ARLINGTON, Texas — Here comes Willie?
Kentucky center Willie Cauley-Stein has missed most of the past two games with a left ankle injury and is considered unlikely to play in the Final Four, but the sophomore could pull a Willis Reed and make an appearance in Saturday’s game against Wisconsin, even if he didn’t know who the Knicks legend was.
“Don’t count me out yet,” Cauley-Stein said on Friday. “I’m still figuring out if I want to give it a try or not. … There’s always a possibility.”
Cauley-Stein, a defensive force who could pose problems for Wisconsin star Frank Kaminsky, is off crutches and out of a walking boot, but still hasn’t practiced with the team, despite feeling better each day.
Though Cauley-Stein said he would like to play, his status as a potential lottery pick in the upcoming NBA Draft could play a role in keeping him out, preventing him from further aggravating the unspecified injury.
“It’s up to me and my family if I want to give it a try or not,” Cauley-Stein said. “It could get worse or it could stay the same. That’s kind of the unknown. It could get worse and then I might have to do something worse than I thought I was going to have to.”
DeAndre Daniels, UConn’s talented forward, was nearly a Gator. The junior took a couple of recruiting visits to Gainesville while attending IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) in high school and developed a bond with Gators coach Billy Donovan.
“They recruited me a lot,” Daniels said. “I definitely liked the school. Billy Donovan is a great coach and a great guy. I still try to talk to him to this day. Florida was definitely close for me. I had lots of schools I was choosing out of. Florida was in the top five.”
Ultimately, Daniels chose UConn in July of 2011. He was a five-star recruit while in high school, in the top 10 of his class.
“I felt they were honest with me from the start, never promised me anything, and that’s what I wanted as a kid coming into college — nobody guaranteeing me anything. I had to work for it,” Daniels said.
Doug McDermott couldn’t lead Creighton past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, but the senior won again on Friday, claiming the John R. Wooden Award as the player of the year. He is the first senior to win the award since Jimmer Fredette (2010-11).