Vicky Graff Photo
Just a few weeks after saying he would not give a timetable for the return of injured 7-footers Aaron Bradshaw or Ugonna Onyenso, Kentucky coach John Calipari did both after Thursday’s exhibition win over Kentucky State.
“I think Aaron will probably miss the first week, maybe two of the season. But he’s on a great path,” Calipari said.
He said Onyenso was probably “two weeks behind” Bradshaw which was a bit of a surprise since Bradshaw was injured in late March and Onyenso in mid-July.
Former Kentucky All-American Jack Givens, the analyst on the UK Radio Network, often watched UK practice and indicated last week that Calipari’s prognosis seems possible.
“Aaron is finally starting to jump a little bit,” said Givens during a talk at the Louisville Quarterback Club. “He’s not been in contact yet but he’s not just walking around and shooting. Now he is elevating.”
Givens said Wednesday he thought in the “next week, week and a half” he thought Bradshaw could be going up and down the court to work on his conditioning.
“He has been riding a bicycle and that kind of stuff but there is no conditioning like getting out there and playing,” Givens said. “I would say maybe three more weeks to be in playing shape. There’s just no easy way to do that and Big Z (Zvonimir Ivisic) found that out.
“I just know we will not be very good until we get one of the 7-footers back.”
From what Givens has seen, he’s not as optimistic about Onyenso as Calipari.
“He probably will not be back until after the first of the year. He is not doing anything in practice. He doesn’t have a boot. He walks around. I have not even seen him shooting much on the side basket,” Givens said.
“I am hoping I am wrong and they can be fully loaded by mid-December. I don’t anticipate him back until the start of the SEC season but if that means having him back at the end of the year, I am okay with it.”
4 Responses
The fraud continues. The list of so called players who visited UK and claimed association with the UK basketball program only to use the UK facilities, training, coaching, and name to parlay a year of banishment from the NBA into NBA riches continues to grow.
This is disgraceful. It defines Calipari. It is shameful that Barnhart has turned a blind eye.
Seriously? What decade are you trapped in, 1960s, maybe 1970s..
They may get cleared before then, but it will be best case midseason before we start seeing what our 7 footers are. They have to heal, get fully in shape, go through learning curves to be a solid part of the team. That takes time, and some of the guys will not reach their best this season.
Bradshaw won’t be ready to play until December. January for Onyenso. Z…never. Bradshaw and Onyenso will have to get back into playing shape, but they can rotate every 5 to 6 minutes until they get there. Hopefully, they will focus on defense and rebounding as learning the offense will come slower.
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