How Bryce Hopkins and Kentucky are preparing for tomorrow night's "reunion"
Bryce Hopkins knew before Kentucky or Providence’s names even popped up on the screen what was about to happen.
“When the seeding was coming out and it got to the last region, I had seen that Kentucky wasn’t being picked yet, and we hadn’t been picked yet either, so I had seen a lot of mock drafts and mock bracket reveals, and they were saying that we were going to play them,” the former Kentucky Wildcat turned Providence star told reporters today.
“I was kind of expecting us to receive that matchup. I was just excited to play a team that I came from and, you know, just playing against some familiar faces.”
When the matchup was finally announced, Hopkins lept to his feet cheering and slapping hands with his teammates. On Kentucky’s side, Jacob Toppin let out a loud “B-HOP” in John Calipari’s living room at the thought of facing his former teammate and friend. It didn’t take long for an old group chat to light up.
“When we saw we were playing Providence, we have a group chat still from last year’s team, and I texted in group chat,” Toppin said. “He texted back. We had a little fun with it.”
“Like Jacob said, we’re all in that group chat,” CJ Fredrick said. “All three of us were on that team last year, so we were able to talk to them for a little bit and just have some fun.”
“Once that matchup had been revealed, we all were texting and just excited to play each other, so that was pretty much the conversation after that,” Hopkins said.
“We love Bryce,” Lance Ware said. “He is a brother to us.”
“[Bryce] wished he had a fair chance at Kentucky”
Fun aside, there are some real emotions going into tomorrow night. Hopkins transferred from Kentucky to Providence in April after averaging only 2.1 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 6.4 minutes per game as a freshman. Throughout last season, Calipari said more than once he needed to play Hopkins more, but instead of waiting for another season to see if that came to fruition, Hopkins went to play for Ed Cooley at Providence and thrived. Averaging 16.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game, Hopkins was named First Team All-Big East this season.
“He is a terrific player,” John Calipari said. “Being with us and part of our family and hated to see him go, but I understood. Still love him. He bounces it, he is physical, he can shoot the ball, he gets to the foul line. He is a terrific player.”
Hopkins has made it very clear he’s happy for a fresh start at Providence. In February, he told Brian Hamilton of The Athletic that he hit “rock bottom” watching helplessly from the bench as Kentucky lost to Saint Peter’s in the first round, not playing a single second. He felt as though he was “under a microscope” at Kentucky, and forced to play “like a robot” under John Calipari. His Providence teammate Ed Croswell went one step further this afternoon.
“Bryce has explained to us, like, you know, he wished he had a fair chance at Kentucky, but he has moved past it, and he is at his happy home now, and Providence has taken him in,” the senior forward said. “He has passed it, and now he is playing some of the best basketball of his career.”
Junior guard Alyn Breed said that’s one reason why Hopkins is so amped for tomorrow night’s game.
“I don’t really feel like he is worried about what happened at Kentucky. I feel like he is more focused on this opportunity now, and I feel like he is going to take full advantage of it.”
Graduate guard Jared Bynum agreed.
“Like Alyn said, I don’t know if he is thinking too much about last year at Kentucky. He is thinking about the great year he had this year and being able to play against them tomorrow, and hopefully, we win the game and continue to play and make more memories for this year.”
Ed Cooley on preparing Hopkins for the moment
The pressure on Bryce Hopkins to perform well against his old school must be massive. Will he rise to the occasion and send his former squad home in the first round for a second straight year or will it all be too much? Providence Ed Cooley said that’s a conversation he and Hopkins have had a lot this week.
“Bryce and I have had a great week together, and we’ve spoken about that. He is human. His former teammates are human. I’m pretty sure there’s going to be a lot of excitement.”
“But what we’ve got to do as the guardians of the game and the leader of the team, you have to tell him, it’s okay. It’s okay to have that level of anxiety, level of excitement, and just taper it, understand it. You’re not trying to prove anything right or wrong. You’re just trying to go out there and play and try to help Providence College advance.
“It’s going to be natural, he’s going to be nervous. I’m pretty sure his other teammates are going to be nervous. But it’s not about Bryce. This game is about Providence College versus Kentucky.”
On Kentucky’s side, the stakes are also high. Back-to-back first-round exits would be disastrous, which is one reason the Cats are trying to stay loose and focused this week.
“Providence is well-coached,” Calipari said. “They’ve got terrific players. Obviously, I know Bryce well and respect him and love him to death. He is a terrific player, but their guards are good. They’re downhill runners.”
“We’re excited to play them,” Toppin said. “Providence, they’re a really good team. Bryce, he is a really good player. We played against him, so we know he is a really good player.” We just have to come in and fight and understand we have to respect them but not fear them. Just be ready for the game.”
“We had good times last year with him, and to be able to go out here and play the game that we all love together is special,” Ware said. “But, you know, the number one thing is the game and to win the game and make sure that we fight, play hard, and do the things that we’re supposed to do.”
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