How about that pass of Kellan Grady’s butt that he turned into a 3-pointer

Vicky Graff Photo

Jacob Toppin said he couldn’t lie about his reaction to a deep Kellan Grady 3-pointer in the second half Saturday.

“I ran down the court with my hands on my head,” Toppin said after Kentucky’s 90-81 win over Alabama Saturday. “It was a wild shot.”

How wild?

Grady wasn’t looking after UK got an offensive rebound and a pass from Davion Mintz hit him in the bed in front of the Kentucky bench and rolled loose on the floor in the second half.

I asked him how long UK had “practiced” that play.

“I don’t know how many I made before that, but I don’t think I had missed that many,” Grady said.  “I went from getting screamed at to getting applauded within about a second and a half.

“So I know it hit me and they didn’t steal it — thanks for that.  I just realized I was wide open so I let it go.”

He let nine 3-pointers go during the game and made seven. Overall he was 9-for-16 from the field and had 25 points in a performance UK fans will remember for a long, long time because not only did he make shots but he also had to take over as point guard for most of the game.

“I teased him and I said, ‘You played point guard against us your freshman year at Davidson when we played you, I think, in San Antonio,’ and he said, ‘A little bit, but my senior year I played point guard,'” UK coach John Calipari said.

“I’m not sure he’s telling me the truth, but I think he’s the kind of guard we’ve had here, the Tyrese Maxey, the Immanuel Quickleys, the Shai Alexanders, Jamal Murrays, Brandon Knights, they’re basketball players. They can play on the ball and off the ball.”

“What I kept saying, that’s where the game is going. (James) Harden now is in Philly; do you think that Tyrese is going to have the ball in his hands all the time? He’s not. But you know what? He can play the other way. He’ll go get 40 points because he can play off the ball because that’s what he learned.

“I’m not coming there unless the ball is in my hand the whole time. We don’t play that. Learn to be a basketball player. Learn to play on the ball, off the ball, in pick-and-rolls, learn to lift and drive, make baskets late in the shot clock.

“He’s done good. I’m happy that he kind of — wow, I didn’t know he was that much at the 3-point line. How about he gets two turnovers? What’s wrong with this kid?”

Nothing’s wrong with any player that can let the ball hit him in the butt, recover and bury a 3-pointer on national TV like Grady did.