Photo by Keyli Chisesi (Go Big Blue Country)
The Kentucky Wildcats battled through a number of mistakes but came up just short vs. No. 4 Kansas in the Champions Classic, losing by a score of 65-61. The forty minutes of action revealed a lot of about where this team is in mid-November and where they can go over the next four months.
One major bright spot was the play of sophomore forward Sacha Killeya-Jones. The 6-10, 190lb power forward played an efficient 23 minutes of basketball, finishing with 8 points, 9 rebounds, and three blocks off the bench.
When his team needed him the most, he delivered. Majority of his production occurred in the second half, where he scored six of his eight points and grabbed eight of his team-high nine rebounds.
If there is a player that John Calipari needed to emerge this season, Killeya-Jones would have to be the pick. The Wildcats are thin up front and relying heavily on freshman Nick Richards might not be the best thing for this team early in this season. Richards played only 13 minutes, chipping in 2 points and 9 rebounds for the Wildcats.
After not seeing the floor during the final 19 games last season, a lot of fans had written off Killeya-Jones being a productive player, including myself. Sometimes we are spoiled thinking players should develop at a faster rate but that’s not always the case. Calipari has said multiple times that players develop at different speeds and are on different timelines.
Through the first couple of exhibitions, you could count me as one of the doubters that Killeya-Jones could make an impact. However, he found his footing in Sunday’s 73-69 victory vs. Vermont, scoring 6 points and grabbing four rebounds in 18 minutes of play.
It is clear that Calipari trusts him to be on the floor late in games this season and the sophomore has responded by taking advantage of his opportunities. If you’re looking for some encouragement after a tough 65-61 loss to Kansas, look at the production and development a player most didn’t give a chance.
