John Calipari, Kentucky dealing with sickness bug going through the team

John Calipari’s Kentucky men’s basketball team is off to a 6-1 start with six consecutive wins by 18-plus points, but this is not a team at full strength.

On his weekly radio show with Tom Leach, the 62-year-old hall of fame coach confirmed on Tuesday that the Wildcats are dealing with a few sicknesses going through the team.

“We got the kind of bug going through our team,” said Calipari. “Three managers, my son. Mine is more of a head cold.”

The support staff is not the only group that is having issues. Calipari is currently dealing with some things and had some visible sniffles during his radio show stream. Players are also being affected.

“Daimion [Collins] is sick today. He didn’t do the shootaround, I played him, but he is sick today.”

The freshman big scored three points in 13 minutes in Monday’s win over Central Michigan. Meanwhile, Keion Brooks Jr. was able to play after dealing with some sickness earlier in the day. The junior went for nine points in 18 minutes, but his stamina wasn’t the same.

Kentucky is a team that is getting better, but the Wildcats have a ton of missing parts. The bug that is getting everyone under the weather is having a major effect, but sophomore big Lance Ware is still dealing with an ankle injury that is not 100 percent yet.

The Wildcats have some issues as this team is attempting to get to full strength.

John Calipari Show Notes

• Calipari believes that freshman wing Bryce Hopkins might be the team’s best post option outside of Oscar Tshiebwe. Kentucky may look to get Hopkins more touches on the block as the season progresses.
• Kentucky is still awaiting Davion Mintz to return to practice full-go.
• Calipari calls out both Florida and Tennessee for being physical. Both will challenge the Wildcats when conference play begins.
• The head coach gushes about Tshiebwe and really likes the potential of the West Virginia transfer. Kentucky’s coaching staff is working on some post fundamentals now with the big man hoping to get some more efficient finishing from the rim. The mid-range jump shots will not go away anytime soon.