Sacha Killeya-Jones doesn’t know what his role will be this season but is already comfortable with the contributions he will be making for the Wildcats.
The 6-foot-10 freshman forward came off the bench and scored 12 points in Kentucky’s easy 108-51 victory over Clarion in the first of two preseason exhibition games Sunday night. Jones was nearly perfect from the field, making 6-of-8 shots and added three rebounds to go along with one block in his unofficial debut with the Wildcats.
Overall, six players reached double figures and 11 players scored for Kentucky, which led from start to finish and dominated every phase of the contest. No player was on the court for more than 22 minutes and the Wildcats never missed a beat regardless of the various combinations.
“That’s a really positive part about our team,” Killeya-Jones said. “We know if we go out there and play as hard as we can for four minutes, do everything you can, and then the next TV timeout or whatever happens, the next sub, whenever you need a break just put your hand up and you can get out, get a break, and go back in and play as hard as you can for as long as you can. It’s awesome having so much depth and versatility.”
As Kentucky coach John Calipari tinkered with several lineups in the exhibition opener, Killeya-Jones blended in with the various changes and wasn’t surprised by the team’s chemistry.
“I think pretty much every lineup we had worked,” Killeya-Jones said. “I don’t think there were any lineups – even Brad’s lineup worked. It was awesome.”
For Killeya-Jones, getting a chance to play with a supporting of veterans and newcomers has given the freshman forward a chance to expand his skill set.
“You get to play a bunch of different roles, get to play with different guards and everything,” he said. “It’s just awesome to have that much versatility on the team.”
Kentucky dominated in all phases of the game in the exhibition opener, especially in the post, scoring more than half of their points in the paint. Jones, Wenyen Gabriel, Bam Adebayo combined for 34 points and 19 rebounds. Adebayo had a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds.
“I think overall the bigs played pretty well,” Killeya-Jones said. “I think Bam rebounded really well. We all played really well together. I think we just tried to show what we could do.”
BOXSCORE: Kentucky 108, Clarion 51
Despite the impressive numbers, it took longer than expected for Kentucky to establish an inside attack against the NCAA Division II Golden Eagles, but the Wildcats were nearly unstoppable once the post became a viable option.
“That’s something we need to work on is be more aggressive and want the ball down low,” Killeya-Jones said. “I think we kind of sometimes maybe deferred, but we all know that we can all score down there and just need to be more aggressive down there.”
Jones displayed his own aggressiveness with a slam dunk on an assist from teammate Isaiah Briscoe off the glass. The nifty finish was a crowd-pleaser and Killeya-Jones was glad to be on the receiving end of the play.
“That was dope,” he said. “That’s the kind of player Zay is. He’s always a team player.”
Jones has “no clue” what direction Calipari intends to take with the lineup, but Killeya-Jones expects the same outcome in every game.
“I know whatever lineup is on the floor is going to play their hardest and then the next lineup is going to come in and they’re going to do the same,” he said. “We’re really versatile and it’s going to help us.”
Game tracker: Asbury at Kentucky, 7 p.m., Sunday. TV/Radio: SEC Network, 98.1 FM WBUL.
Keith Taylor is a senior sports writer for KyForward, where he primarily covers University of Kentucky sports. Reach him at keith.taylor@kyforward.com or @keithtaylor21 on Twitter