Poythress happy, and sad, about Kentucky

By: LARRY VAUGHT

NASHVILLE — Alex Poythress admits he’s both happy and sad about the success Kentucky has had this season.

The Wildcats went through the regular season 31-0 and beat Florida here Friday in the Southeastern Conference to advance to today's semifinal game against surprising Auburn.

However, Poythress can only sit and watch. He tore his anterior cruciate ligament in mid-December and the knee injury sidelined him for the remainder of the season.

“It’s tough. I would give up anything to be on the floor and part of this process,” said Poythress after UK beat Florida Friday. “Injuries are part of the game. Everybody gets injured. You just have to overcome it.

“Honestly, I do want to be playing. I love playing basketball. First time not playing for a while but I am proud of what everybody has done and the ride they are bringing us on.”

Poythress, a junior, averaged 5.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 24 minutes per game in the eight games he started before being injured. He had bought into coach John Calipari’s platoon system after opting not to go to the  NBA after his sophomore season.

Calipari said at the time that “no one will be able to replace Alex” because of his athleticism. Poythress said he never believed that and never felt sorry for him.

“For a week I was down and then I started focusing on rehab and surgery,” Poythress said. “The doctors and physical therapists have done a great job. The strength has come back a little faster than it was supposed to, so that is good in that department. It is coming along good.”

He says he can do some shooting drills on his own but normally is at physical therapy when the team is practicing. He’s doing a lot of “bending to try and get my (knee) extension back” as soon as possible.

“Every day I’m doing something about my knee. There’s no days off. I’m just trying to stretch my knee as much as I can. A couple hours a day, three, four. Doing stuff every day. Do stuff before I go to sleep. Gotta do stuff when I wake up. Just things just to keep my knee moving,” Poythress, who said rehabilitation is harder than playing basketball, said. “Bending it makes you want to cry. But you gotta get through it. The farther you go, you get used to it. Your knee loosens up. But there’s a point where it’s real tough.”

After he was hurt in practice, Poythress said he called his mother in Tennessee and told her he didn’t think it was that serious before having to call her back with the bad news.

“Everybody was sad. Everybody was upset. But you just gotta start ... you gotta get through it and focus on what else you can do,” he said.

He says his twin sister, who tore her ACL in high school, has helped him.

“She knows what (I have) been through. My dad tore his ACL, too. Then Willie (Cauley-Stein, he was hurt last year. He’s helped me a lot. The (Harrison) twins have been there talking to me. Brian’s (Long) helped me a lot. Just people like that,” Poythress said.

He remembers when he couldn’t get out of bed by himself after his surgery, a feeling he did not like.

“I couldn’t move my leg. I had to have somebody help me out of my bed, move my leg and stuff like that. So moving around well now, it’s real good for me,” he smiled and said. “I don’t like depending on other people for me to do things. I had to have my teammates help me. I had to have my sister come help me for a little bit. It just sucks, but you get through it. I’m glad I’m at where I’m at at this point.”

Teammates wore T-shirts supporting him when the Wildcats played North Carolina after he was injured.

“It’s just a great feeling that my teammates and the fans, they all care about me still,” he said. “I don’t feel like I’ve been left behind. I’m still a part of the team, still come to all the meetings, activities, all the stuff to do. Whenever I’m not doing my rehab, I’m around the team still.”

He’s become more vocal on the bench during games and has not been afraid to point out things he sees to teammates.

“Just the little things. Just little pointers I notice. You don’t have to be loud. Just tell them little things to help when you see something,” Poythress said.

Calipari said when Poythress was injured that he didn’t mean he would not be able to get drafted this year. Currently Poythress is not projected as a pick in various mock drafts.

“I am not worried about that right now and neither is anyone else. We are just trying to get my knee healthy,” Poythress said. “I am not thinking about that right now and neither is anyone in this room. We are just focusing on this season.”

Poythress said he’s never had second thoughts about what his career might have been like if he had gone to another school. He also said the fact he’ll have his degree in May after just three years at UK won’t impact what decision he makes about his future.

“I haven’t even thought about that yet. Like I said earlier, I’m just focused on this season we got so far,” Poythress said.

He’s not sure when he’ll be ready to go physically — “it’s criteria-based,” he said — until the physical therapist tells him. Until then, he just wants to keep enjoying this special season.

“I was part of it at the beginning of the year, but it is still the same thing. Everybody is playing together, playing with the same energy, playing with heart. Just love seeing that, especially since I was part of it,” Poythress said.

“There’s always going to be obstacles in your life. You just gotta learn how to get through them. If you get a brick wall in front of you and you can’t go over it, you gotta figure out some way to get around it. There’s always more than one answer to a problem.”

He hopes his presence and attitude helps inspire teammates.

“I would hope so. You have to take advantage of the opportunity and not take it for granted. I hope they know that,” Poythress said.