Whether he wanted to hear the chatter about why he was not playing or not, it would have been impossible for Kentucky freshman Jarred Vanderbilt to have avoided it. Some Kentucky fans thought he might be more worried about going to the NBA than playing for UK when a preseason foot injury kept him off the court until last week.
“I really didn’t pay it too much mind, because I know if those guys (fans) looked at it from my perspective they probably would have done the same thing with them, or even if they had a child done it the same way,” Vanderbilt said Monday.
“I really didn’t pay it much mind. We just tried to stay focused and prepare for when I do step on the court. Yeah, just be mentally and physically prepared for whatever was to come.”
He played against both South Carolina and Florida last week. Kentucky lost both games, but many now see him as the player who can save a season for UK. The Cats dropped out of the top 25 Monday for the first time in four years and are in fourth place in the SEC standings with five road games remaining.
“There’s no pressure, really, just playing the game. That’s how I’ve played my whole life. Just trying to bring what I can to the table, and really just enhance our team. Trying to start getting back to winning and playing Kentucky basketball,” he said. “I think I’ve shown flashes. I mean, just a little bit of it right now in the limited minutes that I’ve had. But I feel like as the season goes on, as I get in better shape, the more minutes I play, the more I’ll show.”
He can provide speed, especially when he’s handling the ball on the fast break. He can provide a willing passer. He can provide defense and shot blocking.
“Just being an extra spark, midseason. Not saying guys are down, but just that midseason way for me to come in, have an extra spark of energy, just a boost for the team pretty much,” he said.
Vanderbilt misses part of his junior and senior seasons of high school with leg injuries. He hurt his ankle in a postseason all-star game last year. He said he merely wanted to be sure he was 100 percent before he played.
“I just wanted to play it on the safe side. I didn’t want to rush back out there, go too fast, and it end up happening again. So, I just wanted to play it safe, make sure I was ready to play physically, mentally and basically just make sure me, my parents and (Coach) Cal were all on the same page,” he said.
He said the foot feels “pretty good” now and is getting better daily.
“The main thing right now is just me getting in shape, me trying to learn more of the offense, and basically try to fit in where I can,” he said. “I went through rehab, I listened to everything the doctors and the physical therapists had me doing, and I tried to trust the process. Just worked every day. There were different types of ways (to do cardio). We have a pool, workout in the pool, zero-gravity (treadmill).”
Others might have worried if he was going to play again. He didn’t have any doubts.
“Actually I didn’t have any worries. I just tried to stay patient, basically just trust the process of what I had to do to get healthy. Just wanted to make the best decision for me and my family,” he said.
Going into Tuesday night’s game against Mississippi State, Vanderbilt is catching on to the offense better compared to a week ago when he had not even scrimmaged before playing at South Carolina in his first game.
“So now all of a sudden there are things he has not run through or talked to him about. You can’t run him through that stuff. He didn’t practice when he was out. He may have been in there watching but he wasn’t practicing. No, he is not going to slow us down,” coach John Calipari said Monday.
“He went up and down the court the first time down at South Carolina, (it) was almost hysterical. He lasted about 30 seconds, but that’s as much anxiety as it is conditioning. And it’s normal stuff.”
Kentucky has been searching for a leader on the court. P.J. Washington and Quade Green have both been that player at times. Many hope Vanderbilt can fill that role full-time.
“He’s a little bit of a leader. But you can’t lead from the (whirlpool) tub. You can’t. It’s hard to lead from the bench. You gotta be in the court. You’ve gotta be performing and then you’ve got that chance,” Calipari said. “He’s a great kid. He wants to make plays for his teammates.
“There’s a lot of stuff. Like we’re still – we played with six, seven guys. Brad (Calipari) being eight. Now, with two days practice, we’re back to playing with a full roster. And one of those guys is Jarred.”