Big Z, major injuries and more. Five big questions for this Kentucky basketball preseason.
As soon as the doors to Rupp Arena open Friday evening and fans begin filing into the home of Kentucky basketball, the offseason will be officially over. And the preseason will have begun.
What happens over the few weeks that follow Big Blue Madness won’t tell us too much about John Calipari’s latest team. Are the freshmen good enough to carry this program to its first Final Four appearance in nine years? Will UK have the rebounding ability to overcome the loss of Oscar Tshiebwe? Is the shot-blocking potential there to get Kentucky back to a staple of the Calipari era? Can these Cats shoot well enough from deep to keep defenses honest?
The answers to these questions likely won’t be evident for weeks or possibly months, well after the real basketball season begins Nov. 6 against New Mexico State in Rupp.
But just because the upcoming games — the Madness scrimmage, the Blue-White Game and exhibitions against Georgetown College and Kentucky State — won’t really matter, it doesn’t mean UK fans won’t be able to glean anything from them. These on-court events — and the “talking season” of various media days that take place this time of year — could provide some valuable insight into what should be one of Calipari’s most intriguing teams in his 15 seasons in Lexington.
What can we really learn over the next few weeks? Quite a bit, actually.
Here are five big questions — that should actually deliver timely answers — as UK basketball prepares to flip into full-on preseason mode.
What’s up with Big Z?
One of the biggest topics on Kentucky fans’ collective minds is one that’s been dominating the UK basketball landscape for the past couple of months: What’s the latest with Zvonimir Ivišić?
The 7-foot-2 center from Croatia has been admitted to the university as a student, the Herald-Leader confirmed last week, and he should be able to enroll in classes mid-semester in time to be eligible from an academic standpoint, but there are still hurdles to getting on the court.
All incoming college players must also be cleared by the NCAA from an amateurism standpoint, and Ivišić’s time as a professional player in Europe creates more boxes to check in order to be granted college basketball eligibility. This is a process that has been ongoing since late summer, but neither the NCAA nor UK could confirm to the Herald-Leader over the weekend that Ivišić is completely in the clear to hit the court in real games just yet.
Even in the NIL era, “pay for play” is prohibited for players who want to retain amateur status, and you can bet that the NCAA will be looking closely at the documentation that Ivišić provides from his time as a pro. Players such as Ivišić are allowed to receive “necessary” expenses — such as meals, lodging, transportation, etc. — to compete with a pro team, but they cannot be compensated for their actual play. It’s common for European leagues to have safeguards in place for young players who want to keep the American college route open, but it’s still a process that will take some time to sort out.
This could get settled soon or it could drag on for a few weeks, but it will continue to cast a cloud over Ivišić’s status with the team until everything is confirmed to be in order.
There’s also, of course, the subject of Ivišić’s delayed arrival on campus, which has already put him well behind schedule. Kentucky’s first practice was held nearly three weeks ago, and — while full of potential — Ivišić was already billed as a bit of a project. How quickly can he get up to the speed of the American game and integrate himself into this team and Calipari’s coaching style? He won’t have much time to do it.
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Are the big men healthy?
Even if all goes well with Ivišić, the Wildcats will obviously need more at the “5” spot to become a true national contender, and there has been plenty of hype around the two bigs that preceded Big Z on the 2023-24 roster.
Calipari spent much of last season lauding the potential of Ugonna Onyenso, who he predicted would be “one of the best big guys in the country” as a sophomore this season. Versatile 7-footer Aaron Bradshaw has arguably more upside than any freshman — perhaps any player, period — in all of college basketball. Both missed basically the entire offseason with foot injuries, and both remained on the sidelines when practices began a couple of weeks ago.
Will Bradshaw and/or Onyenso be ready to go full steam when the real season begins? We don’t know yet.
UK fans on social media have surely seen the photos and videos of the Kentucky bigs in various settings. Bradshaw was on the court and in practice gear during a snippet of one of UK’s recent hype videos. Onyenso was seen on Instagram doing some careful dance moves — with no protective boot — from the Wildcats locker room.
Those are positive signs, but there’s a big difference between some light workouts and playing serious minutes against outside competition on the basketball court. When it comes to these matters, it’s also best not to rely on rumor mill and secondhand speculation as anything close to definitive. Soon enough, everyone will be able to use their own eyeballs to assess the progress of Bradshaw and Onyenso, neither of which is fully practicing with the team (with Onyenso apparently a little further behind Bradshaw in his recovery).
The first glimpse into their status should come at UK’s Pro Day event Wednesday night (with live streaming available on SEC Network Plus from 6-8 p.m.).
Calipari’s original timetable for both players indicated that neither would miss any of the regular season. It should be clear relatively soon whether those predictions pan out.
A new Calipari style?
With Onyenso injured, Bradshaw recovering and Ivišić a complete unknown to pretty much every Kentucky fan at the time of the GLOBL JAM in Canada over the summer, Calipari turned to transfer forward Tre Mitchell as his starting “5” for the exhibition tournament. The results were eyebrow-raising. With Mitchell — listed at 6-9 and 225 pounds and possessing a skill set better suited for playing away from the basket — as the de facto center, the Wildcats showed off an exciting (dare we say, modern) approach in those GLOBL JAM games. There was lots of fast-paced action, tons of 3-pointers and shot charts that more closely resembled something you might see in the NBA.
