‘Nothing major.’ Four UK basketball players provide updates on preseason injuries.

For University of Kentucky basketball fans concerned with at least four players having missed practice time because of injury, the message at Wednesday’s Media Day was clear: relax.

Each of the players said the injury was nothing to be alarmed about.

CJ Fredrick, the shooter who transferred to UK from Iowa, called his lower leg injury “a little minor thing. He said a surgery repaired the injury.

“I’m pretty much back,” he said, adding that he’s not rushing his return. “Taking a little time off. You have to be smart with your body.”

Fredrick said he planned to “gradually work my way back.”

He was not sure if he would play in Friday’s Blue-White Game.

“The main goal is to be 100 percent by Nov. 9,” he said, which is the date of Kentucky’s opening game against Duke.

Junior Jacob Toppin called his shoulder injury “nothing major.” It caused “minor aches and soreness,” he added.

“They’ve gotten it under control,” he said. “And I’m ready to just get back and play.”

Toppin said he could play if Kentucky had a game that evening.

Freshman Bryce Hopkins has a back injury.

“I went up for a dunk in practice, and I had come down a little awkwardly,” he said. “When I came down, I felt I tweaked my back.”

Hopkins said he missed about a week of practice. During that time, he received treatment and did stretching exercises.

“I’m back now,” he said, “and I feel perfectly fine.”

The fourth player injured was point guard Sahvir Wheeler. He appeared to injure his left foot late in UK’s Pro Day practice this month. At Big Blue Madness, he said he could play if Kentucky had a game that evening.

Thoughtfully brash

Keion Brooks spoke colorfully when asked about Kentucky’s capabilities this season.

“Everybody on this team brings something different,” he said. “So you gotta be on your P’s and Q’s at all times. Because if you don’t bring it — how can I say this? — you’re gonna get your a-- handed to you. And you don’t want that.”

Turnovers

While media members asked Wheeler questions, assistant coach Ron “Chin” Coleman walked by. Coleman suggested to reporters a line of questioning.

“Ask him how many turnovers he’s going to have this year,” Coleman said. “Somebody ask him the tougher questions.”

This prompted Wheeler to say of Coleman, “He just be talking. Don’t mind him.”

Actually, Wheeler then led reporters to believe he’s keenly aware of limiting turnovers.

“In practice right now, I’m at a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio,” he said. “That’s a lot better than where I was at last year. So, the turnovers have not been an issue.”

Playing for Georgia last season, Wheeler had 193 assists and 115 turnovers (a 1.68-to-1 ratio). That was a slight improvement from his freshman season: 139 assists and 91 turnovers (1.53-to-1 ratio).

Wheeler has set his sights on a much better assist-to-turnover ratio this coming season.

“My goal this year is to be at 4-to-1,” he said.

Why did Coleman volunteer a friendly reminder about turnovers as he walked by?

“To keep me sharp,” Wheeler said.

Hyperbolic

Earlier this preseason, UK Coach John Calipari said in a can-you-believe-it tone that he had to encourage Kellan Grady to shoot.

Grady took 1,556 shots and scored 2,002 points in his four seasons for Davidson. On average, he took a shot every 2.6 minutes. And Calipari had to tell him to shoot?

“That may have been a little hyperbolic,” Grady said with a slight smile. “. . . I would say that was an occasional thing, but it did happen.”

When asked how often Calipari can be, uh, hyperbolic, Grady said, “I’m going to plead the fifth on that. I’m going to leave that to you guys.”

Frustration

Calipari has also said that Grady initially struggled in adjusting to a faster pace of play at Kentucky. On this, Grady plead guilty.

“Those first two or three weeks were frustrating,” he said. “But in hindsight, I’m actually grateful for it. It really showed me the baseline of what I needed to do here to be successful.”

Grady said his frustration led to a couple meetings with Calipari. The combination of a faster pace, enhanced athleticism from teammates and not making shots led to frustration, he said.

“You start thinking of all those things . . . ,” Grady said. “That doesn’t allow you to just play and let the game come to you.”

Grady spoke of having adjusted.