4-Point Play: Career-defining moments of Kentucky's four seniors

It’s hard to believe we’re already at the home finale for Kentucky basketball, better known as Senior Day. With postseason play set to begin next week, it’s a chance to focus on the guys who put it all out there for the program in their respective roles whether they were here for a single year as a graduate transfer or five starting out as a brand-new freshman. This senior group is no different with four total players saying their goodbyes to Rupp Arena, Brennan Canada sticking around the longest as a five-year man, followed by Kareem Watkins with four, Antonio Reeves with two and Tre Mitchell with one.

They all highlighted their top memories as Wildcats ahead of Senior Day festivities, but what about the moments that defined their individual legacies in blue and white? 4-Point Play breaks them all down.

Antonio Reeves: One-dimensional scorer to All-American and pro

The Illinois State transfer was brought in to do one thing and one thing only last offseason: get buckets. And for the most part, that’s exactly how Reeves’ first season at Kentucky went. He went for double figures in 26 of his 34 total games played with 42/40/78 shooting splits to close out the year.

That was essentially the extent of his production, though. He wasn’t a great defender — John Calipari openly joked about his deficiencies on that end of the floor — nor did he look to crash the glass or pass the ball. When he wasn’t scoring, he didn’t bring much else to the table. And if he wasn’t scoring efficiently, one could argue he did more harm than good being out there. It’s why NBA teams strongly advised him to return to school and work on his game before trying to make the jump.

Some would take that constructive criticism and fold. Others would decide to hit the transfer portal looking for an easier path — maybe more empty-calorie points at a non-powerhouse high-major would put him on draft boards. Instead, he ultimately decided to prove himself on this stage alongside other elite talent. Rather than running from the ball-dominant freshmen, he embraced that challenge and instead snatched the ball out of their hands.

“The effort and hard work I put in here to get where I’m at,” Reeves said of what stood out about his time at Kentucky. “I worked so hard to get where I’m at in these two years, me going through the process of the NBA stuff and coming back, the level of work I’ve put in and the nights in the gym.”

That decision led him to legitimate All-America and SEC Player of the Year candidacy as a 20-point-per-game scorer on 51/44/88 splits while also averaging a career-high 4.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 31.6 minutes per contest. And now, he’s officially in the draft conversation as a surefire selection with serious spark-plug-scoring upside — a piece every team in the NBA needs.

He’s got an endless number of brilliant moments in a Kentucky uniform — Drew Franklin named 12 of them earlier today. His 37-point effort at Arkansas is easily the biggest highlight, but 30 at Louisville this season is a solid second choice. It’s hard to single them out individually, though, considering he does it every game at this point.

His favorite Rupp moment ahead of his final time out there?

“It’s been loud so many times,” Reeves said. “But I’d say beating Tennessee last year, we went on a run and it was just electric in there. I’d say that.”

I’d say his best moment as a Wildcat — for now, at least — was the mature decision he made last summer to return and become one of the most complete three-level scorers in college basketball and Kentucky’s dagger-thrower. His trust in the process is being rewarded and will continue to be on draft night.

Tre Mitchell: “Fate” changes everything, starting in Toronto

Kentucky had just seven scholarship players entering June, the chaos of the transfer portal coming and going with few options left available. Jordan Burks and Joey Hart joined the fold on June 12 and 17, respectively, followed by Reeves coming back on June 21. Then came Tre Mitchell, who hit the portal following Bob Huggins’ late and unexpected departure.

It was a player with a countless number of connections to Coach Cal and his staff, and at a position of need. You couldn’t have asked for a better situation fall into the program’s lap.

“What happened with Tre was fate,” Calipari said at the time. “If Hugs doesn’t have his issue — that kid loved Bob Huggins. He wasn’t leaving. Then all of a sudden, it’s like, ‘Wait a minute, what’s happened? I’m out.’ That’s fate.”

It was clear at the time it was an important get for the Cats, but no one knew just how important. In reality, Mitchell’s addition changed the entire trajectory of Kentucky’s season. And that’s not hyperbole.

Aaron Bradshaw was already out with a broken foot. Two weeks later, Ugonna Onyenso broke his foot, as well, both players sidelined indefinitely — and certainly out for the team’s trip to Toronto for the 2023 GLOBL JAM. That left Mitchell as the lone healthy and available big, Burks as his backup. Kentucky had no choice but to go small and maximize offensive versatility with scoring and spacing. Then came the “basketball player” phrasing in Canada — thanks, SGA — where Calipari fell in love with lineups loaded with guys who could all dribble, pass and shoot. That became this team’s identity.

That’s all because of Mitchell, the straw that stirs the drink at that point forward spot. Sure, the Cats have found ways to incorporate the trio of 7-footers, but the foundation and general philosophies of this group haven’t changed from then to now. That’s how they became one of the most explosive offensive teams in the history of Kentucky basketball.

Mitchell is grateful to be a part of that, fate impacting his life just as much as it did for the program itself. That rocky summer stretch led him to Lexington and Coach Cal, a game-changer for his career.

