John Calipari says Reid Travis is working out & could play in SEC Tournament

With the regular season now over, the Kentucky Wildcats get an extended break until their next game.

The Cats won’t be in action again until Friday night in the SEC Tournament, which hopefully gives Reid Travis enough time to get back on the court and make his return in Nashville.

The senior forward remains out with a sprained right knee. He was rumored to be returning to practice last week and possibly play against Florida, but he ultimately sat out, not even so much as going through warmups.

But on Monday, head coach John Calipari gave an encouraging update on his call-in show.

It’s good to know Travis is getting some work in as the team is getting a small break from team activities, though they did stay behind to do individual work this week.

Since injuring his knee, Travis had been unable to fully practice for the last three weeks, though he was reportedly running full speed on a treadmill last week.

Following Saturday’s win over the Gators, Calipari stressed that he’s not pushing Travis to return before he’s ready.

“I’ve absolutely stayed out of it,” said Calipari. “I really haven’t even talked to the doctors, because these kids know their bodies, and I don’t want him or anyone to think that I’m pushing him to play if he’s not. If he’s not right.”

For the Wildcats to win the SEC Tournament and beat a team like Tennessee, they absolutely need Travis, even if it is just for some five-minute bursts throughout the game.

But more importantly, Kentucky needs Travis back and getting a full workload to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. That’s the ultimate goal, so Calipari won’t bring Travis back in Nashville if he’s not ready.

While Travis has been sitting out, he managed to swing by Julius Marks Elementary and provide some words of encouragement for students.

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