‘Difference Maker’: Travis Returns as UK Reaches Semis
John Calipari has always known how important Reid Travis is to his team. Whether Travis could return from a sprained knee in time for the postseason would likely go a long way toward deciding how far Kentucky would advance.
Even so, Coach Cal never once checked on the graduate transfer forward. He never asked Travis what he was doing to get back on the floor.
He knew he didn’t need to.
“I knew he was training,” Calipari said on the eve of the SEC Tournament. “I knew he was going hard. I didn’t talk to the doctors about it. I knew that if he wanted to play, which I thought he did, he’ll be back and he’ll be fine. He’s been – he’s trained that way. He lost the weight that way. He conditions that way. He takes care of his body that way. He’s intense that way.”
Travis’s training led to his return on Friday night. His intensity allowed him to hardly miss a beat in making it.
“When you’re hurt, you spend more time, I feel like, at the gym and in the training room than you would while you’re healthy and when you’re playing,” Travis said. “In the mornings, I’m doing rehab. Afternoon, I’m at practice doing rehab during practice and at night I come back, get treatment and do more rehab. It’s basically just all day trying to get my knee right.”
Travis made his return as Kentucky (27-5) opened the SEC Tournament with a 73-55 victory over Alabama (18-15). Considering the graduate transfer came to Kentucky in large part to play in the postseason, that was a fitting turn of events.
“It was a good win,” Calipari said. “I thought we really guarded. We rebounded. The last time we played them, they outrebounded us by 10 rebounds. This game we outrebounded them by 10 rebounds.”
Travis had a lot to do with both that defense and rebounding. His stat line (eight points, seven rebounds and three blocks in 23 minutes) was rather modest, but his impact was anything but.
“It makes all of our jobs a little bit easier because he’s down there in a dogfight all night fighting in the paint, beating the guy up for us,” Ashton Hagans said. “As he’s down there, we know we can guard our man on the outside on the perimeter. That just helps us a lot.”
With the interior locked down, Hagans and UK’s perimeter defenders were free to lock in on the likes of Kira Lewis, Dazon Ingram and Tevin Mack. The trio combined for 45 points in a January win over Kentucky, but the Cats held them to 12 points on 2-of-16 shooting in the rematch in Nashville. Oftentimes, it was Travis contesting their shots on penetration, as he accounted for three of UK’s season-high 11 blocks.
“Just timing,” Travis said. “I feel like our guys did a great job on ball making guys double-clutch and kind of pick the ball up. Not getting all the way to the rim, that allows me to get a shot block.”
Even when Travis didn’t get his hands on shots, his presence was meaningful. EJ Montgomery and Nick Richards were each key to UK going 4-1 in five games without Travis and will continue to be key as the Cats advance in March, but no one on the roster can replicate what Travis does.
“Just his physicality, it’s a difference maker,” PJ Washington said. “For him to be out there blocking shots is a difference maker as well. He runs the floor, blocks shots, rebounds and he makes baskets. It’s hard to guard and he’s just a great leader out there for us.”
Being the leader he is, sitting as Kentucky lost for only the second time in two months at Tennessee was no fun. Travis knew it was for the best though.
“It was tough,” Travis said. “Anytime we lose not being able to contribute, but I had the right people in my ear on the staff. They knew that I was going to be able to come back. They just wanted to make sure I came back the right way and could really help when it mattered.”
That time is now.
Not only is the SEC Tournament championship on the line this weekend, Kentucky and Tennessee – which defeated Mississippi State in the nightcap at Bridgestone Arena, 83-76 – will also face off Saturday afternoon in a rubber match that will have significant NCAA Tournament seeding ramifications. Travis now has one game under his belt entering that game, which is a plus.
“It took me a little bit to get my feet under me,” Travis said. “I felt more comfortable in the second half. It was good just to get the first one out of the way, just kind of see how it feels.”
Playing games on back-to-back days and potentially three days in a row should UK advance will provide a good test for Travis and his knee. He says is at 100 percent and his conditioning not far behind.
“I feel ready,” Travis said. “I’ve just preparing myself the last couple weeks kind of knowing in mind that my return was going to be a three games in three days type of situation. Just getting a lot of treatment. I felt like I took care of my body so well up until this point that I should be fine.”
