on his breakout.

Dec. 11th, John Calipari: “I really think there’s going to be a game where Justin goes for 30.”

Dec. 13th, Chuck Martin: “Everyone’s journey is different. He’s an extremely hard-working kid, in the gym every day. He’s super versatile. It’s just a matter of time before he breaks out.”
Jan. 9th, John Calipari: “In a month from now, you will all say, ‘Wow, this is what they were talking about.’”

During that time, Reed Sheppard took the initiative to help his teammate by introducing Edwards to his mental health coach.”Everyone struggles mentally,” Sheppard told KY Insider. “It’s a hard thing not to struggle with. I just wanted to help him and get him to think positively, instead of negatively.”

Instilling confidence and aiding Edwards in getting into a better mental space was just part of the solution, he still had to put the work in. “We don’t have anyone working harder right now,” Calipari said in mid-January amidst Edwards’ struggles.

While it would have been easy to revert and put in less work, when the on-court performance wasn’t improving, he didn’t, trusting the process. His improvement has been gradual, with demonstrated performances allowing his confidence to grow. It started with a 7-point, 4-rebound performance against Tennessee, then setting a career-high at Vanderbilt. Then came Saturday.

Against a top 15 team, on CBS, in Rupp Arena, Edwards had his best game as a Kentucky Wildcat and in historic fashion. Putting up a career-high and team-high of 28 points, Edwards didn’t miss a single shot, shooting a perfect 10-10 from the field and 4-4 from three-point range. Edwards became just the third player in Kentucky basketball history to go perfect from the field with at least ten field goal attempts, joining Kenny “Sky” Walker and Rodney Dent, and the first to do so with at least one three-point attempt.

After his big performance on Saturday, Calipari doubled down in his belief in Edwards. “I kept saying you’re going to break through, I believe in you,” Calipari said. “He said coach, I believe in you. And I said you just got to stay the course. What I said to the team today – he has lived in the gym. He made every shot.”

The joy of Edwards’ breakthrough carried over to his teammates. “I’ve been lucky enough to have this guy,” Reed Sheppard said. “He’s been able to help me be positive, no matter what… I’m really glad he’s finally turning the page and I’m super proud of him.”

Edwards, himself, also got the chance to speak with the media after the game, where he opened up about what that performance meant to him and the mental struggles he has had to overcome.

“It felt good. I had been struggling mentally the whole season so to go out there and to play how I did felt good,” Edwards said. He said Coach Calipari has been a constant source of encouragement throughout the season. “Me and Coach Cal always talk about it, and he tells me he believes in me, and I tell him I believe in him. I stay in the gym, and I just believe in God.”

His message to those going through tough times:

“It’s not going to rain forever. Stay the course and believe in God.”

Justin Edwards talks about his mental health battles during his time at Kentucky and says Reed Sheppard connected him with his mental health coach.

His message to those going through tough times:

"It's not going to rain forever. Stay the course and believe in God." pic.twitter.com/zxlaVozldJ— Tristan Pharis (@TristanUda) February 25, 2024

BB Recruiting

James Madison Transfer Justin McBride to Visit Kentucky on Tuesday

Published

6 days ago

April 17, 2026

Tristan Pharis

Kentucky will host James Madison transfer James McBride for a visit on Tuesday, after communicating with Mark Pope and the staff via Zoom video call.

James Madison Athletics

While much of the attention in the transfer portal goes to the top targets, you need to build a full roster. Still with starting spots to be claimed, Kentucky also looking at depth pieces. The most recent, James Madison transfer Justin McBride.

After talking to the staff this week via Zoom video call, McBride is scheduled to take a visit to Lexington on Tuesday.

A three-star transfer, ranked 201st overall according to 247Sports, McBride is being recruited by multiple power conference teams including Baylor and Cal, as well as SEC foes Mississippi State and Ole Miss.

Out of high school, McBride was a four-star recruit, ranked in the top 150 nationally.

“He is a versatile player who has that IT factor about him. You can tell by the passion he plays with that there is a huge chip on his shoulder,” 247Sports asked program director Vonzell Thomas said as he evaluated McBride out of high school. “What I like about his game is his will to win. He does whatever it takes to win and not every kid has that mentality.”

From Texas, McBride committed to Oklahoma State over the likes of Kansas and Arkansas, where he played alongside former Wildcat Bandon Garrison. There, he appeared in just 24 games, averaging just over five minutes per game.

Seeking a larger role, McBride entered the transfer portal and dropped to the mid-major level, committing to Nevada. With the Wolfpack he nearly tripled both his minutes and production, averaging 7.8 points and 4.2 rebounds in just under 20 minutes per game. His most recent stop, James Madison this past season, McBride had a breakout year, averaging 15.3 points and 5.6 rebounds on 40 percent shooting from deep.

