Kentucky’s injury picture got a little clearer on Monday, and the latest update came with both encouraging signs and a fresh setback.
During the Wildcats’ annual basketball Media Day, UK revealed that backup guard Jerone Morton hurt his knee in practice and will be checked again in a few weeks. That news landed alongside several other status updates: Milan Momcilovic is expected to be cleared next week to practice without the splint he has been wearing, Trent Noah should be back in a few weeks, and Kam Williams remains on track to return right around the start of the regular season.
Williams has been one of the more closely watched names on the list, and Mark Pope offered a detailed look at where things stand. “He obviously kind of re-injured his previous Jones fracture,” Pope said about Williams' injury.
“It didn’t heal all the way correctly, so we had to do a more extensive surgery (this summer) that we think has an incredible success rate. So we have very high expectations of him to be back healthy. ...
I'd like to get him healthy because he's a really good player."
Pope also pointed to Williams’ familiarity with the system as a real plus once he’s back for game action. "The nice thing for us is Kam knows us, and he understands what we're trying to do.
So when he gets back, he's not coming back like as a brand new guy to the system. He understands it. ...
This morning, we had shooting workouts, and he's back in the shooting workouts. And I only watched him for a couple minutes, but I didn't see him miss, and so I like that.
I like that. That's gonna be important to get him back full speed."
For Kentucky, the return of Williams would be a welcome boost. Morton’s knee issue, though, adds another name to a growing injury list at a time when depth is already a major concern.
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