Jordan Burks waited his turn and delivered: "It's just the start, honestly"

If you’ve ever listened to a John Calipari press conference during his time at Kentucky, you know the questions are essentially irrelevant. You could ask him about John Wall and he’d explain the difference between the vernal and autumnal equinoxes if that was on his docket of talking points for the day. So when he repeats himself or brings up the same topic across multiple answers, there is usually meaning behind it.

Let’s take the Wildcats’ win over Illinois State on Friday for example. Coach Cal opened his presser talking about the 24 offensive rebounds his team gave up to the Redbirds, then he brought it up four more times across the 10-minute presser. He brought up shot totals on Kentucky’s NOAH tracking system over the holiday break both before and after the game, saying Justin Edwards stayed in Lexington and took 3,400 shots on a 70% clip while Antonio Reeves took 1,400 in a single day — “There is no secret to this,” he said.

Another reoccurring topic? Jordan Burks, who finished with five points on 2-2 shooting while adding two blocks and a rebound in 11 minutes. Calipari said his name five times across four different statements or answers.

“I thought Jordan went in and mixed it up and did some good stuff,” Coach Cal said in his opening statement, the first positive comment out of his mouth regarding an individual player. “His first real opportunity to play, really proud of him.”

Then he talked about Burks’ ability to fill Adou Thiero’s role with the sophomore out due to a minor back issue.

“Without Adou it shows, he gives you a toughness. But I thought Jordan did some of that today.”

Illinois State standout Myles Foster went off for 20 points and 15 rebounds at the forward spot while Aaron Bradshaw and Ugonna Onyenso combined for just three boards in 25 minutes. The Cats were crushed on the offensive glass 24-7 while losing the overall rebounding battle 45-40. That led to Calipari taking the 7-footers off the floor and sliding Tre Mitchell down to the five again like we saw to open the season while Burks stepped up at the four, splitting minutes with Justin Edwards.

“(Foster) was killing us, so I said, ‘You are back to five, you play him.’ You two bigs can’t. You’re getting screened, you are grabbing. Well, you are not going to play,” Calipari said. “You can come to my house, stay overnight, I will make you breakfast in the morning. You are just not going to play. And that’s why I went to him and went to Justin and Jordan at four.”

When complimenting Edwards, again, he brought up Burks.

“In transition, open shots, attacking the basket, you just watch. (Justin) just needs some more time,” Calipari added. “It is like Jordan. Jordan did good today, he just needs more time.”

The praise was warranted. Burks was the odd man out with Bradshaw and Onyenso returning to game action, Calipari told him his opportunity would come at some point. He would just need to be ready for it.

“I said, ‘Stay with it, man. You’re going to get a chance and you’re going to bust through,'” Calipari said of Burks following his DNP-CD against North Carolina — Onyenso’s debut and Bradshaw’s third game back. “I didn’t play him and he was fine. He smiled.”

That patience and hard work paid off in the form of a five-point, two-block effort while playing double-digit minutes for the first time since Nov. 24 vs. Marshall.

His teammates believe in him to keep making plays when his number is called. Rob Dillingham saw him do it plenty under the same umbrella at Overtime Elite during their senior campaigns in high school. That’s where Burks led the entire league in scoring at 27.1 points per game.

For a player seen as a likely end-of-bench piece for the Cats when he signed with the program this offseason, his hard work is paying off.

“It’s definitely rewarding because I come to practice every day and he’s working hard,” Dillingham said of Burks. “He finally got his chance a little bit. I’m just happy to see him, someone else succeeding. That was a big moment for him and I feel like it’s just the start, honestly. If he gets more confidence and Coach becomes more confident in him, he can really make some big plays for us.”

What does it say that Kentucky can bring in a guy like Burks off the bench as the ninth or tenth man — he currently averages 9.8 minutes per game, No. 9 on the team overall?

“That’s what I’m saying. I mean, he averaged 29 (points per game) in the OTE league,” Dillingham said. “If that’s our ninth option then… I don’t know [laughs].”

Burks could have pouted or moped once his role diminished. Instead, he prepared for his next opportunity and took advantage when it came. Calipari made it clear he was happy with the results.