Birthday boy Cason Wallace just misses triple-double in Kentucky debut

Coming into Monday night, Kentucky men’s basketball had produced just three documented triple-doubles throughout the program’s storied history. And while that number remains at three heading into Tuesday morning, the group could very well expand to four by the end of the season.

Wildcats’ freshman guard Cason Wallace came up just short of recording a triple-double in his Kentucky debut. During UK’s 95-63 season-opening victory over Howard, the 6-foot-4 two-way star finished with 15 points, eight rebounds, nine assists, and two steals in 35 minutes of action. He shot 7-11 from the floor and connected on one of his two shots from distance.

Wallace became the first ‘Cat ever to post at least 15 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists in a season-opener, according to UK statistician Corey Price. It was just short of the triple-double mark, but he said after the game was over he’ll reach it before the season is in the books.

Not a bad way to spend his 19th birthday.

“I thought (Cason) did good. He had a triple-double, like a couple more rebounds — come on kid — and he’s at a triple-double… He’s doing good,” Kentucky head coach John Calipari said postgame.

“(Cason) did great,” Wallace’s teammate, CJ Fredrick, said of him after Monday’s win. “He almost had a triple-double in his first college basketball game. I love playing with Cason. He’s such a tenacious defender and he can do it the whole game, and the way he pushes the ball in transition and plays with pace and is such a rim threat, pull-up jumper, he can knock down 3s. He’s really a special player.”

Birthday dub @wallace_cason 🙌 pic.twitter.com/QeHep0et8o

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) November 8, 2022

Stepping in as the starting point guard in place of the injured Sahvir Wheeler, Wallace is having to learn how to run the show on the fly. The early returns have certainly been encouraging though, with Wallace quickly establishing himself as a star. Calipari believes he has a chance to be special. When you’re mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Jamal Murray and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, you’re doing something right.

“He’s a guard. That’s what he is. And the best players I’ve had have been guards,” Calipari said of Wallace. “They can play on the ball, they can play off the ball, but they’re tough as nails. He is tough. Now we got on him because he missed all those lefty layups. So he made one today and he looked right at me, and then he said ‘you know what I think I’m just gonna go dunk it.’ I said you can’t dunk on a player, and he dunked it and looked over.

“Walks in the gym — and if you’ll remember Jamal Murray used to make me smile, he’d go ‘smile!’. This kid walks in, where’s your energy coach? The energy? And so he’s fun to be around. He’s a competitor. He’s kinda like Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) where he says I trust you, tell me how to play. I trust you. He’s special.”

What truly separates Wallace from his peers, though, is his defensive abilities. He’s recorded seven total steals between the two exhibitions and the season-opener. No one on the team has quicker and more active hands on that end of the floor than Wallace. He’s also just a naturally smart and gifted player.

“I think the thing that makes (Cason) so special is not only is he so good at running the offense but he makes it so hard for the other team’s point guard to run their offense,” Fredrick added. “So when he’s running up and down the way he is, finding shooters and he’s so disruptive on the other end, that’s just a bonus.”

It helps Wallace to have someone like Wheeler, who has been sidelined with a minor knee injury, on his side and in his ear coaching him along the way. With Wheeler on the bench Monday night, the starting point guard was able to give instructions from afar. Wheeler and Wallace battle plenty in practice too, which the latter says prepared him even more for a moment like the matchup against Howard.

“I feel like I did pretty good,” Wallace said humbly of his performance. “Going up against Sah(vir) in practice really helped me for this situation, going up against quicker guards, just using my body and hitting the open man when they’re open.”