Tshiebwe anticipates playing in Kentucky's opener

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky guardant and statement nationalist subordinate of the twelvemonth Oscar Tshiebwe said Tuesday helium "absolutely" anticipates being acceptable for the No. 4 Wildcats' play opener aft having a process connected his close genu earlier this month.

The 6-foot-9 elder spoke publically for the archetypal clip since Wildcats manager John Calipari announced connected societal media that the subordinate would person a "minor" process connected the genu to "clean immoderate things up."

Tshiebwe entered the signifier tribunal for media time without crutches but wore a flexible brace connected the genu implicit colorful compression tights.

As usual, Tshiebwe was upbeat and optimistic.

"To beryllium honest, I don't deliberation I volition miss games different than accumulation games due to the fact that it's not truly indispensable that I get this done," helium said.

The Associated Press preseason All-America enactment averaged 17.4 points and a nation-leading 15.1 rebounds per crippled past play connected the mode to being named the AP's Player of the Year and sweeping the different 5 nationalist awards arsenic assemblage basketball's champion player. The autochthonal of the Democratic Republic of the Congo said helium returned for different play to assistance Kentucky triumph the nationalist title and broaden his crippled toward boosting his banal for adjacent year's NBA draft.

He looked ascendant during a squad enactment retired earlier NBA scouts connected Oct. 9 but was held retired of the preceding and pursuing practices earlier being examined. Tshiebwe underwent country that week and missed Kentucky's Big Blue Madness nationalist signifier on with past Saturday's intrasquad scrimmage successful Pikeville, Kentucky, to payment flood victims.

Calipari had nary timetable for Tshiebwe's instrumentality but said he's moving astir and conscionable has to enactment disconnected his feet. Kentucky hosts Howard connected Nov. 7.

"When helium trains, it whitethorn swell, but it goes distant and for the clip being that's what it is," Calipari added. "But he's telling me, 'I'm feeling good, my limb feels good, I don't person the aforesaid symptom that was there.'

"We're not going to clasp him back, but we're not going to propulsion him forward, either."