Kentucky basketball is always reloading and never rebuilding, that thanks to John Calipari's ability to recruit better than just about any college basketball coach in the nation.
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With that said, not everything is great in #BBN land as the college basketball season quickly approaches.
Kentucky announced via a press release that star recruit Jarred Vanderbilt will miss three months with a left foot injury. Per the release, the former five-star will likely need surgery and he's expected to be back sometime in January.
The freshman forward kept it positive in his comments on the situation;
"I just want to let the Big Blue Nation know I'm going to be fine and looking forward to coming back better than ever," Vanderbilt said. "I've had some setbacks before and I've come back from all of them. After talking with my doctor and my family, I feel good about the plan they have in place for me. I'm anxious to get this right and return to my team so I can put this behind me for good. I can't wait to get back to my brothers and help us compete for a national championship this season."
Calipari also seemed to take a positive approach to the injury, looking more at the long-term than the here and now for Kentucky.
"As I told Jarred, my concern for him is getting this thing right and getting him healthy for the rest of his career. We'll miss him on the court, but I want what's best for him and his family, and right now that's taking care of this injury and making sure he doesn't have to worry about it again. With the motor and worth ethic I've seen from him, I have no doubt he's going to be better than ever when he returns and will provide us with a huge lift in conference play. Now it's up to his teammates to hold the fort down until he gets back."
Of course, even without Vanderbilt, Kentucky is expected to be one of the best teams in college basketball. He was part of a freshman class that was ranked No. 2 in the nation, according to 247Sports, so the Wildcats should be just fine.
Vanderbilt was one of six five-star recruits for the Wildcats. He was ranked as the No. 2 small forward nationally as well as the No. 9 overall recruit in the 2017 class.
