Men's Basketball

The Morning After: Kentucky’s Exhibition Win Over Missouri Western State

Published

1 year ago

October 31, 2022

UK Athletics

Following a humbling loss to Tennessee on Saturday night, the Big Blue Nation needed a pick-me-up, and the Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team provided that in their preseason exhibition against Missouri Western on Sunday night, winning 56-38.

It is important to note that Defending National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe did not play due to a minor knee procedure that he had done earlier this month.

However, he was on the court with warmups on, dribbling a ball on the baseline before the game, and is anticipated to be ready for the season opener on November 7th.

With that said, let’s get to the game.

Calipari elected to start four seniors (Fredrick, Reeves, Toppin, Wheeler) and a sophomore (Collins) on Sunday night, which is not typical for a Calipari team.

Kentucky started the game slowly on the offensive end, which continued throughout the half, scoring just 26 points on 11/27 shooting.

However, Kentucky did play well on the defensive end – albeit against inferior competition – holding Missouri Western State to just 18 points.

In the second half, the offense improved, despite losing Sahvir Wheeler to injury, and did enough to win going away.

Now, let’s take a closer look at Kentucky’s performance.

Sahvir Wheeler Injury

The biggest story to come from this one was the injury to Kentucky starting point guard Sahvirf Wheeler, who went down with a leg injury in the second half and had to be helped off the floor.

While Wheeler certainly has his limitations, Kentucky is a better team with him healthy. This would be a brutal loss if he has an extended absence, so hopefully, this turns out to be something relatively minor.

Jacob Toppin

For the previous two seasons, Jacob Toppin has provided an important spark with his ability to run the floor, rebound, and defend at a high level.

With his return, there has been a strong belief that this could be Toppin’s breakout season.

Throughout the offseason, the self-confidence was very apparent, and in the Bahamas, he debuted his much-improved offensive game and was the team’s second-leading scorer (16.8 ppg).

On Sunday night, he continued to show that he will be a versatile and key offensive weapon for the Wildcats this season, scoring an efficient 10 points (4/6 FG, 1/3 3P) in the first half alone but missed his only two shots in the second half.

Block Party

Kentucky’s last addition to this season’s roster was Ugonna Onyenso, a 2023 reclassification from Nigeria. Standing 7-foot tall, with a 7-foot-5 wingspan, Onyenso was a four-star recruit and was tabbed one of the best rim protectors in the country.

Unfortunately, Onyenso did not get to play in the Bahamas but joined the team in late August.

Despite limited time with the team, the 4-star freshman impressed in his first action as a Kentucky Wildcat, blocking a total of five shots in just 15 minutes.

When Onyenso first joined the team, it was unsure if he would contribute this year. At this point, I think it is entirely possible, if not probable, that he will be a part of the frontcourt rotation.

Offensive Struggles

As mentioned before, Oscar Tshiebwe did not play tonight, therefore the offense did not have its typical makeup. With that said, without him, the Wildcat offense looks to have a long way to go.

For the game, Kentucky scored just 56 points, the lowest amount of points scored by UK in an exhibition in the Calipari era.

Despite the offensive inconsistency, there were some positives including CJ Fredrick’s three-point shooting (4/6 3P) and the transition offense (20 total fastbreak points).

As for the latter, this team has the potential to be elite defensively, which will create some offensive opportunities. Expect Calipari to continue his mantra of coaching defense first and allowing the offense to develop over the course of the season.

Yet, when Tshiebwe returns, he will attract a lot of attention, and it will open the floor for the rest of the team. Expect the offense to look much more reminiscent of the team that scored at least 98 points in four games in the Bahamas.

There was some good and bad, but Kentucky got a double-digit win, and we can continue to laugh at Louisville Cardinals losing their exhibition.

BB Recruiting

Kentucky to Host Multiple Top Transfers This Weekend

Published

20 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!