Now, no one should expect this to carry over completely into the regular season, and while Mitchell was somewhat of a revelation at the “5” spot against that competition, he wouldn’t be the answer against some of Kentucky’s top non-conference foes and much of the SEC. But, there’s reason to believe that Calipari will play a more progressive brand of basketball this winter. With Oscar Tshiebwe gone, the court should open up for guys like D.J. Wagner, Justin Edwards, Antonio Reeves and other natural creators to drive to the basket and keep defenders moving.
To paraphrase Calipari’s constant talking point out of Canada, these Wildcats seem to know how to “play basketball,” possessing a collective dribble-pass-and-shoot ability — plus the know-how of when to do all of those things — that could translate into more action and excitement on the offensive end.
Obviously, what Kentucky does against Georgetown College won’t necessarily be what the Cats do against Kansas and North Carolina and Tennessee, but — if this Calipari team is indeed headed toward a different approach on the offensive end — the shift to such a style is likely to be apparent as the preseason plays out.
Who’s in charge?
Calipari’s best teams have been player-driven ones, according to the man himself. He likes “coaches on the floor,” — as he calls them — and he’s already signaled that this could be such a squad. The Hall of Famer who can often be seen screaming and gesticulating wildly on the Kentucky sideline during games has already said he might be able to tone it down this time around. “You guys do more, so I can do less,” Calipari told his team in the practices leading up to the GLOBL JAM, where they answered that challenge.
Now, whether or not you truly believe that Calipari can control himself when the games begin — and it’s OK to be skeptical — this roster does have the look of one that might take more control once the ball is in play. That’s been largely lacking in recent seasons. Tshiebwe was obviously the engine that drove the Cats the past two years — and you’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone that would question his individual effort — but taking charge of the other four on the floor wasn’t his forte. And there was no other consistent voice to herd the Cats on the court, meaning Calipari’s shouts from the sideline were often louder than usual.
Who might step up this year? Antonio Reeves is the only returning UK player with considerable experience playing for Calipari, but he’s not the talk-loud type. Fifth-year transfer Tre Mitchell has the most experience at the high-major level, but he’s even newer to Lexington than most of his freshman teammates, arriving on campus mere days before the team departed for Canada.
Both players will be relied upon to lead, in some regard, but the early favorite to be that coach on the floor that Calipari covets is D.J. Wagner.
The freshman point guard won’t turn 19 until after the 2023-24 season is finished, and his game certainly needs some refinement, but he’s as confident and competitive as they come and can back it up on the court. For anyone who’s watched Wagner play over the years, it’s no stretch to imagine him taking charge in the huddle or barking directions at teammates. And when someone with Wagner’s talent and drive talks, guys usually listen. With Calipari’s all-time favorite coach on the floor, Tyler Ulis, back as a student assistant to help UK’s young guards along, Wagner should blossom into an even more effective leader, even at 18 years old.
This, like all things with freshmen, will be a work in progress, but don’t be surprised if Wagner starts to assume leadership over this Kentucky team in the coming weeks.
Who gets the hype?
Just about every preseason brings the same narrative. The “It” player. The breakout star of fall practices. The guy who simply looks better than his teammates (and sometimes coaches) thought he would be.
Often, that preseason hype starts to fizzle not long after the actual season begins. Bryce Hopkins and Johnny Juzang are a couple of recent examples of Wildcats that supposedly set the UK practice court on fire only to be relegated to their previously expected roles once the competition got real. But, notably, both of those players went on to starring roles the very next season, albeit at new schools. Tyler Herro was another such preseason overachiever and one who largely lived up to the hype, going from four-star recruit to NBA lottery pick in a matter of months.
A “surprise” player like that actually panning out can be the difference between a good team and a great one. And since this UK squad has perhaps the highest ceiling of any team in college basketball, the candidates are plenty.
Kentucky fans should know what to expect with college veterans Antonio Reeves and Tre Mitchell, and it would be difficult for either D.J. Wagner or Justin Edwards — both projected NBA lottery picks — to outperform the already considerable hype. So, who will it be?
Aaron Bradshaw’s draft stock varies widely, and the general consensus is that his true breakout is still years away, but perhaps he makes that next big jump this season? Reed Sheppard showed flashes at the GLOBL JAM. Rob Dillingham did not, but Calipari has only lifted the expectations with his public comments since then, and the early buzz out of practice has been positive. If Ugonna Onyenso is healthy, his coach apparently thinks he can be one of the nation’s best shot-blockers. Adou Thiero is often overlooked when discussing the 2023-24 roster, but would it surprise anyone if he developed into a key player on this team? Perhaps Zvonimir Ivišić — even with all the uncertainty surrounding his situation — catches up quickly and takes to the American style of basketball.
If one of those Wildcats makes a bigger contribution than expected, it could be a very good season indeed for Kentucky. If multiple players from that list can deliver on a consistent basis, talk of another banner in Rupp Arena is sure to follow.
Who will be most likely positioned for a star turn? It should start to become clear soon.
This story was originally published October 11, 2023 at 6:35 AM.
