With only seven games this season with the entire roster healthy, Kentucky men’s basketball has had to lean on its depth to squeak out some of its wins.

Throughout the season, fans have been treated to strong showings from the likes of Otega Oweh, Andrew Carr, Jaxson Robinson, Amari Williams, Ansley Almonor and even freshmen Trent Noah and Travis Perry.

In fact, going into a chilly Wednesday contest against Vanderbilt, one of the only Cats that had played consistent minutes that hadn’t had a highlight-reel showing was Collin Chandler.

“He’s a two-two-two guy… two assists, two turnovers, two steals,” Kentucky Head Coach Mark Pope joked after the game.

Pope’s joke was hardly misplaced as, even with his strong showing against the Commodores, Chandler’s season averages stand at 1.2 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. Chandler has played in 20 games for UK this season, none of which were starts, and has scored a total of 22 points.

While easy to pick on these numbers as by far the weakest of the non walk ons on the team, Chandler’s journey to Lexington has been far different from that of the others on his team.

Sure, he came to Lexington as a transfer like nearly the entire roster, he decommitted from his previous school (BYU) like Noah (South Carolina) and he followed his head coach like Robinson.

But, while UK’s other freshmen, Noah and Perry, were dueling it out in the KHSAA State Basketball Tournament, Chandler, aged 21, hadn’t played basketball in any capacity in two years prior to beginning his collegiate career.

Chandler had committed to Pope at BYU, a Mormon university named after Salt Lake City founder Brigham Young, in 2022 after being ranked as the No. 6 best combo guard in the nation and the No. 1 player in the state of Utah.

Instead of going through with joining the Cougars right out of high school, Chandler opted to partake on a two-year mission trip to Sierra Leone and London. Coming back to basketball posed plenty of challenges.

“I don’t know if I knew what to expect,” Chandler said during the offseason on July 23. “It’s hard work… getting back… it’s a grind trying to get my body back right and especially for those first few weeks not being able to play much live basketball.”

Noticeably behind his fellow freshman, Pope still worked to give Chandler minutes, but the young star has spent most of his season on the bench, forced to watch the game he loves more than he gets to play it.

Averaging just 7.7 minutes per game, Chandler remains undeterred and supportive of his fellow Cats.

“He supported us a lot,” Kentucky big man Amari Williams said. “He never complained, he’s never wavered. To see him have his night and how he did it, he did all the little things and we’re proud of him, glad he’s got that confidence.”

To the credit of Pope, his faith in Chandler never wavered either, despite what felt like a never-ending stream of lackluster showings.

“Collin’s got a really special burst,” Pope said. “We talk about these bamboo trees. If you think about a bamboo forest, a bamboo tree can grow up to… I think the Guinness Book of World Records is 35 inches in a day. What happens is they grow. Over time, they grow these massive networks of roots, you don’t see it, then all of a sudden they shoot up out of the ground and they’re growing a yard a day. That’s a little bit of Collin Chandler.”

Taking the court against Vanderbilt, Pope’s confidence in Chandler showed as the Farmington, Utah, native wasn’t just inserted into the lineup early, he was the sixth man off the bench ahead of established stars like Brandon Garrison, Almonor and Noah.

He made his impact known immediately as he drained a 3-pointer less than one minute into his time on the court.

“I think it set the tone tonight,” Chandler said. “Getting my feet wet a little bit, it was nice to get one to go early. We talk a lot as a team about carrying baggage with us and we just can’t afford that. I’ve been working hard to play with a fresh mind and not let past performances weigh on me.”

Before long, he continued to make his presence felt as he stole the ball and ran it all the way down to the other end for a fast-break layup for five points early.

Coming out of the game for the first time, Carr was noticeably enthused, giving Chandler a playful shove and celebrating the hot start for the freshman.

“Super proud of him,” Carr said after the game. “We’re super happy to see how hard he works and he obviously wants to be able to step up and step into that role. We knew it was going to happen for him, he’s done a great job in practice for us, so being able to see those results on the floor is really special.”

Chandler would go on to finish the contest with seven points, going 2-5 from the field and 2-2 from the free-throw line. He added on six rebounds, fighting for every board, two assists and two steals in his 15 minutes on the court.

“Basketball is a game of energy,” Chandler said. “It’s a game of runs. If we can create energy, I think that will serve us well in the future. That’s the goal of anybody coming into the game off the bench, you need to provide something and energy is one of those things.”

Chandler’s energy was pivotal for the Cats as, with his burst, UK went on to earn an 82-61 victory over the Commodores, the largest margin of victory at home over Vandy — a squad the Cats lost to in Nashville earlier this season — since 2003.

While perhaps a flash in the pan, there is optimism that Chandler’s performance could be the start of a far more productive stretch of play for the freshman on a UK team that is desperately lacking depth with both point guards Lamont Butler and Kriisa, and point fill-in Robinson, out with injury.

With needs at the point guard position, Chandler, a shooting guard by nature, has changed his game a bit, along with Perry, to be able to fill that point guard spot.

“I hope I can continue to grow like bamboo,” Chandler said. “Putting in the work every day, I know what I can do and I think teammates do as well. It’s just continuing to stack nights like this and continue on to the next one.”

If Vanderbilt was Chandler’s frying pan, he’s jumping straight into the fire this weekend as the Cats kick off a two-game road skid in Tuscaloosa against No. 4 Alabama inside Coleman Coliseum. As of now, it seems unlikely any of the injured Cats will be returning for the game.

Kentucky and Chandler will kickoff action against the Crimson Tide on Saturday, Feb. 22, with tipoff scheduled for 6 p.m. ET and airing live on ESPN.