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Kentucky’s Alex Poythress hopes to be cleared by the end of August

Alex Poythress

AP

AP

As John Calipari told Heather Cox of ESPN on Thursday night at the 2015 NBA Draft in Brooklyn, Kentucky’s 2014-15 season officially ended that night.

As the focus shifts to another talented team in Lexington, one of the questions heading into next season is the status of senior forward Alex Poythress. The 6-foot-8 Poythress started the first eight games of the season, but was sidelined for the remainder of the year after tearing the ACL in his left knee during a mid-December practice.

Steve Jones of the Courier-Journal received an update from Poythress’ progress on Friday afternoon at Rajon Rondo’s annual Camp Rondo.

On his health and if he’ll be 100 percent by the start of the season

Yeah, close. They’re trying to say I’ll probably be cleared by the end of August probably, so I’ll just keep on doing my rehab, keep on doing what I need to do and trying to get healthy and trying to get back out there.

On how much he’s able to do right now

I’m doing all the lifting and conditioning with the team. I’m not playing with them, but I am running on the track with them, doing footwork drills with them.


Poythress averaged 5.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in his shortened junior season.

This has been an eventful week for the Kentucky program. On Wednesday evening, top-15 recruit Jamal Murray committed to Kentucky, a huge score for a program that saw seven players declare for the draft less than three months earlier. Speaking of the NBA Draft, four Wildcats were selected within the first 13 picks -- six in all -- during Thursday’s draft.

Poythress, Tyler Ulis and Marcus Lee will be joined by the incoming class of Murray, Isaiah Briscoe, Charles Matthews and Skal Labissiere, the top-rated player in the Class of 2015, according to Rivals. The Wildcats are ranked No. 3 in College Basketball Talk‘s Way-Too-Early Preseason Rankings.

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