John Calipari has a Kentucky roster loaded with players making an impact through five games, but one piece is at the center of it all.
Tre Mitchell, Kentucky’s veteran forward and only interior piece currently available, is what every string is anchored to, especially on the offensive end of the floor.
If you break down what Kentucky is doing on offense, everything runs through the 6-foot-9 transfer from West Virginia.
In crunch time vs. Saint Joseph’s at Rupp Arena Monday night, it was Mitchell who scored 8 straight points to provide the separation Kentucky needed to close out the upset-minded Hawks
With under a minute to play in regulation and Kentucky trailing 75-76, Mitchell cleaned up a DJ Wagner miss to give the Wildcats a one-point lead. Saint Joseph’s tied the game on a free throw on the next possession to force overtime but Mitchell delivered back-to-back three-pointers out of middle ball screen action to start the extra period.
“Tre (Mitchell) made those shots which are, what I call, those are ‘the moment.’ There was that play, ‘the moment,’ ” Calipari said.
“If they’re going to leave me open, I’m going to shoot it,” Mitchell said following the win. “I try to stay present throughout the entire game so regardless of what the outcome or the score is going to be, if I get an open look, I’m going to take it.”
Mitchell scored a season-high 22 points in the win, including nine important points in overtime to close things out. Additionally, Mitchell grabbed six rebounds, dished out four assists, and committed zero turnovers in 41 minutes.
Mitchell is a well-traveled college basketball player. He played two seasons at UMass before playing individual campaigns at Texas and West Virginia.
Kentucky is fortunate Mitchell is in a Kentucky uniform. If not for the situation with Bob Huggins at West Virginia earlier this year, Mitchell would still be playing in the Big 12. Instead, he is the connecting piece to what Kentucky is doing with a small lineup.
“If it hadn’t happened, he would still be at West Virginia,” Calipari said.
Entering this season, Mitchell had never averaged more assists than turnovers in his career, a statistic that stunned Calipari.
“How the heck is that?” Calipari asked during a press conference earlier this season.
Below are Mitchell’s career assists and turnovers averages per season.
Through five games this season, Mitchell is averaging 3.4 assists and 0.5 turnovers per game. He ranks 8th in the country in assists-to-turnover ratio, the only player in the top 25 that isn’t a guard.
Mitchell has totaled 17 assists and only two turnovers in 178 minutes of action. He recorded 18 assists and 8 turnovers in Kentucky’s four-game trip to GLOBL JAM earlier this year.
Regardless of how it happened, Mitchell has found his place at Kentucky.
“To come here and play with these dudes is an unbelievable blessing in itself, Mitchell said when asked what he’s thankful for following the win vs. Saint Joseph’s. “You’ve got unbelievable talent, but these dudes, as people? I’m going to be in contact with these dudes for the rest of my life. God has just been so graceful to me. It really, truly is unbelievable to me.”
