The Cats are on their way to SEC Media Day

@KentuckyMBB

It’s lunchtime here at SEC Basketball Tipoff, and while reporters shove free food in their faces and complain about the lack of space, Hamidou Diallo and Wenyen Gabriel are somewhere in the air between Lexington and Nashville. Both players are expected to address the media around 4 p.m. ET before making the rounds with the SEC Network and ESPN. Judging by all of the players thus far, they’ll be wearing their warm-ups with jerseys underneath. It’s a little strange.

Meanwhile, John Calipari will begin his 30-minute chat with reporters at approximately 3:35 p.m. ET. In true Calipari fashion, he released a blog post on CoachCal.com earlier today describing how “painful” practice is right now due to his team’s youth:

I’m loving my team’s attitude, willingness to be coached, and its attention and focus throughout practice. When you’re trying to develop new habits it really takes time, and we’re trying to create both team and individual habits that will help us in March. But right now, it’s painful.

My anxiety is always twofold: Knowing where individuals are now and where they must go to be the best version of themselves on and off the court, which includes practice, is one anxiety I always have — and I do with this group too.

The other anxiety I have is playing as a team, building the team, and trying to do both at the highest of high levels. That’s what makes Kentucky what it is.

This should be an interesting chat. While we stake our claim on breathing room around his table, caption this picture of him with Rick Barnes and Billy Kennedy:

@KentuckyMBB