This morning, the news broke that Kentucky vs. Louisville will take place on Tuesday, November 11, the second week of the college basketball season. If all goes well, Jayden Quaintance believes he will be ready to play in the rivalry game at the Yum Center. The 6’10” forward, whom Mark Pope calls a “hulking mass of physicality,” told Aaron Torres that his rehab from ACL surgery is on schedule, with a return to full contact by September.
“I’m trying to get fully back by September, playing like full contact playing by September, so that’s the goal so far,” he said in the podcast, which dropped yesterday. “Just trying to stay on pace for that.”
Does that mean Quaintance will be ready for the first part of the season, barring setbacks?
“Definitely, for sure.”
Quaintance, who transferred to Kentucky last month after spending his freshman season at Arizona State, injured his right knee vs. Kansas State on Feb. 23 and underwent surgery to repair the torn ACL on March 19. Since then, he’s dedicated himself to his rehab, even electing to stay home in Tampa to focus on it instead of joining his fellow incoming transfers on an official visit to Lexington a few weeks ago.
“I’ve been doing well,” Quaintance told Torres. “Focusing on my recovery as much as possible. I’ve been getting my flexibility back pretty well. I’ve been getting full extension, all those things, so it’s been going well.”
Mark Pope visited Quaintance in Tampa last week. Quaintance, who originally committed to Kentucky under John Calipari and reopened his recruitment when Calipari went to Arkansas last year, said it was great to get some face time with his new coach.
“Yeah, for sure, just kind of seeing how I’m doing, seeing how the rehab process is going, just seeing how my situation is like out here, just checking on family and things of that nature,” Quaintance said of the visit. “It was good just being able to see him in person.”
Pope raved about Quaintance during an interview with Jon Rothstein last week, praising the 17-year-old’s dedication and progress. Pope didn’t give a detailed timeline for Quaintance’s return to the court, instead saying that the staff is optimistic they’ll have some good results this fall and are in a “full rush” to get him to “100% complete health.”
“We’re really excited about Jayden; in fact, I was just with him yesterday, and he is a hulking mass of like, physicality and the greatest kid you’re ever going to meet in your life,” Pope said. “He’s been incredibly diligent about his rehab. He’s doing [it with] some incredible doctors, and we’re working really hard to make this transition of care, this continuity of care, is going to be really important for him, but he’s going to race back and get healthy and strong as soon as he can and he’ll be a big part of our deal.”
What is it like to be described as a “hulking mass of physicality”? Quaintance laughed and said he’s excited to return to his normal, imposing form after surgery.
“It’s good. I’m finally getting a little bit of my weight back, fully recovering, getting back where I was before the rehab process so it’s good to see that coach has that level of confidence in me and seeing the work I’m putting in to getting back and being a big part of the offense next year and the defense and just being a part of that team so I felt like it was good to see the level of confidence the coach has in me.”
Mark Pope’s pitch
At Arizona State, Quaintance earned Big 12 All-Freshman and All-Defensive team honors after averaging 9.3 points (53.5 FG, 18.8% 3PT), 7.8 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks in 29 minutes per game as the youngest player in college basketball. Even though the knee injury cut his season short, Quaintance said he’s eager to show how much more he can do in Mark Pope’s system. He is projected to be a top 10 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
“I feel like I didn’t really scratch the surface of all that I can do. I didn’t feel like I got to show off how good I am as a passer, how good I am in transition, how good I am actually handling the ball. I feel like I shot really poorly last year. I feel like I’m going to have a lot better shooting year this year, so there are a lot of tools I haven’t gotten to show off this year, and I’m really excited to show that off at this level.”
Obviously, the chance to expand his game offensively was a big part of Kentucky’s appeal for Quaintance; however, he is also looking forward to joining a roster that he believes has a real chance to do special things.
“The sales pitch was more about getting to show off what I can do a little more offensively and have a real chance to win next year. I feel that was also a big part of it. They have a lot of good guys over there, and they have a real good structured program, so I feel like we have a real good chance to win the national championship next year. I felt like that was a big part of it.
“Their play style, they play a little faster, and they shoot a little bit more. I’ll be out on the perimeter more than I was last year, and I feel like my game is more there, and I’ll be able to show off my versatility that was as well.”
Quaintance considered staying at Kentucky after Calipari left; after a year of keeping tabs on the Cats from afar and seeing big men like Amari Williams and Brandon Garrison flourish in Pope’s system, he’s confident he’s making the right decision in rejoining the program.
“It’s always good to have a little bit more information. I feel like, given the time to see how well they did last year and how their system works, how freely their system operated, I feel like that was really good for me to be able to see exactly how I fit there, get a real visual of how I fit in.”
“I enjoyed my time here, but I felt like I had to find a program that I felt fit my play style a little better, and I felt like Kentucky was that perfect spot,” he added of his decision to leave Arizona State. “They have a better basketball environment as well. They have a lot more fan support, so I felt like that was a big part of it, as well as fitting my play style a little better, so I can show off my versatility more and kind of flourish in a different role.”
Quaintance got a taste of the Kentucky Basketball lifestyle on his official visit for the Georgia game on Feb. 24, 2024, when he was introduced to the Rupp Arena crowd at midcourt. He said he can’t wait to run out of the tunnel as a Wildcat — hopefully, sooner rather than later.
“I’m extremely excited. Just, again, seeing the energy, seeing how many people, it’s definitely the largest arena that I’ve seen out of all the ones I’ve played in so I’m just super excited to see the energy that the fans have and actually get to live it and receive the love on the court.”
Until then, he’s enjoying the love from Kentucky fans on social media. His message for BBN?
“I’m excited to win with you guys. We’re going to make a splash this year and do big things.”
KSR breaks down Jayden Quaintance’s game
Want more Jayden Quaintance talk? Zack Geoghegan and Brandon Ramsey broke down his game on the latest episode of “Zoom Action.”
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