Kellan Grady Reflects on Kentucky Basketball Highs and Lows
Kellan Grady experienced a little bit of everything in his single season at Kentucky. The sharp-shooting transfer from Davidson made 88 three-pointers, ranking eighth in school history, one of which produced the loudest crowd pop at Rupp Arena in years.
This Friday Grady will bid the BBN adieu with an autograph signing event at KSBar and Grille from 6-7:30 pm. Before connecting with the BBN, he talked about his UK career on Wednesday morning’s Kentucky Roll Call. His single season featured the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Nothing was more satisfying than humiliating Kansas on their home court. It was equally frustrating watching the Jayhawks cut down the nets in New Orleans.
“We beat both teams in the National Championship by like 50 points combined,” he said. “It was frustrating to watch, but at the same time, teams evolve, teams get hot, teams go on runs. But yes, it was very frustrating.”
Kentucky got out of rhythm at the wrong time
Like most of the Big Blue Nation, Grady is upset and disappointed the entertaining season ended so abruptly. He still cannot pinpoint what exactly went wrong, but tried to explain how the late-season backcourt injuries could make things go awry.
“I still ponder that myself. I think all of us, if we could pinpoint exactly (what went wrong) we probably would have not gone through that and who knows, we could’ve won a National Championship,” said Grady.
“I think people underestimate what happens when you are on a roll for two months and you’ve got the same lineup. There’s a camaraderie and a rhythm to the way we’re playing and that gets altered. You gotta go through a couple games with new roles quickly acclimated and you gotta fit into it. That takes a toll on a team. You gotta readjust and try to get back into the way you were playing. It’s not just a snap of the fingers, and sometimes it just doesn’t quite get back exactly the way you anticipated and I think that’s something we faced, something we have to live with.”
Without Sahvir Wheeler and TyTy Washington in the lineup, Grady hit seven threes in the comeback effort against Alabama. He only netted six more total in the final seven games of the season.
Despite the sour taste left in his mouth, Grady still will take fond memories with him from his time in Lexington. It was a memorable season cut short by Saint Peter’s. Unlike Kentucky, the Peacocks got hot at the right time.
“I think with all that said, it’s very important to keep everything in perspective. It’s a game. We tried our best throughout the year. There was never a question of our effort. And we had an excellent season, despite the way it ended; having a real great bond between the team and the coaching staff. I wish I had the golden answer for that. It didn’t happen obviously the way it did, but I think it’s important to keep in perspective what we were able to give the fans for the whole year. And we also lost to a team, with all due respect to our loss, who seemed destined for a run to the Elite Eight. It’s not like we lost to the school of the blind. It’s unfortunate, again, but I think there’s a lot to still appreciate from our season.”
Stream the entire conversation online or check out the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard