Cal says that despite rout, this team will still miss Alex

Photo by Chet White | UK Athletics)

John Calipari said that he wasn’t sure how the team would respond after Alex Poythress’ injury. “It just put us all in shock. Yesterday’s practice was good, but it was blah. Thank goodness we have time between games now,” Cal said, admitting that he got a little choked up thinking about Alex. “I got emotional prior to the game just thinking about him. I was looking, ‘Where is he sitting.’ I had to gather myself.”

Julius Randle, another Cat suffering from a season-ending leg injury, was at the game today, and Calipari said that Julius has vowed to stay in touch with Alex and help him through this difficult time.

Although Kentucky looked dominant today, Cal said that they’ll still feel Poythress’ absence throughout the season. “Don’t think, ‘Well, they played well without Alex,’” Cal said. “There is a play in the game that someone has to block a ball. Someone has to come up with a tough rebound. Someone dunks on their entire team. That’s Alex.”