Hoopsworld is doing an article series on the best college prospects in the nation at each position, listing the top five at each position (in no order) and then “ones to watch”. We reported on Marquis Teague making the list earlier, but probably not surprising to BBN, three other Kentucky players have made the top five at their respective positions:
[B]Small Forward[/B]
[QUOTE][B]Michael Gilchrist (Kentucky, Fr.) – 6’7, 210 lbs.[/B]*
In Gilchrist Kentucky head coach John Calipari has one of the NCAA’s premier athletes who also plays with the same level of intensity that he coaches with. Gilchrist will come in, start immediately and strike fear in the heart’s of his opponents with his defensive capabilities.*
The only thing that will keep Gilchrist from being an All-American is if he can’t get his three-point shot up to par. Teams are going to pack in the paint to try to stop Terrence Jones and Anthony Davis, likely rotating off of Gilchrist to do so. If he makes them pay, Kentucky very well could end up winning the National Championship that has avoided Coach Cal up to this point.*[/QUOTE] [RIGHT]([URL=”http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=20292″]source[/URL])[/RIGHT]
[B]Power Forward[/B]
[QUOTE][B]Anthony Davis (Kentucky, Fr.) – 6’10, 200 lbs.[/B]*
There may not be a player more worthy of the must-watch tag in the NCAA next year than Davis. He has a story very similar to Sacramento Kings forward Jason Thompson. Growing up he played out on the perimeter exclusively, but a serious growth spurt has since made him one of the most versatile power forwards to come along in recent memory.*
On the court Davis will remind a lot of people of a younger version of Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett. He’s springy and a handful on both ends of the court.*
If he adds some bulk the rest of the country can just give up on stopping him. The only thing they’ll be able to take consolation in is that they probably won’t have to deal with him in 2012-2013 because he’s currently the favorite to be the number one overall selection in the 2012 NBA Draft.[/QUOTE] [RIGHT]([URL=”http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=20292″]source[/URL])[/RIGHT]
[QUOTE][B]Terrence Jones (Kentucky, So.) – 6’8, 244 lbs.[/B]*
This past season Jones peaked in the middle of the year and dealt with serious consistency issues down the stretch. Because of that, he decided to stick around Lexington for another season. During Coach Cal’s combine representatives from NBA teams guided him in that direction by telling him that he’d potentially be a top ten pick in 2012.*
It’s going to be very interesting to see how Jones fits in with Kentucky’s other two dynamic forwards. Calipari is likely going to start them all, so they’re going to have to find a way to fit in and maximize each other’s abilities.*
Jones will be looked to as a leader and he’s going to have to conduct himself as much. If he has to sacrifice his own offense for the good of the team, he should. Scouts will notice and his stock will benefit more than if he demonstrates unselfishness to better Gilchrest and Davis.[/QUOTE] [RIGHT]([URL=”http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=20292″]source[/URL])[/RIGHT]
Interestingly enough, [B]Doron Lamb[/B] made “ones to watch” at Shooting Guard. It’s gonna be a fun year.
