Mark Pope provides injury update on UK’s Kam Williams, Jayden Quaintance
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- UK basketball coach Mark Pope gave an injury update on Kam Williams, Jayden Quaintance.
- Pope talked about the injury outlook for both players during his weekly radio show.
- Both Williams and Quaintance have been out for Kentucky since January due to injuries.
During his weekly radio show Wednesday night, Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope provided an injury update on two of his players.
The Cats have been without both sophomore wing Kam Williams and sophomore forward Jayden Quaintance since January.
Williams has missed 11 straight games for UK since suffering a broken left foot during a home win over Texas on Jan. 21. Quaintance has missed 15 straight contests due to knee issues related to a torn ACL he suffered in February 2025. Quaintance hasn’t played for UK since Jan. 7.
Will either Williams or Quaintance see game action again during the 2025-26 season?
Pope said both players are moving in the right direction in their respective rehab processes.
“Positive news on both those guys,” Pope said.
Williams has begun to run and had a skill workout Wednesday that went well, Pope said.
“Having minimal pain, hasn’t done anything full speed,” Pope said of Williams. “But he’s making progress.”
Williams — who is no longer in a walking boot and has been seen shooting a basketball prior to recent games — is averaging 6.9 points per game while shooting 34.8% on 3-pointers, 44.9% from the field and 95.0% from the free-throw line.
Pope said Quaintance “is also making some progress” from his lingering knee issues.
“We feel like we’ve got the swelling a little bit under control, and he actually did strength testing (Wednesday),” Pope said. “He’s got a much more intensive ramp up before he can step on the court.”
While Quaintance was Kentucky’s top addition from the transfer portal this past offseason, he’s only appeared in four games for UK. After stuffing the stat sheet in his Kentucky debut, a win over St. John’s on Dec. 20 in Atlanta, Quaintance saw decreased production in his next three games against Bellarmine, Alabama and Missouri.
This past weekend, Quaintance’s father addressed his son’s Kentucky career and pro basketball aspirations in a series of social media posts. Quaintance is expected to leave UK this offseason for the professional ranks. He’s projected as a first-round pick in the 2026 NBA draft, but Quaintance’s draft stock has dropped in recent weeks.
In addition to the long-term injury absences of Williams and Quaintance, Kentucky has also been without junior guard Jaland Lowe since January. Lowe is out for the season after a series of right shoulder injuries required surgery.
Despite Pope’s optimism, there’s not much time to get Williams or Quaintance back on the court.
UK has just one regular season game left. That’s at 4 p.m. Saturday against No. 5 Florida at Rupp Arena. The SEC Tournament starts March 11 in Nashville, Tennessee. Round of 64 games in the NCAA Tournament begin March 19.
Kentucky is 19-11 overall and 10-7 in SEC games. On Tuesday night, the Cats suffered a first-half meltdown in their road loss at Texas A&M.
This story was originally published March 4, 2026 at 7:23 PM.
