No quick return for Kentucky basketball’s Sestina and Allen, Calipari says
Five takeaways from Thursday’s media session previewing Kentucky’s game against Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday:
▪ John Calipari showed he has mastered alliteration. He said UK’s points of emphasis at this juncture of the season are “fight” and “finish.” He said UK’s play in the final four minutes of games has been “atrocious.”
▪ Calipari’s doused any optimism about Nate Sestina and Dontaie Allen returning from injury soon. He said Sestina’s return from a broken left wrist is two weeks, “maybe three” away. And Allen practiced Monday, but sat out the next two days of workouts. “He’s not really ready,” Calipari said.
▪ As part of the effort to instill toughness, Calipari spoke of recent practices not being for the faint of heart. ‘It’s like lacrosse,” he said of these practices. “I might as well give them sticks.”
▪ Calipari said he agreed to play Michigan in London next season as the start of a three-games-in-three-seasons deal. Why? Because it can be payback for how first-year Michigan Coach Juwan Howard worked with Bam Adebayo when the ex-Cat was a rookie with the Miami Heat.
▪ Immanuel Quickley said that he’ll look forward to next season’s game in London if he returns for a third season with Kentucky. Quickley said he’s been something of a world traveler having played in Egypt, Spain, Italy and Aruba.
