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By: LARRY VAUGHT
Junior college transfer Mychal Mulder turned down chances to be a likely starter at several schools when he decided to sign with Kentucky where he has played only sparingly this season.
His playing time could be limited all season with Jamal Murray, Isaiah Briscoe, Charles Matthews and Dominique Hawkins all vying for the same time on the court.
Yet Mulder insists he could not be happier.
“I’m loving it. It’s been real fun. It’s a great opportunity, so it’s going well,” said Mulder.
Going well? How many juniors would have that attitude knowing they expected to play a lot more?
“It’s not really something I’m worried about. I’m worried about how the team is doing right now and what ways we have to go to move forward. So I mean, we’re all battling in practice and opportunities come. So I’m not that worried. I’m just waiting,” Mulder said.
He came to UK known as a 3-point shooter, but his coaches at Vincennes also insisted he was a competent rebounder, defender and passer. He impressed teammates during summer workouts, but admits he is still trying to adjust to the speed of the game at Kentucky.
“These guys, they’re the best competition you play at against in college basketball. So it’s been an awesome experience,” Mulder said. “You can’t really help but be confident by being around such confident guys every day in the locker room and in practice. We’re all working hard and competing, so the confidence is not something that’s ever really been a problem for me.
“We’ve been battling every day. I feel like we work so hard, but no one is really worried about our individual minutes or our play. We’re just worried about what areas we need to improve on to get better as a team. So we’ve been working really hard and I’m excited to see what we do coming forward.”
Mulder said he’s “growing” as a player daily because of the competition.
“You can’t not get better here. So it’s been great,” Mulder said citing mental and physical toughness as two big areas of improvement for him.
He said coach John Calipari has told him, and other players, they have to fight for playing time in practice.
“When your time comes, be ready. So I’ll be ready,” Mulder said.
He’s already enjoyed being part of the nation’s top-ranked team, but he knows what the real prize remains for this team.
“It’s great and a nice honor, but it’s early in the year,” Mulder said. “What we’re focused on is being No. 1 in March. So that’s what we’ll be striving for.”
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