Sahvir Wheeler did not practice Monday, "killing him" to sit

It does not appear Sahvir Wheeler‘s return is around the corner — or even on the horizon, for that matter. Kentucky assistant coach KT Turner shared last week that the senior point guard had begun individual workouts, but hadn’t returned to practice. Head coach John Calipari confirmed Wheeler’s continued absence from practice in back-to-back pregame radio shows before the team’s wins at Florida and vs. Auburn.

Missing six straight games with a sprained ankle, it was much of the same regarding the veteran playmaker’s status during Calipari’s call-in radio show Monday evening. No practice, no timeline for a return, one he has “really worked hard” to make.

“He didn’t practice today and the ankle injury — he’s really worked hard to get back at it,” Calipari said. “Being injured is killing him. The doctors are telling him how to proceed and keeping me informed. … We’re anxious for him to get back, but he’s got to be healthy.”

That’s the most optimistic Calipari was regarding Wheeler’s status throughout the entire one-hour radio show, unfortunately. If anything, his message was more reflective on the 5-foot-9 guard’s career in Lexington and the impact he’s made since arriving last offseason, not the one he’s expected to make in Nashville and the NCAA Tournament.

“What he did a year ago, I remember we beat North Carolina. The way he played and what he did in that game — you can’t judge him on one game either way, that game or whatever. But you’re talking about a guy that came in here and impacted the program, defensively impacted the program. … He’s been a very big part of what we’ve done the last couple of years.

“The last game we played at Vanderbilt, the game changed when I put him in. And the last time we played Florida, the game changed when we put him in. Having him with Cason — they’re different kinds of guards. It’s almost like throwing a changeup (in baseball), it makes us way better.”

He then essentially confirmed Wheeler would be out Wednesday when the Wildcats take on the Commodores on Senior Night, noting that Brennan Canada would be in the starting lineup as one of five seniors playing in the game.

“If we had six guys it would be hard,” Calipari said. “So the five guys, (Canada) will start.”

Canada, Antonio Reeves, CJ Fredrick, Jacob Toppin and Oscar Tshiebwe. No Wheeler.

What would Calipari do if the senior guard was out going into postseason play and the shorthanded Wildcats suffered any other health setbacks? “You punt,” he joked.

Kidding aside, the high-minute, high-usage factor is very real. It’s a nightmare scenario, but a reality the Kentucky head coach must consider — it doesn’t help Cason Wallace has a history of back spasms, an issue that could pop up again at any given time. Calipari must have a backup plan.

“We’re playing guys a lot of minutes. You know who’s happy? The guys that are playing a lot of minutes [laughs]. What you do is — we’ll do it in practice, I’ll do it in the games. You stick in Adou (Thiero), you have Jacob (Toppin) bring the ball up. We’ve been playing — Cason’s not a pure point guard. When I was at Memphis, I put Tyreke Evans at point guard. He wasn’t a point guard, he was a scorer. But he was so good, we were 6-3, and I just said you know what? I’m going to put the ball in his hands.

“And then after we played a game or two, I got the staff together and I said, ‘Do you want the good news or the bad news?’ They wanted the bad news. ‘The bad news is he has the ball 75% of the time.’ They said, ‘What’s the good news?’ ‘He needs it 85% of the time.’ And we won, I don’t know, 25 games in a row. We became a different team. So I’ve done this before. … You need a lead guard, and when that guy can score too? It’s pretty good stuff.”

And it has been pretty good stuff with Wallace. He’s been a game-changer for the Wildcats, no doubt about it. But there’s always the risk of foul trouble or injury. Should either unfortunate situation pop up with the two-way standout, Calipari is expected to lean on Thiero, a player he feels is a star in the making.

“I get on the TV after the game, CBS says the first question, ‘What about Adou?’ … I was happy for Adou, I love the kid. He’s gonna be so good. He’s getting more disciplined, more focused, getting locked in better. I’m telling you, he will have as big an impact on college basketball and beyond (as anybody). He’s growing. You know, his dad is 6-9, mom is pretty big too. He’s like almost 6-7, gonna end up 6-9 and you’re looking at him — handles the ball like a guard, instincts like a guard, yet he’s got a big body. And he’s solid too. Like, you look at Oscar? Oscar is solid. But so is Adou.”

Sounds like it’s going to be the Cason Wallace show moving forward, Adou Thiero the next man up.