John Calipari promised a return to normalcy this offseason following an adversity-filled summer that led to arguably the worst season in Kentucky basketball history in 2020-21. Navigating through health and safety protocols, testing and quarantine periods, players weren’t able to arrive until June 28 – some didn’t make it to Lexington until mid-July – and on-court work with coaches didn’t begin until July 20. Even then, training was limited to individual drills and skill development with contact practices limited to just four hours per week; full contact, five-on-five scrimmages took even longer to get rolling.
This time around, Calipari made the decision to bring players back to campus during Memorial Day weekend starting May 29, with team bonding activities set to follow right away.