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Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 05-18-2021, 12:44 PM:

Georgia point guard transfer Sahvir Wheeler is a Wildcat, committing to the Kentucky basketball program today over Kansas, LSU and Oklahoma State, among numerous other offers.

Wheeler, a second-team All-SEC honoree last year, heads to Lexington as the conference leader in assists (7.4 per contest) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.68) in 2020-21. On the year, the newest Wildcat averaged 14.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game as a sophomore, with his point, assist and steal averages all leading the team.

Now headed to Lexington, what does Wheeler’s commitment mean for Kentucky both at the point guard position and the roster as a whole?

Kentucky adds arguably the best playmaker in college basketball
Wheeler finished the 2020-21 season as the SEC leader in assists at 7.4 per contest and assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.68, along with boasting an absurd assist rate of 38.5% in 34.8 minutes per contest. His 7.4 assists per contest ranks fifth in college basketball and first among Power Five programs.

Make no mistake about it, Wheeler can pass the rock, his most intriguing and impressive attribute.

The newest Wildcat broke Georgia’s single-season record with 193 assists to top the previous mark of 169 set by Pertha Robinson in 1995. He also notched three of the top-six single game assist tallies in school history, co-No. 3s (13 assists vs. LSU and vs. Missouri in the SEC Tournament) and No. 6 overall (12 against Florida A&M). He became just the fourth player in the 2000s to lead the SEC in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio, while his eight point-assist double-doubles were the most by any SEC player in a single season in the 2000s.

Among records broken this season, Wheeler recorded the first triple-double in Georgia history against LSU in Athens, finishing with 14 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds in the victory. He also broke UGA’s single-season assist record during the South Carolina game in Athens, the 24th game of the season.

Looking at UK’s all-time numbers, the 5-foot-10 guard’s 322 career assists in two years at Georgia would rank No. 13 in Kentucky basketball history, ahead of the likes of Larry Johnson (319, four years), Keith Bogans (314, four years), Andrew Harrison (298, two years) and Rajon Rondo (285, two years), among others. The newest Wildcat’s 193 assists in 2020-21 would tie Travis Ford and Anthony Epps on the single-season assist list, behind only Tyler Ulis (246), John Wall (241) and Roger Harden (232).

After a year of ball movement issues at the point guard position, John Calipari went out of his way to sign the best passer and playmaker on the transfer market.

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Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 05-18-2021, 12:50 PM:

Wheeler is going to be special no doubt about it!

Posted by ALA_KAT2 (Member # 1559) on 05-22-2021, 03:12 PM:

I have a feeling that Wheeler will be the best player added to this team this off season.

Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 05-23-2021, 12:02 PM:

He has a solid resume that' for sure.