JQ’s First Real Step Back: Inside the Day Mark Pope Saw His Team Believe Again

In the middle of an ordinary staff meeting  the kind full of whiteboards, scout notes, and routine planning  something unexpected happened inside Kentucky basketball’s practice facility. What started as a simple discussion about three-on-three drills turned into one of the funniest, most revealing, and most inspiring moments of the Wildcats’ early season. It was the moment everyone realized that JQ, after weeks of careful recovery, was finally inching his way back toward being himself again.

Mark Pope couldn’t help but laugh when he told the story.

“So we’re in a staff meeting talking about doing three-on-three drills but just a snap punch drill, and including JQ,” Pope began, clearly still amused by what unfolded next. “We still have to monitor him. There’s a safety protocol when he’s doing any type of almost-live action.”

Because of that protocol, Pope planned to match JQ not against the active roster, but against the graduate assistants  the big, strong, hardworking GAs who rebound, set screens in practice, and do the behind-the-scenes work that keeps a program running smoothly. This time, though, they had another responsibility: survive the drill.

“I looked at (Brian Fitzpatrick) and Willis (Mackey Jr.), and I was like, ‘Hey, which one of you can I trust to handle JQ with gloves in the post?’” Pope said, chuckling. “And both of them were kind of pale. Neither one of them wanted the assignment at all. Not because they worried about hurting him, but because they worried about getting hurt.”

That single sentence told the whole story.

Even limited, even recovering, even rusty  JQ is still built different.

The fear wasn’t about accidentally knocking him around. The fear was that they would be the ones bouncing off him. The jokes, the pale faces, the hesitation  it was a reminder of the force Kentucky has waiting in the wings.

But behind the humor was something more important: real progress.

“But he was in three-on-three today,” Pope continued. “It was the first time he’s done some three-on-three. So he’s making steady progress.”

And for a Kentucky team that has been grinding, learning, and battling through the early season, that progress is priceless.

This wasn’t just another update.
It wasn’t just another practice detail.
It was a turning point  a moment where the locker room, the staff, and the players got to see the comeback in real time.

JQ didn’t have to dunk over anyone. He didn’t need a highlight or a viral clip. Just stepping onto the floor, taking live reps, and making the GAs rethink their life choices was enough.

Kentucky fans know what he brings: power, maturity, toughness, interior presence, and a competitive fire that changes the energy of the floor. And now, after weeks of controlled, careful work, Mark Pope is finally seeing that fire return.

It might not have been a full practice. It wasn’t five-on-five. But it was something even better  the first true sign that JQ is on his way back. Slow. Steady. Stronger.

And when he’s fully cleared?

Kentucky won’t just be better.
Kentucky will be different.

If you want, I can add a title, a dramatic intro, or extend this even more!