Aaron Bradshaw off to a "Good Start" after brief Debut

The first month of the Kentucky basketball season was played with three seven-footers on the bench. That changed Saturday afternoon when Aaron Bradshaw checked into the action inside Rupp Arena at the 15-minute mark of the first half.

The 7-foot-1 center, ranked as the No. 4 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class by the On3 Industry Ranking, did not dominate in his debut. In fact, the stunning 80-73 loss to UNC-Wilmington completely overshadows Bradshaw’s performance.

In 13 minutes of action Bradshaw made his only field goal and was 1-for-2 from the free throw line to finish with three points. He also grabbed two rebounds and blocked one shot. It’s not a lot, but John Calipari was impressed with another stat from the seven-footer.

“First time out for him, I think it was probably plus a bunch… Plus 11 in a game. We lose by (seven),” Calipari said after the loss. “Obviously, that says he did okay. He’s still not in the flow of the stuff yet. But he did some good stuff. That’s a good start for him.”

Bradshaw was one of only two Wildcats with a positive plus-minus. Still, the Big Blue Nation only got a small taste of what the Aaron Bradshaw experience could be in Lexington. Tre Mitchell has seen Bradshaw operate elsewhere and he knows his teammate is just scratching the surface.

“He hasn’t been too involved just yet, so he’s still trying to get the hang of things, the things we’re running, but it was enjoyable being out there with him,” said Mitchell.

“He didn’t have an opportunity to do much tonight. I’ve seen him work out, I’ve seen him in practice and I think people are going to be excited with what he brings to the floor when he’s able to get out there and really get going.”

Pregame Footage of Aaron Bradshaw

If 13 minutes wasn’t enough to get your Aaron Bradshaw fix, don’t worry. KSR was on the court to before tip-off to see how the big man prepared for his Kentucky basketball debut.

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