4-Point Play: All eyes on DJ Wagner

It’s about that time, folks. We’re all moving past UNC Wilmington and focusing on the Penn Quakers in Kentucky basketball‘s trip to Philadelphia. It’s a homecoming celebration for a trio of Wildcat freshmen in Justin Edwards, DJ Wagner and Aaron Bradshaw. Edwards is the lone Philly native of the group, but Wagner grew up right across the bridge in Camden, NJ while Bradshaw — a Roselle, NJ native — played his high school ball with Wagner at Camden High School.

It’s a big game for those three individually, but even bigger for the team as a whole as it tries to get back in the win column. Let’s talk about that and more in today’s 4-Point Play.

DJ Wagner to play in homecoming game?

Kentucky missed Wagner down the stretch in the UNCW loss. Will it miss the freshman guard against Penn? John Calipari described him as “day-to-day” earlier in the week, his ankle “black and blue” at the time. He added that Wagner wanted to play, but wouldn’t know for certain whether he’d be available until closer to game time. After arriving in Philadelphia, the Camden native was seen with the team in full uniform at the 76ers’ practice facility — Ugonna Onyenso and Zvonimir Ivisic also pictured.

Thanks for letting us practice here, @sixers 🙏 pic.twitter.com/5VNmt7aNw7

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) December 8, 2023

Barring a setback ahead of the opening tip, the growing expectation is that Wagner will attempt to give it a go with friends and family in attendance for the homecoming matchup. Things are trending in the right direction or Kentucky to get its starting point guard back in a game the Wildcats need to win.

Kentucky player jerseys are now for sale

Looking for the ultimate stocking stuffer ahead of the holiday season? How about a Kentucky basketball player jersey? Those are now available in the official team shop — a first for the Cats in the NIL era.

A select few jerseys had been available through Fanatics up to this point: Reed Sheppard, Justin Edwards, DJ Wagner, Adou Thiero, Kareem Watkins, Grant Darbyshire. Now, the entire roster is available for both men’s and women’s basketball programs.

NEW @KentuckyMBB and @KentuckyWBB jerseys launched in the UK Team Shop 😻

🛍️ https://t.co/CuTA8w2RGJ pic.twitter.com/0HJK6A3xR9

— Kentucky Athletics (@UKAthletics) December 8, 2023

The jerseys are in stock, but the website says they will need extra time to ship and will not make it in time for Christmas. So maybe just put a note in the stocking to say they’ll be here soon unless you can find them available in-store around the state.

How long until Reed Sheppard jerseys is sold out? Days? Hours? Minutes?

Our first in-season portal move is here

Kansas State forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin is a heck of a talent — and he’s also available, essentially immediately. He was dismissed from the team this week following a disorderly conduct arrest back in October, getting into a fight at a local sports bar.

Now he’s in the transfer portal and will be eligible to play for another school in January after graduating at the end of the fall semester.

Tomlin was a key piece in the K-State squad that knocked Kentucky out in the Round of 32 last March, averaging 12.5 points, 2.0 blocks and 1.5 steals in the team’s run to the Elite Eight. He finished the year with 10.4 PPG, 5.9 RPG and 1.2 APG averages and was seen as a potential draft selection before returning for a final season under Jerome Tang. Expected to be a key player for the Wildcats in ’23-24, he never played a minute before his dismissal and decision to ultimately hit the portal.

Kentucky doesn’t have a need for the 6-10 forward — Aaron Bradshaw is back and Ugonna Onyenso is trending toward a return while the NCAA decides on Zvonimir Ivisic (it just cleared two more players today, by the way, in Akron’s Ali Ali and Towson’s Nendah Tarke). But other schools have already expressed interest, namely Gonzaga, Memphis, Missouri, Oklahoma State and Pitt, among others.

He may not be a Wildcat, but Tomlin quickly becomes the biggest mid-year portal addition ever. A good team could become great in a matter of weeks.

Bronny James set to make USC debut

Another team set to get a whole lot better in the near future? The USC Trojans, who are expected to add Bronny James to the lineup on Sunday against Long Beach State. This comes after the five-star guard was given full clearance by doctors to return to basketball activities on Nov. 30, then going through his first full-contact practice on Thursday.

“He looked good. He has to get his timing back and get in game shape, but I thought today was a good first day,” USC coach Andy Enfield said, adding “we assume” James will play Sunday.

The son of NBA legend LeBron James suffered cardiac arrest during a summer workout back in July, collapsing on the basketball floor and immediately rushed to the hospital. The James family later announced the 19-year-old had been diagnosed with an “anatomically and functionally significant congenital heart defect which can and will be treated.”

Five months later, college basketball’s next big legacy freshman is set to make his debut. We’ve got a couple of those in Lexington.