With 7-13 a year, with only four games confirmed in the program to close out the regular season, the chances for Kentucky to change things are slim, to say the least. Even if we consider the pressure of John Calipari to add “a few games” to the program in the last week of the regular season, we are still talking about six games that are heading towards the game of the SEC tournament, ie the absolute The best the percentage of gain that the UK can have is .500 to 13-13 overall.
Sure, the Wildcats could end the regular season with a series of magical eight-game wins, run in Nashville and claim the SEC title to win a bid at the NCAA Tournament, creating a kind of restart of the season. Coach Cal and the players are definitely dreaming of the sea, using every media opportunity to talk about how they still have a lot to play.
But what if Britain runs out of track and fails to win everything in Nashville, finally putting the team’s chances of making the NCAA tournament? What if they never get the storybook Calipari hopes to complete?
With this opportunity on the table, along with the endless obstacles of COVID-19, inconsistent play, injuries, lack of fans and, to put it bluntly, an overwhelming college experience this season, would make a two-year plan for fans. feel better about the complete product? Instead of looking at it as a horrible season, what if Britain avoided a mass exodus and returned most of its roster, creating a two-year project for Calipari and Kentucky’s coaching staff?
Think back to the 2019-20 list that saw Nick Richards (junior), Immanuel Quickley (sophomore) EJ Montgomery (sophomore) and Ashton Hagans (sophomore) all back from the previous year , with Nate Sestina (graduate transfer) also playing significant time. The team finished 25-6 a year, but won nine of the last ten games along the way, the only loss coming in a game, the Wildcats leading by 17 points in the second half against Tennessee. We will never know if that team was able to win a national championship, but they played as well as anyone on the field, and an important reason was the remarkable game of the team’s veteran leaders.
Looking back to the Calipari era in Lexington, that 2019-20 group has been the most experienced in terms of piece returns and graduate transfers, since the 2016-17 list brought five in Isaiah Briscoe, Dominique Hawkins, Isaac Humphries, Mychal Mulder and Derek Willis. The 2014-15 history list returned the most during Calipari’s tenure, bringing back eight stock players in Willie Cauley-Stein, Aaron Harrison, Andrew Harrison, Hawkins, Dakari Johnson, Marcus Lee, Alex Poythress and Willis.
Before I go any further, let me first say obviously that it is impossible to create repatriates so far in advance, regardless of the evolution of the season or the performance of individual players. In Kentucky, players who should The return is not always what it actually does, last year being the first example. In an ideal world, Hagans, Montgomery and Kahlil Whitney (who left the program in January 2020) not enters the NBA Draft – all three were undefeated – and Johnny Juzang returns for another season, as opposed to the transfer from the program, giving Kentucky five pieces returned to work this year, as opposed to just one from Keion Brooks Jr ., and the United Kingdom was quick to replace 94 percent of its score, 98.6 percent of assists and 92.4 percent of its minutes over the previous year.
In recent years, however, the team’s success has been at least there. They received the full Kentucky experience with fans, profile events and campus life, even though the 2019-20 group had their post-season dreams broken due to COVID-19. This year, losses are accumulating, and individual performance on the ground has been inconsistent and largely overwhelming. As a result, the stock project has fallen everywhere, and Isaiah Jackson is the only exception.
Given the current context of the season, it is certain that the UK could see up to eight players returning from the current roster (including the transfer from West Virginia, Oscar Tshiebwe).
We’ll start with the probable departures of Brandon Boston Jr., Terrence Clarke and Jackson. Despite significant shootouts for Boston to start the year, along with an injury-plagued season for Clarke, both players entered into one-year plans, no matter what plans, and that hasn’t changed. It would be a major shock to see either the return for the secondary seasons. And with Jackson blowing like a safe choice in the first round and approaching the consensus lottery line with his elite punching and recovery skills, fans should also prepare for his inevitable departure.
Almost following his professional options outside of last season, senior transfer Olivier Sarr has also entered a one-year plan and it would be a surprise to see him return as well.
From there, however, everything and everything is on the table.
In terms of importance, Keion Brooks Jr. is the key piece to watch, as the second-year striker has seen a significant increase from the first year to the second year, but is currently not listed in any of the most popular. major board projects in 2021. Factor in the calf injury that kept him out of the game until January, Brooks could look at this season as a bridge year before taking off in 2021-22 as one of the best repatriates in basketball .
