Davion Mintz Has Big Night on Saturday
Saturday night turned out to be a memorable one for Davion Mintz for a couple of reasons.
First, before the game even started, Mintz was honored for scoring his 1,000th collegiate point, which came on Tuesday at LSU. Counting his time at Creighton and at UK, Mintz had scored 1,014 points heading into Saturday’s matchup against Georgia.
Everyone knew that Mintz would be a big part of UK’s game plan in Saturday’s game. With starting point guard Sahvir Wheeler sidelined with a neck injury, Mintz figured to log more minutes than usual against the Bulldogs.
Of course, Georgia knew this as well. And the Bulldogs had time to prepare.
Nevertheless, Mintz had a big game. The Charlotte native scored a season-high 19 points on seven of 10 shooting, including five of seven from behind the arc. He added a pair of assists as the Cats pulled away from the Bulldogs, winning 92-77.
Mintz led the Cats in scoring last season, averaging 11.5 points per game. His 19 points on Saturday were two shy of his career high of 21, which he has accomplished twice.
For Mintz, it was good to finally see his shots going in.
“It felt amazing,” Mintz said. “It had to pay off, I have been working my tail off every day, every night, getting extra shots. Just working tirelessly. It can’t rain forever – the sun has to come out eventually, so I was happy to see that.”
The double-figure scoring effort was the third in a row for Mintz. He had 16 points at LSU on Tuesday and 10 against High Point on Dec. 31. Saturday marked the fifth time this season that Mintz has reached double figures.
It took Mintz a while to recover from missing some time earlier this season due to illness. He missed three games from Nov. 22-29 but is now starting to find his groove again.
“I think it was more comfort. Definitely missing the number of games I did miss, it was tough just getting a rhythm back,” Mintz said. “I think it was more of a mental thing for me and just getting a groove back. And getting to my spots again. Then honestly, just confidence. Knowing that I’m a shooter, and the team, and coaches don’t care how much I miss they just want me to keep shooting.”
“Davion was outstanding,” Calipari said. “And I know you’re saying, well, he made shots. No, he defended. He came up with balls. He tried to take charges. He flew.”
Still, Calipari knows that Mintz can be even better.
“I told him he was outstanding,” Calipari said. “He only had one turnover. There was one play he made. He passed up a shot and drove into a bad shot, and I jumped him. Shoot the ball! If it doesn’t go in, we’ll rebound.”
Mintz enjoyed a special night on Saturday and helped the Cats to another SEC win in the process.
