Davion Mintz hit five 3-pointers against Georgia. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Davion Mintz has done extra work in the gym shooting the last few weeks to try to end his shooting slump. He has been encouraged by coach John Calipari and his Kentucky teammates to keep shooting even when he was not making shots after missing about 10 days due to illness.
But there was something else — something almost magical — that may have helped Mintz even more.
He had 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting, including 5-for-7 on 3-pointers, in Saturday’s win over Georgia. It was his second straight game to seem to be regaining the scoring magic he had last year.
However, what we didn’t know is that maybe he got inspiration from an unexpected source — his dog, Ghost. Mintz calls his dog the “secret sauce” he needs.
“When I got ill, Ghost left,” Mintz said after the Georgia win. “He was still gone during that period when I was still struggling.
“He came back just recently — like a couple of weeks ago — everything has been uphill. It’s been great with him around and he makes everything easier. He’s probably the reason I’m actually playing well.”
Bottom line — make sure Ghost doesn’t leave again for any reason.
