The wins keep coming for Kentucky men’s basketball - five straight now in SEC play after a 72-63 victory over Ole Miss at Rupp Arena - but don’t let the streak fool you. Beneath the surface, this is a team holding things together with duct tape and grit.
Every win seems to come with a new challenge. The streak began with a solid win over Mississippi State, but that same game marked the beginning of a troubling trend.
Jayden Quaintance, Kentucky’s highly touted big man and top NBA prospect, didn’t suit up due to lingering issues with the same knee he tore a year ago. He hasn’t been back since.
Then came the loss of starting point guard Jaland Lowe. He re-aggravated a shoulder injury in that Mississippi State game, and that was it - his season officially over just days later. That’s a major blow for a team that leaned on his steady hand at the point.
And it didn’t stop there. Against Texas - a team that’s taken down Vanderbilt, Alabama, and Georgia - starting forward Kam Williams went down with what’s believed to be a season-ending foot injury. The team hasn’t used that exact phrase, but the need for surgery makes the writing on the wall pretty clear.
With key pieces like Quaintance, Lowe, and Williams sidelined, and others like Mouhamed Dioubate and Trent Noah dealing with their own injury issues, the conversation naturally shifted to freshman Braydon Hawthorne.
Hawthorne, a 6-foot-8 Kentucky native who grew up dreaming of playing in Lexington, had been a candidate to redshirt this season. He and Miami (OH) transfer Reece Potter were both viewed as developmental projects early on. But while Potter’s redshirt was confirmed, Hawthorne’s status stayed in limbo.
Back in December, head coach Mark Pope explained why he hadn’t committed to redshirting Hawthorne.
“The answer is no,” Pope said when asked if the decision had been finalized. “Very rational people could make opposing arguments. BH is getting so much better every day, there’s certainly space where he could help us.”
At the same time, Pope made it clear he wasn’t taking the decision lightly.
“There’s that fear of, you put him on the court for three minutes and he never plays again the rest of the season, and you’re like, ‘Man, coach, you just burned my redshirt,’” Pope said. “I feel the responsibility.
I want to make sure that we take care of him. So, we’ve got to do it right.”
Given the mounting injuries and a tough SEC schedule ahead, it seemed like it might be time to finally pull the redshirt and let Hawthorne loose.
But that option? Off the table - at least for now.
“It’s certainly in discussion, it’s just… there’s so many dynamics there,” Pope said after the win over Ole Miss. “Most importantly, right now, he’s not healthy.”
That’s right - the potential reinforcement many fans hoped could step in to help fill the void left by Kentucky’s banged-up frontcourt? He’s on the shelf too.
Pope later clarified that Hawthorne is dealing with a calf injury, though he didn’t go into detail. What’s clear is that until Hawthorne is back to full strength, the redshirt conversation is moot.
So for now, Kentucky continues to ride the hot hand, navigating SEC play with a shortened rotation and a next-man-up mentality. They'll be back on the road Tuesday, Jan. 27, heading to Nashville to take on No.
15 Vanderbilt at Memorial Gymnasium. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m.
ET on ESPN.
Don’t expect to see Hawthorne make his debut there. Kentucky’s still waiting on their secret weapon - and hoping the injury bug doesn’t bite again before he’s ready.