Mic'd Up: Tyler Ulis coaches up the Wildcats in Toronto

“DJ and Rob, touch the paint. Every time, touch the paint.”

“On the switch, we’ll run step-ups because they can’t switch that. And if they do, you’re always going to have that pocket pass because they’re going to be on top of ’em.”

It’s not often you get the opportunity to add a consensus First Team All-American and SEC Player of the Year, Bob Cousy Award and SEC Defensive Player of the Year winner to your bench as a student assistant coach. John Calipari got that chance this past season when Tyler Ulis joined his staff during the 2022-23 college basketball season.

And he has it again this upcoming season, as the former Wildcat superstar is back on the Kentucky sidelines for year two.

Ulis got his first live game coaching experience with the upcoming 2023-24 roster in Toronto for the GLOBL JAM, helping lead the Wildcats to a gold medal. A mediator between the players and staff, the 27-year-old provided immediate feedback to the team on the floor from his perspective while coaching up his guys sitting with him on the bench.

What does that look like? Kentucky mic’d up the student assistant during the team’s third matchup against Team Africa. Take a look at the segment below:

Special treat from #GLOBLJAM …@tulis3 mic’d up during our win over Team Africa 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/FHzUc5Wqqv

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) July 23, 2023

Ulis was forced to hit pause on his playing career after undergoing hip surgery and later being struck head-on in his vehicle by a car going in the wrong direction on an interstate in Michigan last February. It was an accident that resulted in a broken ankle and broken bones in his foot and wrists, unable to walk on his own for five months and putting him on crutches for the better part of a year from there. He still walks with a limp as he inches his way back to full strength.

In the meantime, John Calipari recommended his former star point guard come back to Lexington, take classes and teach the next generation of basketball talent as a coach — at least until he can play again.

“He’s in our practices, he’ll talk to me after. I want him to watch tape and give me ideas,” Calipari said back in January. “I told him, ‘You doing this is giving back to the school. You doing this, all that you’ve been able to benefit by, now you’re coming back and giving back to all these kids and this program, and I appreciate it.’”

“With what happened [my accident], I can’t play right now, but I just want to stay around the game. Coach is giving me that opportunity, and I feel like that’s the best way to learn just in case I want to do this in the future,” Ulis added.

His comfort in the role is clear, as is his future as a coach. He’s still got plenty left in the tank as a player, but the Wildcats are grateful for his presence on the bench until then.