catmandoo
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posted 06-01-2020 05:39 PM
THE RETURNERS
Dontaie Allen
Position: Wing
2020-21 class: Redshirt freshman
Outlook: Allen has not played since December 2018 when he tore his ACL as a senior at Pendleton County High School, but Calipari publicly flirted with the possibility of playing him late in the coronavirus-shortened 2019-20 season. Instead, Allen preserved his redshirt and is expected to be ready for the start of the season. He recently shared a video of a workout to social media showing his considerable progress. Allen has his work cut out to earn minutes in the primary rotation loaded with former All-Americans, but he might be the best 3-point shooter on the roster. He’ll need to prove he can defend and rebound too.
Keion Brooks
Position: Forward
2020-21 class: Sophomore
Outlook: Kentucky’s only returning player who scored a point last season, Brooks will be counted on to serve a much larger role than the 15.1 minutes per game he averaged as a freshman. The 6-foot-6 Brooks is most comfortable playing on the perimeter, but for the second straight year it looks like his biggest chance for an impact will be as a small-ball four. Kentucky will need Brooks to take on a leadership role while building on a stellar performance in what ended up being the season finale with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting in the come-from-behind win at Florida.
Brennan Canada
Position: Forward
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2020-21 class: Sophomore
Outlook: Former George Rogers Clark star played three minutes across five games as a freshman walk-on last season. Canada should continue to add practice depth moving forward.
Ben Jordan
Position: Forward
2020-21 class: Junior
Outlook: With the basketball team facing an injury crisis early in the season, Jordan joined the squad from the UK baseball team and ended up playing in three games. It is unclear if Jordan will return to basketball next season or choose to focus on baseball, but his 6-foot-9, 250-pound frame could be needed for practice.
Zan Payne
Position: Wing
2020-21 class: Sophomore
Outlook: The son of UK associate head coach Kenny Payne has yet to play in two seasons at Kentucky, but should finally be fully healed from multiple knee injuries next season. It will be interesting to see if he elects to stay at Kentucky as a walk-on once fully healthy or transfer to a smaller school where he can play regularly like Brad Calipari did.
Riley Welch
Position: Guard
2020-21 class: Senior
Outlook: Filling the walk-on spot vacated by Brad Calipari’s transfer to Detroit, Welch appeared in four games last season. Watching Welch shout encouragement and direction to teammates from the bench makes it easy to imagine him as a future coach. He should gain more experience for that future as a senior.
THE TRANSFERS
Davion Mintz
Position: Guard
2020-21 class: Graduate student
Outlook: Mintz missed last season at Creighton with an ankle injury, but he averaged 9.7 points and three assists per game when last healthy in 2018-19. Mintz made 43 3-pointers that season, more than all but one Kentucky player last season. As a graduate transfer, Mintz will be counted on to provide a key leadership role for an otherwise young Kentucky team. He also provides an important insurance policy to freshman point guard Devin Askew and is capable of playing off the ball if needed.
Read this: New Kentucky transfer Davion Mintz has proven he can 'bring the best out in others'
Olivier Sarr
Position: Center
2020-21 class: Senior
Outlook: One player does not make a team, but Sarr looks like the difference between Kentucky entering the season as a favorite to reach the Final Four and a team that might be picked in the bottom half of the top 25. As a junior, he averaged 13.7 points and nine rebounds per game for Wake Forest. The 7-foot, 255-pound Toulouse, France, native is the only true center on the roster. If eligible, he will be a popular pick for preseason SEC Player of the Year. If not, he has publicly stated he has no plans to stick around in college for an extra year and will instead start a professional career in Europe.
Jacob Toppin
Position: Forward
2020-21 class: Sophomore
Outlook: The younger brother of 2020 National Player of the Year and former Dayton star Obi Toppin, Jacob is not expected to be eligible next season as a transfer from Rhode Island. The rangy 6-foot-8, 190-pound forward could still be a valuable practice piece though and could benefit from a year to add weight in hopes of being a major contributor in 2021-20.
THE FRESHMEN
Devin Askew
Position: Point guard
2020-21 class: Freshman
Outlook: Askew finished the recruiting cycle rated as a four-star prospect by the 247Sports Composite, ranked as the No. 31 recruit and No. 7 point guard in the 2020 class. The California native was originally slated to graduate from high school in 2021 but reclassified to enroll in college a year early. Askew will likely need time to adjust to college basketball, but he is talented enough to lock down a starting job from Day One. He might be the best shooting point guard Calipari has had since Tyler Ulis.
B.J. Boston
Position: Guard
2020-21 class: Freshman
Outlook: The No. 4-ranked prospect in the 2020 class according to the 247Sports Composite, Boston is the first consensus top-five recruit to sign with Kentucky since 2015. He rocketed up the recruiting rankings ahead of classmate Terrence Clarke thanks to a breakout senior season at Sierra Canyon High School in California while playing alongside the sons of LeBron James and DeWayne Wade and several other highly touted prospects. That spotlight will make him as prepared for the bubble of Kentucky basketball as any recruit, and he should be an immediate star capable of putting up big scoring numbers.
You may like: B.J. Boston says career has prepared him for the attention coming with Kentucky basketball
Terrence Clarke
Position: Guard
2020-21 class: Freshman
Outlook: Clarke was ranked in the top five of the 2020 class when he committed to Kentucky, but he finished the cycle at No. 7, making Kentucky the only school to sign multiple players in the top 10. Clarke is an elite athlete who will almost certainly join Boston in adding to Calipari’s long list of one-and-done stars at Kentucky. Clarke could improve his consistency as a 3-point shooter, but he has all the tools to be an elite player from day one.
Cam’Ron Fletcher
Position: Wing
2020-21 class: Freshman
Outlook: As the No. 62-ranked prospect in the 2020 class, Fletcher will arrive at UK with less hype than most of Calipari’s previous high school signees from outside the state. With Kentucky loaded on the wing, it might take some time for Fletcher to break into the primary rotation, but he has the skillset to develop into an elite defender.
Isaiah Jackson
Position: Forward
2020-21 class: Freshman
Outlook: With all the focus on Kentucky needing to add a true center this spring, it would be easy to forget that Jackson, who is rated as a center as a prospect but prefers to play the four, is one of the best shot-blockers in the 2020 class. The four-star prospect is ranked as the No. 29 prospect in the class. If Sarr is not granted a waiver, Jackson would be forced to start at the five, barring another addition. If Sarr is eligible, the 6-foot-9 Michigan native could see time at both the four and five. Like former Wildcats Nick Richards and EJ Montgomery, Jackson probably needs multiple years in college to add some muscle.
Lance Ware
Position: Forward
2020-21 class: Freshman
Outlook: A breakout 2019 Nike EYBL season saw Ware earn a scholarship from Kentucky, his dream school. Consistency was a problem for Ware before last summer, but he looks like a player with plenty of upside hitting his stride. The four-star 6-foot-9 forward showed off a versatile game at Camden High School in New Jersey as a senior, even filling in as an emergency point guard at times. He has been mentored by Louisville legend Pervis Ellison.
Isaac DeGregorio
Position: Guard
2020-21 class: Freshman
Outlook: The grandson of Calipari’s college coach, DeGregorio will give Kentucky one of the largest groups of walk-ons in the Calipari era next season. There might be some hope for him earning a role eventually as an upperclassman considering he averaged 17.9 points per game as a senior at North Catholic High School in Pittsburgh.
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