“He’s second to none. He cares about his players to another level. Even though he might not always show it in the players’ eyes because he’s pushing you and wants you to be more than what you are. He sees something in us and knows he can pull it out,” Mitchell said of his time playing for Calipari. “Some days, dudes leave practice and they’re not friendly, they don’t like Cal that day. That’s part of his job. He’s not always going to be your best friend, but at the end of the day, you’re going to look back and be grateful for the things he put you through both mentally and physically. He’s challenging you and helping you develop professional habits.

“To come here and play for him, him see potential in me and display that, tell people that, it shows with a different level of confidence it brings when a coach of that caliber believes in what you’re capable of.”

His favorite moment inside Rupp Arena before he suits up in his last home game for the Wildcats? It’s actually one that doesn’t even involve him. He was just excited to witness it like the rest of us.

“I think my favorite one was Z’s behind-the-back pass (vs. Georgia in his debut),” Mitchell said. “It just caught me so off-guard because that was his very first touch of the game and it was behind the back, everybody went crazy and Tone (Reeves) knocked down the shot — because, of course he did. The place exploded. That was like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”

Brennan Canada: Lifelong fan to scholarship player

It’s not every day you get to add an All-10th Region First Team member as a walk-on, a two-year captain who racked up 1,371 career points and 776 rebounds in high school while averaging 15.0 points and 9.5 boards as a senior at George Rogers Clark. Canada had opportunities to play an expanded role at smaller schools, but opted to stay home and play for the program he’s rooted for since birth as a native of Mount Sterling.

From recreating historic Kentucky moments in his backyard to wearing the jersey himself, it’s been a heck of a five-year ride for the 6-5 forward.

“There are so many, I probably have one from each team,” Canada said of his favorite memories as a Wildcat. “My freshman year, winning the SEC regular season, that was super special despite not being able to play in the NCAA or SEC Tournament. The Kansas game comes to mind a couple of years ago, that was fun and super exciting. Those are probably the main ones that come to mind.”

As a walk-on, your job is to come in and impact winning however you can. You’re a practice body for depth and situational growth, a positive locker room piece and a mentor and friend for teammates. You may not see much time on the floor in games, but your presence is felt essentially everywhere else.

Doing those things at the highest level paved the path for his brightest moment in blue and white from the outside looking in: earning a scholarship.

Midway through his senior campaign during the 2022-23 season, Coach Cal announced a retroactive full-year, full-ride offer for Canada’s contributions behind the scenes.

“Here’s a young man that’s played every position,” Calipari said at the time. “He is an unbelievable teammate, he is a good player. He’s just behind some other really good players. But he is good. He can shoot it, tough, smart. I went to a team meeting and I called him up and I said, ‘You’re getting a scholarship.’ The team went nuts. Everybody was just hootin’ and hollerin’ and screamin’. And he was happy and thankful.”

When you talk about what we look for in young people in this program, @brennanc14 embodies it all. Unbelievable teammate and student and has brought so much to our teams in practice.

I think it’s about time we put him on scholarship!! Thank you for what you do for us, Brennan!!

— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) January 2, 2023

For the rest of his life, Brennan Canada will be able to say he was a scholarship basketball player at the University of Kentucky. For a kid who grew up 35 miles away from Rupp Arena, it doesn’t get much better than that.

Kareem Watkins: The 5-7 walk-on with a 40-inch vertical

The Camden native joined the program as a walk-on just days before the start of Kentucky’s disastrous 2020-21 season. At the time, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know what the long-term goal was with that signing — Coach Cal had his eyes on Watkins’ half-brother, DJ Wagner. And that plan worked, as the prized five-star recruit would ultimately decide to join his brother in Lexington this past cycle, three short years following his arrival.

His positive memories as a Wildcat aren’t limited to the lone year he was able to spend with Wagner. “I’ve been here so long, it’s different teams and memories for different guys,” Watkins said. “I can’t pinpoint a specific memory, but it’s been fun every year.” He’d be lying, though, if he said this one wasn’t special.

“That’s my brother. To be able to play with your brother at any level, that’s amazing,” he said ahead of Senior Day. “The fact that we’ve been able to do it here at Kentucky, it means a lot. It’s made my time here, especially as a senior, even better.”

Helping secure a commitment from Wagner was invaluable, but it wasn’t his best moment as a Wildcat. That came in his first public introduction to BBN during Big Blue Madness 2021.

A limited number of fans got to see him in action at the Fans First Fan Fest a few weeks before at Transylvania, shocking attendees by winning the dunk contest — all 5-7 of him.

Kentucky’s Fan First Dunk Contest winner:

5-foot-7 Kareem Watkins https://t.co/F1AAGnGefv pic.twitter.com/uxcf9RWG5G

— Jack Pilgrim (@JackPilgrimKSR) September 19, 2021

Then he did the same at BBM21, winning that dunk contest with some absolutely ridiculous self-oops to get the crowd off its feet in the first full-attendance event inside Rupp Arena since the 2019-20 basketball season.

That was the night “DJ Wagner’s brother” became “Kareem Watkins, the 5-7 walk-on with a 40-inch vertical — who happens to be DJ Wagner’s brother.”

What does he hope his legacy as a Wildcat is when this season comes to a close?

“Doing whatever I can to help in practice, showing the new guys the ropes with what to expect, staying disciplined, stuff like that,” Watkins said. “I’ve tried to be that big brother role.”

He always has been for Wagner, but became one for dozens more over his four years in Lexington.