Entering his senior season, the 6-7, 240 pound McBride is eyeing a jump back to the power conference level, prioritizing fit at his next stop.

Will that be Kentucky?

McBride has good size and athleticism, and has an inside-out style of game. Meaning he can work his away around the paint, but can also space the floor with his shooting, grading fairly well as a catch and shoot guy. Overall, he ranks in the 97th percentile in scoring volume. That said, there is come consistency to be lacked on the defensive side.

BB Recruiting

Multiple Transfers Meet With Kentucky on Wednesday

Published

2 weeks ago

April 8, 2026

Tristan Pharis

The transfer portal is active, and Zoom stock is going up as college coaches are video chatting around the clock to build their rosters, including Kentucky.

On Wednesday, Mark Pope and the Kentucky staff added three more names to the Zoom list.

Alex Wilkins (Guard, Furman), 4⭐️, 46th-ranked transfer

Class: Sophomore
Physicals: 6-5, 175 lbs
Last season averages: 17.8 PPG, 4.7 APG, 46% FG, 32.8% 3P

An underrated prospect coming out of high school, Wilkins splashed on the scene this year at Furman. As a freshman, he led his team to the NCAA Tournament, averaging 17.8 points and 4.7 assists and earning second team All-SoCon honors.

There were few players as critical to their team’s success as Wilkins, leading the SoCon in possession usage (34.4%) and shot usage (31.7%). That does lend some explanation to his poor shooting splits and turnover concerns (3.8 turnovers per game).

A quick, wirey guard, Wilkins is a capable scorer at all three levels, and can create for his teammates. However, he needs to add some muscle for power conference competition, and needs to have more consistent effort on the defensive end.

A freshman, those are both correctable things.

Isaac Celiscar (Forward, Yale), 4⭐️, 84th-ranked transfer

Class: Junior
Physicals: 6-6, 210 lbs
Last season averages: 13.2 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.2 APG, 57.3% FG, 40.7% 3P

Isaac Celiscar is one of the most efficient, versatile players in the transfer portal.

The first takeaway, averaging 13.2 point per game with 57.3 percent shooting, he is extremely efficient on limited opportunities. Shooting nearly 41 percent from deep, he is a threat from deep as well. That efficiency carries over to his passing, as he averages more than three assists per game, on just 1.3 turnovers per game.

Celiscar grades out as a glue-guy with great offensive skills and good feel for the game, but he does have limitations in terms of his athleticism and shot creation.

Jalen Cox (Guard, Colgate), 3⭐️ , 149th-ranked transfer

Class: Senior
Physicals: 6-3, 180 lbs
Last season averages: 17.9 PPG, 5.3 APG, 5.0 RPG, 52.1% FG, 36.5% 3P

Jalen Cox is the lowest ranked player Kentucky has reached out to, but the Wildcats need depth and Cox is a experienced guard with proven production.

Averaging 17.9 points and 5.3 assists (2.0+ assist-to-turnover ratio) per game on 52 percent shooting from the field, Cox is a versatile and efficient offensive player. He has also multiple conference All-Defense selections too, making him a two way player.

The biggest concern with Cox is his athletic ceiling and how that translates to power conference competition. However an experienced two way player is a great rotation piece.

BB Recruiting

Top Five Transfer Paulius Murauskas Moves Up Call, Talks With Kentucky on Wednesday

Published

2 weeks ago

April 8, 2026

Tristan Pharis

Kentucky met with Saint Mary's transfer Paulius Muruaskas, one of the top forwards in the transfer portal, on Wednesday and is looking to schedule a visit for him to come to Lexington.

Saint Mary's Athletics

Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats are as busy as anyone in the transfer portal. On Wednesday, they met with their biggest fish of this transfer portal cycle so far, Paulius Murauskas.

Originally scheduled for Thursday, the Wildcats met with Murauskas via Zoom video call on Wednesday, per source.

Currently ranked 4th overall in 247Sports transfer rankings, the top-ranked forward, Murauskas is the prototypical modern basketball player. Good size at 6-foot-8, 235 pounds, with the ability to create for himself and others, has a good handle, and overall good feel for the game.

Murauskas started his collegiate career at Arizona after some professional experience in Lithuania. Playing just five minutes per game with the Wildcats as a freshman, Murauskas transferred to Saint Mary’s, where he has flourished and earned All-Conference honors the last two seasons.

This past season, Murauskas averaged 18.4 points and 7.6 rebounds, on 48.2 percent shooting from the field and 33.3 percent from deep. As for his weaknesses, he is not super athletic, and he does need to be more consistent with his shot.

Originally thought to follow former Saint Mary’s head coach Randy Bennett to Arizona State, Murauskas is exploring all options. Following the Zoom, Kentucky is trying to get him on campus for a visit in the near future.