Other returners stand tall in
the frontcourt, including the rare
Calipari senior, Alex Poythress.
Poythress has fallen far from his
days as a projected first-round draft
pick, though there’s still time for
him to show his worth. Though
coming off a knee ligament injury
may damage his draft stock, his
ability to play with great physicality
and finish near the rim make him
a strong compliment to the more
athletic and agile Labissiere. Marcus
Lee returns as well, providing
another big man that can dominate
for stretches on the defensive end
due to his shot blocking prowess. It
will be interesting to see if and how
Calipari plays Lee and Labissiere
alongside each other.
the top ten in the SEC—he only
averaged 0.4 turnovers a night, to
go with that impressive total for a
reserve. Think about it this way: for
every nine assists Ulis dished out, he
had merely one turnover.
While Ulis contributes on the
court in so many ways as a passer,
a strong shooter, and someone
who rarely makes a mistake, his
leadership and perception as a great
teammate is where he’ll be most
valuable this season. Teams with
this many freshmen lack leadership
and experience; the player that last
season’s team identified as the best
teammate, and often times its most
valuable, can only help speed up the
learning process the youthful talent in
Lexington experience.
“As Calipari
continually reloads
with star
freshmen
and
athletic
talent...”
This is not the Kentucky team
we got accustomed to dominating
last season, with unheard-of depth
and a platoon system that was
almost comical to watch. Three
star freshmen and three talented
returners are the highlights of this
program at the moment. Charles
Matthews and Mychal Mulder, two
freshmen wings, are born shooters
that can provide depth on the
wings and fill a valuable role for the
Wildcats. Junior forward Derek
Willis could find a role as a
stretch 4, and point guard
Dominique Hawkins
is a capable defensive
presence off the bench.
They’ll play fast this
year, use their role players
when they’re needed, and
ride the playmakers like
Ulis, Briscoe and Martin
throughout the year.
Calipari has his stars and can
once again construct a world-class
defense. Instead of a Wildcats team
brimming with NBA talent, this
team has a few freshman superstars
and the right concoction of role
players surrounding them. One
thing is certain—don’t ever bet
against Coach Calipari.
Photo: Mark Zerof - USA TODAY Sports
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