SOURCES: Kentucky basketball tentatively planning late June return to campus

The Kentucky basketball team is gearing up for a return to campus in late June, KSR has learned.

In conversations with the upcoming 2020-21 roster and parents this week, UK head coach John Calipari laid out a tentative plan to return to Lexington, with the week of June 22 being a target date.

Once arriving on campus, the goal is for players to stay isolated in the Wildcat Coal Lodge and Joe Craft Center, providing them an opportunity to get acclimated and train for the upcoming season while following proper CDC guidelines. One option on the table is keeping players on campus for the remainder of the summer, a way to minimize potential exposure to the virus while traveling home.

While these are the tentative plans as of today, UK Athletics will continue to monitor the situation and consult with health officials in the coming weeks to confirm a safe and healthy return to campus. The basketball staff will then schedule another conference call in two weeks to finalize dates and details.

Earlier this week, KSR also reported that the Kentucky football team is planning to bring its players back in stages, with the first stage of 30 to 40 players – those already in Kentucky – expected to begin June 8. From there, they are hoping to bring in the rest of the team in smaller numbers on a weekly basis throughout the month of June.

The players with any potential pre-existing conditions or issues will be the last to return, with the goal being for all players to be back on campus by the time fall camp starts.

Things are subject to change – as are most in the midst of a pandemic – but it’s apparent the UK Athletics department is working behind the scenes to get its players back on campus safely and in a timely manner.