Kentucky basketball head coach Mark Pope gave an update on sophomore center Jayden Quaintance’s recovery, speaking with Matt Norlander about the progress the young Wildcat is making following ACL surgery.
Pope emphasized that the priority is ensuring a full recovery for the 6-foot-10 forward.
“It’s really important he gets a full recovery, so it’s going to be a little while. I have every expectation that he will play this season. I don’t think he’ll play all the games this season, but we’ll see.”
Quaintance, one of the youngest players in college basketball this season, has been progressing very well through all of his milestones with rehab. Pope highlighted that the next three weeks are critical for his development.
“He’s made great progress, and he’s crossing off the benchmarks as he goes. He’s in a really important three-week space for him right now where it’s the first time we get to hit strength training head-on, and he’s still not doing anything live-ish, or even close to it. But we’re really going strength heavy, heavy, heavy the next three weeks. So we’ll see how these next three weeks go.”
Quaintance’s return would provide a significant boost to the Wildcats’ frontcourt, offering size, athleticism, and rim protection. While no official return date has been set, Pope’s remarks suggest optimism that the sophomore will contribute later this season, potentially giving Kentucky an added weapon as SEC play heats up.
As Kentucky fans continue to wait for updates, all eyes will be on how quickly Quaintance can get back to being 100% and how the Wildcats manage bringing him back to game action in the coming months.