Kentucky basketball stars detail team bonding, Bahamas trip

The Kentucky men’s basketball team will spend a week abroad in the Bahamas in August. The team will use the trip to prepare for the upcoming 2022-2023 season. A few of the Wildcats players understand the importance of this trip and what it will mean for their chemistry heading into next season. And two players, Jacob Toppin and CJ Fredrick, highlight that during recent interviews with KSR.

“Team bonding has been going well. We do a lot of things outside of basketball that help build that connection between one another. We’ve been bowling, went to the movies, just trying to stay connected in ways that we can off the court,” said Toppin. “And the Bahamas is definitely going to be big for us because not only are we going there to see how we play with one another. We’re going there, and we’re gonna do some things out there that are gonna help build more chemistry between us. So, it’s gonna be big.”

Fredrick on Kentucky’s trip to the Bahamas

This trip to the Bahamas is not a leisure trip for the Wildcats. During their stay, which will last from Aug. 8-14, the Wildcats will also be there to put in work. They will face off against the Bahamas national team, Carleton University from Canada, the Dominican Republic national Select Team, and a professional team out of Mexico, Tec de Monterey. And this information is not lost on shooting guard Fredrick.

“I expect our team to just go out there and compete. It’s good for a lot of reasons because you’re playing older guys,” said Fredrick. “We’re playing some professional teams. Those are dudes that there’s that make money and provide for their family. So, I mean, it’s not going to be just go tip the ball, and it’s going to be fun. No, you’re playing dudes that are making money, and it’s a living for them. So it’s gonna be good competition for us, an early test to see where we’re at. A lot of teams don’t get to do that, and we get to do it in August and see what we need to work on.”

This trip to the Bahamas will be both business and pleasure for Kentucky, more business than anything else. The Wildcats would love nothing more than to wash the taste out of their mouth from their upset defeat at the hands of Saint Peter’s during the men’s NCAA tournament. And playing against professional talent in the Bahamas will be a much-needed measuring test for the team. Not only that, but it will go a long way toward setting up a strong bond and chemistry that they will need to make a deep run in the 2023 tournament.