Olivier Sarr (UK Athletics Photo)
What was it like for Olivier Sarr as he waited to see whether he would get a waiver to make him eligible at Kentucky this season?
“It was a tough process. I mean, you had a pandemic in between,” said Sarr Wednesday during a Zoom media call.
“It was a tough decision, obviously. I was thinking about going professional and then I talked with (Wake Forest) coach (Danny) Manning and changed my mind. I thought about staying one more year at Wake Forest to have a great season. Then we know what happened with Coach. Coach got fired pretty late, so it changed my plans and then the Kentucky opportunity came up.”
Sarr said the UK offer was something he “couldn’t refuse” but once he made that choice he still had to wait for months to get his waiver finally to play this year.
“Coach Cal helped me a lot, supported me. I mean, everybody in the organization here helped me a lot,” Sarr said. “They told me to stay positive at all times, and I did it.
“But, honestly, sometimes it was tough. But it paid (off). Now it’s good. Now it’s official and I’m part of the team and I’m just really happy to be here.”
Many think he is more than just “part of the team.” Having the 7-foot transfer eligible knowing how well he played against ACC competition last year makes UK much more of a national title contender now.
“It was something that I hear about, but as long as the season didn’t start all I can do is to focus on my work, focus on helping the team as much as possible as I can at practice, getting the guys ready to face whoever we’re going to face every night, be ready for battle, share my experience, and make the team better as a whole,” Sarr said. “Then we will see the impact at the end of the season.”
