Veteran tandem of Reeves, Mitchell lead young Team USA over Germany at GLOBL JAM

The problem with fielding one of the best recruiting classes in college basketball is that the inexperience littered throughout the lineup is evident. The impact of retaining fifth-year guard Antonio Reeves and acquiring fifth-year big man Tre Mitchell was apparent in the Kentucky Wildcats' first game together as a team, particularly when it comes to the leadership both players provide.

When Kentucky needed it most, the two veterans on a team jam-packed with freshmen carried the scoring load for the young team representing the United States at GLOBL JAM and showed just how invaluable experience can be in tight games.

Reeves, the only returning starter from last year's Wildcats team, scored a game-high 24 points while Mitchell, a transfer from West Virginia, scored 20 of his own while shooting four-for-six from deep as Kentucky took down Germany 81-73 in the opening men's game at the tournament.

"I expect that from me," Mitchell said. "There’s a lot of young guys and I’ve seen it all at this point. I’ve seen a lot of basketball, a lot of crowds, a lot of moments. If I’m someone they can lean on when they need it, I’m here for it.”

Germany came into the game as heavy underdogs but put up a serious fight. They finished the first frame tied at 17 apiece and were down only three at the half. They pulled within six with less than a minute to go but Reeves iced the game with a lay-up and two free throws in the final minute.

The Germans were led by wing Malte Delow, who plays his club basketball ALBA Berlin of the G-BBL, Germany's top league. The 22-year-old showed his proficiency from long-range, going 5-for-11 from deep en route to a team-high 21 points.

Jonas Mattiseck (ALBA Berlin) scored nine of his own and dished out eight assists. Big man Norris Agbakoko (EWE Baskets Oldenburg - G-BBL) took advantage of Kentucky's lack of size by scoring 13 points and grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds.

The Wildcats didn't get particularly noteworthy games from their big-name recruits in their first appearance in blue and white. Three of their four players that ranked in the top-25 of the ESPN 100 recruitment rankings struggled: No. 3 recruit Justin Edwards finished with four points, No. 15 Robert Dillingham had six and No. 23 Reed Sheppard had zero.

“Yesterday at the scrimmage, Reed [Sheppard] played unbelievable. If you were here you would’ve said wow," said Kentucky coach John Calipari. "So today, after the game I said, ‘I need you to say this: I couldn’t make a shot today. I couldn’t make a shot.’ And he just smiled.” 

The last member of the bunch, No. 4 recruit D.J. Wagner, was the most complete product for the Wildcats. He scored 16 points and dished out six assists while picking up two steals and blocks apiece.

Wagner – a combo guard who could be viewed as the heir to the prized Kentucky line of guards stretching from Canadians Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray to Devin Booker – showed an affinity for getting into the paint with shifty stop-start moves. He also knocked down clutch three-pointers in the fourth quarter to pad large Kentucky leads at different points.

"It's been a good experience so far, just being able to play with that Kentucky on our chest," Wagner said. "It's an honour just to be able to go out there and play for America, especially wearing the Kentucky name as well."

The Wildcats forced turnovers on back-to-back-to-back possessions early on, initiating a full-court press and taking advantage of Germany's mistakes. They racked up a 13-6 turnover differential by the end of the first half and 22-13 by the end of the game.

However, Calipari wasn't impressed by his team's defence, particularly on close-outs, saying that they "left their feet a thousand times today."

With fresh faces all around, Kentucky had to find a level of cohesion in their first game together to dig themselves out of a seven-point deficit in the second quarter.

They weren't able to get quick rotations onto the perimeter to stop the hot-shooting Delow who finished the first half three-for-four from deep.

However, once the second half came around, the Wildcats pulled ahead, outscoring Germany by nine points in the third frame.

It was a victory, but it was tight for a Kentucky team that has high aspirations for the upcoming NCAA season. Every team starts off somewhere, and today, the Wildcats and a stadium full of Big Blue fans saw the first steps of what they hope builds into something with real cohesion.

“It’s good to win the first one. You’ve got 10 practices, and I’ve got a brand new team," Calipari said. "And you’re trying to say, ‘Oh you’re only doing two or three things.’ That’s all we can do, we can’t even get it in on a side-out!” 

“But they competed and that’s all you want to see. Do they have fight in them? Do they play to win?”

Though the team was filled with new faces, they shared a common thread: The grit to battle through the hardships they've dealt with so far this off-season and in the lead-up to GLOBL JAM.

They lost eight players to the NBA or the transfer portal coming into the year including 2022 Consensus NCAA Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe and 12th overall draft pick Cason Wallace.

Unfortunately for Kentucky, they lost two big men ahead of the tournament: Highly-recruited freshman Aaron Bradshaw (ranked No. 6 on ESPN 100) elected to undergo foot surgery to repair an injury in late June and sophomore Ugonna Onyenso sustained an ankle injury in a scrimmage on Tuesday ahead of the opening game.

Next on the docket for this Kentucky team is a game against host nation Canada (Thursday at 8:00 p.m. ET on Sportsnet). Germany will take on BAL Select (Africa) on Thursday (1:30 p.m. ET).

The two squads hope to find themselves facing off once more come Sunday when the championship rolls around.

“Good first game for us, against a good team. One of their [Germany] players walked out and said, ‘We want to see you again Sunday.’ I said let’s do it,” said Calipari, accepting the European team's challenge.