Kentucky coach John Calipari has been teaching his team the value of life lessons.
His reach has extended beyond the basketball court into the daily lives of his players. He has provided his team with inspirational and uplifting books to read in an effort to bring his fourth Kentucky squad closer together.
Calipari has a young team, with most of the players getting their first taste of college, while carrying the weight of last year’s national championship team on their shoulders. The load has indeed been heavy at times.
Although the Wildcats haven’t completely buckled under pressure, they have experienced growing pains along the way and have struggled to find an identity. Kentucky, which never lost a game at Rupp¿Arena in Calipari’s first three seasons, became vulnerable after a loss to Baylor in December. Southeastern Conference newcomer Texas A&M delivered another home blow one month later.
The Cats regrouped, won five in a row and returned to the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the first time since the third week of the season before dropping a 69-52 loss to seventh-ranked Florida Tuesday night in Gainesville. The loss was tough enough, but an injury to standout freshman forward Nerlens Noel, the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week for the past four weeks, only added to the team’s frustrations.
A night that began with a promising opportunity with first place in the conference standings on the line, ended with uncertainty after Noel went down with an apparent knee injury with eight minutes remaining.
He was injured on a hustle play following a block on a fast break. Calipari often smiles when his players, especially Noel, go beyond the call of duty to make a hustle play on the opposite end of the court. This time, Calipari just bowed his head and began hoping for the best after hearing Noel screaming in pain and clinging to his left knee.
“I’m physically sick right now for him,” Calipari said afterward. “What I’m hoping is it’s not the extreme. I’m hoping it’s some sort of twist, but we don’t know.”
Noel underwent tests at Shands Hospital in Gainesville and traveled back with the team. An MRI performed Wednesday revealed that Noel had suffered a torn ACL and will miss the rest of the season. Surgery is expected in two to three weeks.
As Calipari knows, having Noel in the post has been a difference-maker for a team that has relied his blocked shots, points, rebounds and energy around the basket this season. Now that's it's known Noel will be out the rest of the season, it's a big blow for a team that has seven games remaining in the regular-season.
The list of contests includes home games against Vanderbilt, Missouri, Mississippi State and Florida, mixed in with road games at Arkansas and Georgia.
Like life, basketball has its ups and downs, smiles and frowns. It also has periods of uncertainty, which the Wildcats will endure for the rest of the season.
It will also be another teaching moment for Calipari as the team moves forward without Noel in the lineup.
