Davion Mintz
The skinny: Started 21 of 25 games, averaged a career-high 11.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists and shot 38 percent from 3-point range. The Creighton transfer has 100 college starts, 2,829 minutes, 925 points and 337 assists. He became UK’s go-to scorer and eventually point guard late in the season. Averaged 16.7 points, 4.8 assists, 1.2 turnovers and shot 44.4 percent from 3 over the final six games. He is not among the 118 players ranked on Vecenie’s Big Board for the 2021 NBA Draft.
Where things stand: “He’s talking to his coaches and keeping in good contact with Coach Cal and the resources that Cal has to see if now is the best time to pursue his ultimate dream of playing professionally or if he needs another year to say, ‘Hey, I’m that man you need in your organization,’ ” Sean Mintz said. “The BBN has been so doggone good to him. As parents, we’re just overjoyed. He has what I call a good problem. And I won’t call it a problem. He has a good situation: Either pursue your ultimate dream or come back to a place you’re wanted by your coaches and your fans. He’s just trying to do what is smart for his career, and if that is to come back and do it again, to prove himself more, he’s more than happy to do it. He’s just going through the process to find out if the timing is right.”
The clutch gene: “That is every player’s desire, their dream, to hit the big shot. So that was a real, real important element for him this year, to prove to himself he could do it — and in an environment like Kentucky — to step up in those moments and be trusted by his teammates and coaches to deliver,” Sean Mintz said. “He proved he can play on the ball or off, proved he can defend, proved to be the clutch player you need at the end. That’s a huge deal to Davion that he knows now he can be that guy.”
Cal’s message: “He told us after the last game, made it plain: ‘Davion could play here for the next 10 years if it was up to me.’ He made sure we knew that, spoke on behalf of Davion’s character and what he brought to that locker room and told us how much he appreciated it,” the elder Mintz said. “Cal is super. He’s a parents’ coach. You don’t have to be in his face. He knows what these players need. And he was very clear that he would love to have our son back next season.”
What Dad wants: “Me and the family here, we’re selfishly hoping he comes back, because we had a heck of a time there. Even with a minimal number of people at the games, they always treated us well and told us how much they loved Davion being there. This thing is a journey and these guys play to one day earn a living at it, and we don’t want to keep him from that, but we want him to go at the right time. We don’t know if that time is now or if he’ll be back in the Big Blue Nation again. But let me tell you: If it comes to that, he’s going to be glad about it, and so are we. There won’t be any reluctance at all.”