LEXINGTON, Ky. (BBN Tonight) — Jacob Toppin spent the better part of this basketball season trying to get right, not only to help his team succeed throughout the most-important time of the year, but also for his own well-being.
Kentucky's starting forward returned for his senior season with lofty expectations, fueled by off-season hype, his fellow late-blooming brother, and his own performances in the Bahamas, where he averaged 17 points per game and shot better than 53 percent from behind the three-point line.
No one has been more open about the struggles of this season than Jacob Toppin.
— Maggie Davis (@MaggieDavisTV) March 15, 2023
From “rock bottom” to team captain. In his words. Tonight on @BBNTonight at a special time - 8:00 p.m. on @LEX18News as part of our hour-long NCAA Tournament special pic.twitter.com/ZUtMTpLmn5
However, success doesn't happen in a straight line.
After struggling in multiple games, Toppin had a breakthrough performance against the Louisville Cardinals on Dec. 31. But after the game, he didn't just talk about his shooting percentage, how he was able to score a career-high 24 points, what it meant to be named the matchup's MVP or even how it felt to get a 23-point win over the program's biggest rival. He also talked about his mental health.
“Honestly, I had reached rock bottom,” Toppin told reporters in the post-game press conference. “There was no bottom before this game, so I just focused on climbing out of the hole that I was in. I took a step forward today.”
Toppin sat down with BBN Tonight reporter Maggie Davis to chronicle his journey throughout the season, his relationship with John Calipari, learning when - and how - to ask for help, and why he considers it a sign of strength.