The other big name to watch? Transfer graduate Davion Mintz, who became Kentucky’s top scorer in a short time, drilling three 3-point attempts and two game-winning SEC games. Pursuing his master’s degree, both Mintz and his father acknowledged that a return for the second season in Kentucky and the sixth as a college basketball player is on the table. That would give Britain two of the top five scorers, with Brooks and Mintz averaging at least 10 points per game.
Completing the marginalized players, Oscar Tshiebwe could technical enters the NBA Draft and gives fans a scare similar to that of Hamidou Diallo, who tested the draft waters after his mid-year addition in 2016-17. After leaving West Virginia in the middle of the season and signing up to open the spring semester, however, he has already worked hard enough to get to Lexington and start preparing for the 2021-22 season, when he could easily and simple to give up and start training for the sketch. As we’ve seen before, it can never be said in Kentucky, but Tshiebwe is expected to return next season as the team’s anchor on the front field.
From there, you’ve gotten to the point where players are ready right away to explore their professional options, with all their backs expected, except for one transfer.
With an average of 30.3 minutes per game – tied for second place in the team – Devin Askew certainly had a fair share of fights in terms of shooting and turnover, but the second year goalkeepers recorded a steady increase in the UK under Calipari, including Immanuel Quickley, Ashton Hagans, Tyler Ulis, Isaiah Briscoe and Andrew Harrison. Despite Kentucky’s recent string of bad luck, with West Coast talent transferred away from the program, sources close to Askew tell KSR that the Sacramento, CA native is pleased with Calipari’s tough training and constructive criticism, his team role and the program. term plans for him in Lexington. As promised before arriving on campus, a transfer is not expected this season.
As for the other likely returnees, Jacob Toppin came as a long-term project for Calipari and was not even expected to play this season before the NCAA decision to grant a free year of eligibility for competing student-athletes in winter sports. . As one of Kentucky’s most consistent role players on the bench, there is strong optimism in the program about Toppin’s potential along the way. It would be a shock to see him leave, too.
Like Toppin, Lance Ware came as a multi-year project, looking for a long-term development with his body and game as a whole. He knew from the start that his path would probably be different from the other profile perspectives, so fluctuating minutes and production shouldn’t have been a shock. There are no transfer noises with him starting today and unless he feels like the weird man in the front yard or is being recruited, he doesn’t expect to sweat this season.
And then there were the two, with Dontaie Allen and Cam’Ron Fletcher seen as the two biggest question marks that will come in next season.
Even after Allen’s zero-minute start in Kentucky’s loss to Louisville earlier this season, those close to the Redhead freshman told KSR that a transfer was not on the table during the winter breaks or the upcoming offseason. regardless of the circumstances. In recent weeks, however, that song has changed, with many individuals telling KSR that the 6-foot-6 launcher will take an approach that is expected and seen outside of the season and its future as a whole. While there is certainly no guarantee that Allen will leave the program – the Falmouth native, KY, grew up as a big fan of Britain and understands that he came a few steps behind due to injury – there is an expectation that Calipari should a little recruitment and get on the same page on matching and using advancement. Above all, the option of losing a remarkable former Kentucky Mr. Basketball in front of the transfer portal would be a weak aspect for the program.
As for Fletcher, the frustrations of the St. Louis, MO were well documented and published at the beginning of the season, with Calipari going home until December due to “harmful actions (team)”. There are mixed opinions among those close to the future freshman regarding his future, with some select who believe that his departure is inevitable this season, and others who feel that he will spend the summer working himself from Calipari’s dog house, leading to a second-year round campaign.
In terms of talent and development, both players should return. They want? It will be interesting to see how things go.
Say Kentucky is out of the game with players who could (and should) return in 2021-22, eight in total. Without adding new signatories or high school transfers, this is a preliminary draft of the team’s depth chart for next season, offers or takes some position adjustments:
Devin Askew / Nolan Hickman
Davion Mintz / Dontaie Allen
Keion Brooks Jr. / Cam’Ron Fletcher
Daimion Collins / Jacob Toppin / Bryce Hopkins
Oscar Tshiebwe / Lance Ware
Beginners and position matches can be changed, but as things stand today, there are 11 players in a deep and experienced roster, which boasts three traditional classmates, a two-year-old student, three juniors and a six-year-old senior. years. It would be a list that is very similar to that of a traditional, balanced and competitive college basketball team, as opposed to a constant turnstile of players entering the professional ranks, which fans have begged throughout the Calipari era. .
The season has been long and frustrating, but would avoiding a mass exodus compensate for this in 2021-22? Would a rebuild of the multi-year roster miss the NCAA Tournament this season?