By LARRY VAUGHT
For the first time in the last week or so Kentucky coach Mark Pope sounded more optimistic about not only getting Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson back in the lineup but maybe even Kerr Krissa.
Butler, UK’s point guard, has been out with a shoulder injury but Pope said Friday he was slated to participate in live practice Friday after some non-contact play in practice last week.
Robinson has missed the last three games with a right wrist injury and was slated for some “light skill work” on Friday according to Pope.
“Lamont is going to get a little bit of live action today — modified,” Pope said at his Friday press conference. “Jax is going to be doing some skill stuff today.”
Neither is expected to play tonight at Alabama but at least it sounds like now they could return before SEC Tournament play.
“Certainly, we’re missing pieces. We would love to get them back,” Pope said. “We hope we get them back at some point, but in the meantime, we’re going to go compete with what we have and we’re going to do it well.”
Both are big losses. Butler runs the team and is the team’s best defensive player. He averages 12.5 points, 4.6 assists, and 2.8 rebounds in 19 games played. Robinson contributes 13.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game.
Kriisa has been out since early December with a broken foot and the assumption has been he would not be back. Pope even confirmed last week that he would be eligible to apply for a medical redshirt year if he does not play again. However, Pope said Friday that if Kriisa can play this year, he will play.
“With Kerr, it’s just a race to get healthy, if he can. That’s kind of the deal, can he get healthy? Can he get there?” Pope said. “We’re still farther away than we anticipated and so certainly the window is getting tight right now. Where he is right now, the steps he would have to take from here to get back on the court to be cleared to play are a little bit extensive, but we’re kind of fighting every day the best we can to see if we can get him closer. And he is, he is. He’s working to do that, too.”
Pope and Kriisa are not thinking about the 2025-26 season. Instead, they are focused on what to do to get him better now.
“We’re just in the day-to-day of just saying, ‘Hey, can we make the next step? Can we just get to the next step? There’s also frustration with how your body responds sometimes too, right?” Pope said.
“So that’s just a process of trying to figure that part out, and it’s much more next step than it is an end step.”
3 Responses
Seriously, Kriisa should take the redshirt and come back healthy next season…unless he has no interest in coming back next year. If Butler returns, it should be for reserve duty only. If he can’t dive on the floor for a loose ball, he should not be on the floor at all unless he is just giving Perry or Chandler a 2 minute breather. Robinson should be looking to return for reserve duty against Oklahoma and Auburn if able. Both will have to get back into shape to really make a difference and that might not happen until the SEC tourney. In the meanwhile, this team as is, is trying to develop some chemistry playing together and there should be as little disruption to that as possible. I think we have a shot at winning out until we go to Columbia. The way the refs let them grab, push, and hack everyone the Boston Celtics could not win there. The games won’t be called that way in the Big Dance and that will hurt all of the SEC teams.
Barry If I’m right Butler is playing his fifth year will not be eligible next year. As for Robinson I think he’s a senior correct me if I’m wrong.
I apologize I miss quote what you were saying on my last comment. Disregard it