Kam Williams practiced again, 'getting close' to suiting up for Kentucky

It appears Kam Williams is making a real push to play in the SEC Tournament for the Kentucky Wildcats.

Mark Pope confirmed last week that the injured 6-8 wing returned to practice after transitioning from walk to jog to sprint while juggling individual skill workouts with the Kentucky staff. KSR learned that he was a full-contact participant on back-to-back days leading up to the Senior Day matchup vs. Florida, cracking the door open on a return for the home finale before ultimately being ruled out due to soreness.

“He was pretty sore after, so we’re just in the process,” Pope said ahead of the nine-point loss to the Gators. “It’s exactly what you would expect it to be, as he tries to recover.”

How did things go to begin SEC Tournament week before the Wildcats travel to Nashville to take on LSU on Wednesday? Pope turned heads with his answer, starting with more of the same before dropping the bomb we’ve all been waiting for.

“Kam actually practiced some limited today — he practiced a few days ago and was pretty sore afterward,” he said on his weekly radio show. “He went again today, so we’ll see how he feels tomorrow. He seems like he’s getting close.”

Williams last suited up on January 21 vs. Texas, scoring nine points in 16 minutes before breaking his foot against the Longhorns, followed by surgery on Friday, Jan. 23. Just over six weeks later, the Tulane transfer is on the cusp of his return, potentially adding a long, versatile defender and shot-maker to the rotation ahead of Kentucky’s postseason push. He’s averaging 6.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists per contest.

Where do things stand with Jayden Quaintance, who hasn’t played since the team’s 73-68 loss to Missouri on Jan. 10? He’s doing conditioning and strength exercises for his knee to start the ramp-up process, KSR has learned, but on-court work has been limited, at best.

Pope confirmed the potential lottery pick, who has only played in four games as a Wildcat, has not done anything ‘meaningful’ in terms of contact practice.

“JQ still has not been incorporated into practice in any meaningful contact way. He’s a little bit further away,” he added.

The second-year Kentucky coach was much more positive in his Quaintance update a week ago, saying he’s ‘making some progress’ with the training staff feeling they’ve ‘got the swelling a little bit under control.’

Sources tell KSR that he passed a significant strength test ahead of his ‘intensive ramp-up,’ as Pope called it, but the clock is ticking when it comes to game opportunities — only two more are guaranteed for the Wildcats this point forward.

At least things are trending in the right direction for Williams.