How Kentucky’s Davion Mintz Was Lifted By Ghost, His French Bulldog – The Athletic

Davion Mintz keep trying to put your finger on it. What is the difference? There’s something strange. He played the best basketball of his life this summer while training away from the Kentucky campus and pondering whether to start his professional career or go back and use another year of his NCAA eligibility. . He felt lighter, more relaxed, and more sure of himself during those workouts, because he suddenly “just had a killer in the gym,” he said. Mintz was once the most reliable player on a lousy side last season, leading the Wildcats in minutes, points, assists and three shots, but now it’s confidence. on this next level has spread through the 6 foot 3 keeper.

“I was putting all the pieces together,” Mintz said, “and I started asking myself: What changed?”

The final answer slaps him across the face like a warm, livid tongue: my dog. Ghost, the almost 1-year-old French bulldog he’s raised since birth, stayed by his side all summer. Dogs aren’t allowed in the Kentucky basketball motel, and last season’s strict COVID-19 protocols even prevented bipedal critters from congregating inside those walls. So, after months of isolation, a reunion with Ghost renews Mintz’s spirit in ways he never imagined. The humans provided long walks and belly rubs, but the good boy gave it his all. Ghost sat outside in the bathroom, drawn by the parallel feeling of the cool floor and warm mist, listening intently to Mintz discussing the pros and cons of his big decision.

“I talked to him like a human, and he turned his head like he understood me,” Mintz said. “I think he knows what I’m after, what I’m trying to achieve and he believes in me. It’s my best friend. That is my son.