Content provided by Jerry Tipton on UK basketball.

Junior big man Eloy Vargas will play in Kentucky’s opening game on Friday, Coach John Calipari said on Thursday.

The death of his father on Tuesday cast doubt on Vargas’s availability against East Tennessee State. But UK and Vargas have been wrestling with visa issues, meaning the player will be available in the opener.

Vargas, a native of Dominican Republic, is being counted on to help fill the void with freshman Enes Kanter facing the possibility of permanent ineligibility.

UK’s other “bigs” are senior Josh Harrellson and freshman Terrence Jones.

“He’ll probably go home this weekend,” Calipari said of Vargas.

But if the visa issues are not resolved, Vargas may not be with his family in this time of grief, the UK coach said.

Content provided by A Sea Of Blue.

Kentucky basketball player Eloy Vargas’ father dies in Dominican Republic

Content provided by Jerry Tipton on UK basketball.

UK just tweeted that Eloy Vargas is questionable for Kentucky’s opener against East Tennessee State on Friday.

His father, Eloy Camacho Lantigua died on Tuesday morning in the Dominican Republic.