Men's Basketball

Where Does This Year’s Kentucky Team Rank Amongst Other Teams in the Cal Era?

Published

4 years ago

February 5, 2020

It’s crazy, but there are only nine games left in this 2019-2020 campaign for the basketball Cats. I got to be honest, it feels like football season ended yesterday and Big Blue Madness is this weekend. This season still feels young, yet we’re nine games into the SEC slate and the SEC Tournament is just over a month away.

This is John Calipari’s tenth season at Kentucky and the funny thing is, it feels like last season John Wall, Boogie Cousins, and Eric Bledsoe were on Campus. How time flies when you’re having a good time.

With that said, with only nine games left in the season, let’s look back at where other Cal teams were at this point in the season.

2009-2010: 21-1

Full of studs, this team was only two games removed from their upset loss at South Carolina that ruined the chances at a perfect season.

They’d go on to lose only one more game, win the SEC Tournament, and let’s not talk about the rest.

2010-2011: 16-6

This was the first of many teams that didn’t fully click until March. Complete opposite of the first season. They were constantly in the top ten, but fell as low as No. 22 late in the year.

At this point, they had just lost back-to-back road games to Ole Miss and Florida. We’d be losing our minds now and most likely were then.

They’d go on to finished 22-8, win the SEC Tournament, and lose to a UCONN team led by Kemba Walker in the Final Four.

2011-2012: 21-1

Let’s take a minute to realize how good Cal’s first three seasons were. 2/3 years the Cats had one loss in 22 games and were in the Final Four in 2/3 years. That’s pretty damn good if you ask me.

If it wasn’t for Indiana, this team would’ve been undefeated. Oh well.

The Cats lost only two games all year and went on to dominate in March and bring home title No. 8.

2012-2013: 16-6

Not all hope had been lost with this team. At least not yet. They had just won four straight, soon to be five. But, they were only two games away from losing Nerlens Noel for the season. Then things went straight downhill.

They went on to lose six of their last ten, including an NIT loss to Robert Morris for an awful end to a horrible season.

2013-2014: 17-5

Maybe Cal’s most frustrating team. Loaded with talent, but never figured it out until late. Kind of the story as of late, right?

They had just come off a blowout win at Rupp against Ole Miss with two more wins to come. A ten point home loss to No. 3 Florida was a bump in the road for this team as they would go on to lose four of their last seven.

But, the season ended well. James Young slipped to give Florida a one point win in the SEC Championship game, Aaron Harrison hit some shots in March, and they’d…well….you know.

2014-2015: 22-0

Yeah, didn’t have to look this one up.

A historic season, maybe the best college basketball team ever, but unfortunately, Wisconsin got us back for the previous season.

I apologize if you still aren’t over that loss.

2015-2016: 16-6

Probably Cal’s second worst team. They never really figured it out.

They were coming off two straight road losses to Kansas and Tennessee. They’d go on to win four in a row, lose two of their last five, win the SEC Championship, then got bounced in the second round by the Hoosiers.

Let’s be honest with ourselves though, it was impossible to follow up the previous season.

2016-2017: 18-4

This team was right in the middle of a really bad stretch.

They had just lost back-to-back games to Tennessee and Kansas and almost lost at home to Georgia. The rough stretch ended with a 22 point loss on the road to Florida.

They’d go on to win 14 in a row, before falling to North Carolina at the buzzer in the Elite Eight.

2017-2018: 17-5

This is probably Cal’s second worst team. Same record, but everyone else was good that year. They were ranked No. 21 and were getting ready to go through hell.

They’d go on to lose five of their next nine, win the SEC Championship, and then got bounced by Kansas State in the Sweet 16.

2018-2019: 19-3

I’ll be honest, I thought we were going to get a rematch with Duke in the title game. Not quite.

This team was really consistent, only losing five games in a good year for college basketball.

The year didn’t end well though. They’d go on to get beat by Tennessee in the SEC Tournament and lost to Auburn in the Elite Eight.

