After missing nine games, Keion Brooks will be back playing Saturday night. (Jeff Houchin Photo)
Kentucky has finally got some scoring help the last two games from freshman Dontaie Allen and that has led to two straight wins after a six-game losing streak. Now the Cats have some more good news — or what should be good news — with the expected return of sophomore Keion Brooks Saturday at Florida. Ironically, the last game Brooks played was the final regular season game last year at Florida when he scored 10 points — with two 3-pointers — in an 18-point comeback win.
Brooks averaged 4.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game in 31 games, including six starts, last season and was the only returning player to have scored in a game last season. He shot 47.2 percent from the field and also had 13 blocked shots and 11 steals.
His preseason left leg injury that led to him being out about three months instead of the expected “two to three weeks” originally predicted has perplexed UK fans. Now he has been medically cleared to return and his experience and playmaking could be a needed boost for the Cats against Florida, Alabama, Auburn and Georgia.
Brooks had been allowed to condition and do individual drills — he had been seen dunking in pregame warmups — but he was not cleared for contact work until Thursday.
“I met with him today and it was a little bit emotional,” Calipari said Thursday. “We have all been patient with this but obviously we all wanted Keion out there with us, no one more so than him. Now he is.”
Brooks volunteered to speak with the media after UK’s loss to North Carolina where Cam’Ron Fletcher broke down emotionally on the bench at the end of the game.
“When he and I talked about how he would fit in with what we’ve been doing as a team, his comment was, ‘Coach, I really trust you. I’ll do whatever this team needs me to do.’ Pretty amazing stuff when you think about this is someone who came back as the leader of our team and the only guy who played minutes with us a season ago. All Keion cares about is trying to help this team win,” Calipari said.
Exactly who will lose playing time with Brooks’ return will be interesting. Jacob Toppin has continued to improve and done the “dirty work” that this team needs. Isaiah Jackson is UK’s leading shot blocker and rebounder. Lance Ware has provided physical play and hustle plays this team needs.
Just how effective the 6-7 sophomore Brooks will be after missing so much team practice remains to be seen along with how much Calipari will play him. But for a team struggling to get a season back on track, Brooks’ return can only help.
