Lyles to miss Kentucky games in Bahamas

Kentucky freshman Trey Lyles won't play when the team travels to the Bahamas for a series of games in August, the university announced on Tuesday.

Lyles is "recovering from a medical procedure on his left leg," UK announced via Twitter on Tuesday. A UK spokesman said the university would not elaborate on the injury, citing student privacy.

The 6-foot-10, 245-pound Lyles is the second Wildcat frontcourt player who'll be forced to miss games due to injury. Center Willie Cauley-Stein also won't play due to a foot injury that sidelined him at the end of his sophomore season.

"Both Willie and Trey could probably play if they really wanted to, but I'm not taking a chance on either kid," UK coach John Calipari said in a release on his Facebook page. "I want them 100 percent for the start of our season and there's no reason to push these guys before they are absolutely ready. Plus, this gives us a chance to play some of our other guys and get them some more work."

Both Lyles and Cauley-Stein are expected to make the trip to the Bahamas, a UK spokesman said.

Lyles, a McDonald's All-American from Indianapolis Arsenal Tech, is a five-star forward and the No. 13 player in the 2014 Rivals150.

Kentucky will have one of the nation's deepest frontcourts this season, and even without Lyles and Cauley-Stein, the Cats will have a rotation including 7-foot Dakari Johnson, 6-11 Karl-Anthony Towns, 6-9 Marcus Lee, 6-9 Derek Willis and 6-8 Alex Poythress for its trip to the Bahamas Aug. 10-17.

The Cats are scheduled to play six games in the Bahamas, including two against the Dominican Republic National Team.