I don’t think anyone could be more excited about the return of basketball season to the bluegrass than me. These are my reflections on the players and the season ahead. All of us are thrilled to get started on what could be a 9th championship run. The players being able to get a jump start on practicing together this summer should make for a quick breakout. Regardless of the schedule I can say without hesitation that this will be an exciting season.
Here’s a brief rundown of the roster for this year:
Kyle Wiltjer: Kyle is expected to be the starting power forward and will play a team leadership role this upcoming season. Last year he only averaged in the range of 11 minutes a game but his stats were good. We know he can knock down those threes as the stats show him as number two behind Lamb in that category. If he has hit the gym this summer and improved his defense he will be an unstoppable force on the inside too.
Ryan Harrow: Ryan comes with a year of practicing experience under Coach Cal. The transfer from NC State was highly regarded and has some pretty good stats to bring to the table. Since he was recruited by several other schools including KY you can bet there is talent there and the one on one with Teague for a year will have him ready to play with the big boys.
Twany Beckham: Twany has recently released some of his workout videos and if he can keep that up while being pressured from another team I feel like we’ll see some playing time with him this season. Personally I have always thought he had potential and I look forward to seeing what he can do for us.
Jon Hood: Jon has got to step it up this year if he wants to make a name for himself in basketball. Sources confirm that he can really knock down the shots in practice, but he’s yet to show anything exciting during a game. He’s a former Mr. Basketball so we know that at some point he was good. He should be fully recovered from the torn ACL and back on the court this season.
Jarrod Polson: Jarrod is a fan favorite from Nicholasville, KY. He came on the team as a walk on and earned a scholarship through hard work. Although he hasn’t seen much playing time he is said to be a tremendous worker and a good teammate. He’s a good guy and maybe we’ll get to see him play some ball this season with the roster not being that deep.
Brian Long: Brian is a walk on from New Jersey. It has been stated that his father is a lifelong friend of Coach Cal and his brother Travis played a season for him at Memphis. He plays the point guard position and was coached by his father in high school.
Sam Malone: Sam is a point guard from Scituate, Massachusetts. His family has long standing ties with Coach Cal and he is a walk on who has been plagued by injuries. He is by far my favorite to watch when he gets in a game because he’s not afraid to shoot and he holds the bench down nicely.
Julius Mays: Julius is expected to be the backup point guard for Harrow. His percentages from Wright State are good and he has maturity to share with his teammates. He is an exciting addition to the team and I’m sure he’s just waiting for a chance to prove his worth.
Nerlens Noel: Nerlens has been compared to Bill Russell and Marcus Camby. He also has a lot of shot blocking capability and has been described as a one man zone defensively. It would be nice to see him start blocking shots like Anthony Davis right away and we know that he is great shooter and passer as well.
Alex Poythress: The Tennessee native has a lot to bring to the table this year. He’s been compared to Terrence Jones, but even better. He can shoot, rebound and plays hard and is expected to be one of the best on the team this year.
Willie Cauley-Stein: Chances are we’ll be seeing a lot of this seven footer this season. No one is really sure of his potential just yet but from what I’ve heard he’s big and has the ability to be a great sixth man off the bench. He’s been in Lexington this summer and from what I’ve seen he’ll bring a lot of personality to the team.
Archie Goodwin: Archie was the fourth overall pick of shooting guards in his class and has wanted to play for KY and Coach Cal for some time. He comes to us highly decorated for his high school achievements and I expect that he will not disappoint in any way. He has recently been referred to as a motivator and a leader.
They seem like a great combination of highly skilled players. [B]GO CATS!![/B]
[I][B]JennaGrace
Nation of Blue Fan[/B][/I]