2019-2020: 17-5

This team is good. The even better thing is this year is a terrible year for college basketball, meaning you could beat anybody and lose to anybody. Fun, right?

I think this team will go a long way in March. It’s going to be tough to win the SEC Tournament, but this team has the pieces to make a title run.

Rankings:

2014-15: 22-0

2011-12: 21-1
2009-10: 21-1

2018-19: 19-3
2016-17: 18-4
2013-14: 17-5

2019-20: 17-5
2017-18: 17-5
2010-11: 16-6

2015-16: 16-6
2012-13: 16-6

BB Recruiting

Kentucky to Host Multiple Top Transfers This Weekend

Published

23 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Tristan Pharis

Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats are hosting multiple top transfers this weekend for visits, looking to add to their roster.

With the deadline for players to enter the portal coming up on May 1st, Kentucky nearly has all their options on the table. Now two weeks since taking the job, Mark Pope has expressed interest in nearly two dozen names and has been keying in on some top names in the portal.

As of writing this article, top 25 transfer Otega Oweh (Oklahoma), is currently on a visit to Lexington, with three more players set to visit this weekend. There’s a good chance that some of those visits turn into commitments.

Let’s take a look at those names.

Deivon Smith – Guard, Utah

Physicals: 6’0, 173 lbs
Stats: 13.3 PPG, 7.1 APG, 6.3 RPG, 46.% FG, 40.8% 3P
Ranking: 10th (Evan Miya), 38rd (247Sports)

Kentucky has had just three players record a triple-double in program history. Deivon Smith recorded five triple-doubles this past season alone, the second-most all-time for a single season in NCAA history.

While undersized, he is one of the best all-around guards in the country, as his numbers show. It’s still early, but Kentucky getting the first visit is significant. St. John’s and Texas Tech have also been mentioned here.

Andrej Stojaković – Guard, Stanford

Physicals: 6’7, 190 lbs
Stats: 7.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 40.9% FG, 32.7% 3P
Ranking: 183rd (Evan Miya), 51st (247Sports)

Stojakovic is the son of former NBA All-Star, Peja Stojakovic. A familiar name for Kentucky fans from his high school recruitment. Stojakovic is a terrific shooter, and a top-25 recruit in the 2023 class.

On Thursday, Stojakovic cut his list to just three schools: California, UNC, and Kentucky. As a West Coast product, California was a school that showed interest when he was in high school, and so did Mark Pope when he was at BYU. Pope has made Stojakovic a priority, he could seal the deal this weekend.

Aidan Mahaney – Guard, Saint Mary’s

Physicals: 6-3, 180 lbs
Stats: 13.9 PPG, 2.6 APG, 38.6% FG, 35.5% 3P
Ranking: 96th (Evan Miya), 14th (247Sports)

One of the best guards in the portal. As a lead guard for Saint Mary’s, he displayed a good sense of playing under control, setting himself up and others. That said, his numbers were rather inefficient as the primary scoring option for the Gaels and shooting more than half of his shots from three. There are concerns about his playing against bigger guards.

Mahaney visited UConn Thursday and it looks to be a race between Creighton, Virginia, UConn, and Kentucky.

Andrew Carr – Forward, Wake Forest

Physicals: 6-11, 230 lbs
Stats: 13.5 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 52.6% FG, 37.1% 3P
Ranking: 33rd (Evan Miya), Not Listed (247Sports)

A near 7-footer who is efficient and can stretch the floor, shooting over 37 percent from three, is a player that Mark Pope would love to add to his roster. That describes Andrew Carr who has played two years at each Delaware and Wake Forest and is looking to go elsewhere for his last season of eligibility.

Carr is coming off a visit to Texas Tech and will visit Villanova after he visits Lexington this weekend.

Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball Hiring Top Assistant Coach Alvin Brooks III from Baylor

Published

2 days ago

April 24, 2024

Tristan Pharis

Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Kentucky may not have been able to pull Scott Drew away from Baylor, but they were able to pull Alvin Brooks III, one of the best assistant coaches in the country. First reported by CBS Sports on Wednesday morning, Brooks has accepted an associate head coach position at Kentucky, the same role in which he had at Baylor.

NEWS: Top Baylor assistant Alvin Brooks III is leaving the Bears to join Mark Pope's staff at Kentucky, sources tell @CBSSports. He spent the past eight years under Scott Drew and will be associate HC @ UK. Brooks is highly respected in the profession. It's a major coup for Pope.— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) April 24, 2024

Brooks comes to Kentucky with a great reputation as a recruiter, helping Baylor bring in some elite talent over the last couple of seasons, most notably, McDonald’s All-Americans VJ Edgecombe (2024), Ja’Kobe Walter (2023), and Keyonte George (2022).

Just 44 years old, Brooks has two decades of coaching experience. Before his time at Baylor he also had stops at Kansas State (2012-16), Sam Houston State (2010-12), Bradley (2007-10), Midland (2006-07), and Arkansas-Fort Smith (2004-06).

Brooks spoke with Kentucky Insider earlier this month about Kentucky’s hire of Mark Pope, as someone who competed against him at BYU. He spoke highly of the hire, specifically of his Xs and Os, and saw “no negatives”.

Interestingly, he will not be the first Alvin Brooks to be a part of the Kentucky Basketball program as his father was the Director of Operations from 2007-09 under Billy Gillispie. Brooks joins an assembled staff of Cody Fueger, Jason Hart, and Mark Fox, leaving just one assistant spot remaining which likely won’t come soon.

That said, the concern with Pope was his recruiting ability. With Hart and now Brooks, he has addressed that concern and has added two of the best recruiters in the country.

BB Recruiting

Transfer Amari Williams Commits to Kentucky

Published

5 days ago

April 21, 2024

Tristan Pharis

Drexel transfer Amari Williams has committed to play for the Kentucky Wildcats. Becomes first transfer commitment under Mark Pope.

Graphic via ClutchPoints

Amari Williams has made his decision. He has committed to the Wildcats, first reported by Joe Tipton of On3.

Williams’ decision comes after visiting Lexington this past weekend. On all accounts and given his commitment, all things went well, even taking a visit to Keeneland with new head coach Mark Pope.

Originally from Nottingham, England, Williams has played the last four years at Drexel. He has career averages of 10.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks.

From his sophomore season forward, Williams has been named to the All-Coastal Athletic Association Team three times and has won three straight CAA Defensive Player of the Year Awards.

The 6-foot-10, 265-pound forward is a physical big. On the offensive end, he scores most of his points at the rim, many of which come in transition or off offensive rebounds, but he is also comfortable extending to the elbow. He is a better passer than one would expect as well, with an 18% assist rate.

As his Defensive Player of the Year awards suggest, Williams makes his biggest impact on the defensive side of the ball. With a 7-foot-5 wingspan, he blocks plenty of shots (8.5% block rate) and alters many more. His physical size and length help him rebound the ball well.

Both were areas Kentucky lacked in last season.

If you’re an analytical guy, Williams has been a top-20 player in player efficiency ratings the previous two seasons, with a 28.5 PER each season.

For reference, Kentucky’s most efficient players last season, Reed Sheppard and Antonio Reeves, both had a PER of 23.6.

Evan Miya, one of the best analytics gurus in college hoops, has Williams ranked 14th overall in DBPR for next season, which measures the defensive value a player brings to his team when he is on the court. So Kentucky just landed one of the best defensive transfers in America.

With his commitment, Williams becomes Kentucky’s first transfer under Mark Pope and just the second commitment overall, joining Collin Chandler, a 4-star recruit of the 2022 class returning from a mission trip this summer.

It’s worth noting that he played alongside fellow Kentucky target and Utah State transfer Great Osobor in England. Could the two join forces in Lexington as Kentucky’s frontcourt?

Check out some highlights of the newest Cat in action!