If Kentucky’s freshmen can handle that scrutiny, they might end up justifying the hype after all. “I know during the season if we did lose a game or something like that, if something bad happens or we played bad, there’s going to be a lot of hate and everything, there’s going to be a lot of bad stuff,” Killeya-Jones says. That team made a run to the national championship game, but the group was considered a disappointment until the postseason turnaround. The 2013 class learned about the downside of that hype when recruits sparked talk of a 40-0 season at the McDonald’s All-American Game, then lost three games before Christmas. If the 2016 class is going to back up the hype it will need to match the results on the court of Calipari’s previous Kentucky teams. Recruiting pundits were split about whether Kentucky or Duke had the No. While Calipari has compared his freshmen to his best recruiting classes, the group will face competition for the distinction of best freshman class this season. It’s a process that we go through every year.” Some of it’s their feel for the game - you took a couple guys that were just more athletic than basketball (players), and it just takes time. “Some of it’s mentally, some of it’s physically. His 2012-16 teams never found the consistency needed to achieve their postseason goals. His 2010-14 Final Four teams each lost nine games in the regular season before clicking in time for a postseason run. The Wildcats have lost their first true road game in five of Calipari’s seven seasons in Lexington. Monk might be the team’s best shooter, and Gabriel could add another weapon as a so-called stretch 4 with shooting range to go with his 6-9, 210-pound frame.Įarly adjustments are nothing new for Calipari’s freshman-heavy Kentucky teams. Top freshman Josh Jackson eyes national title, undefeated season for Kansasīriscoe might play with the ball in his hands more as a sophomore after Tyler Ulis left for the NBA, but Fox is still projected as the Wildcats’ primary point guard. After a season in which Kentucky’s Achilles heel was a lack of a physical post presence, Adebayo will be counted on to address many of those issues. Gabriel likely will compete with Humphries and Willis for the final starting role.Ĭalipari pitched Adebayo as a future candidate for the No.1 pick in the NBA draft during the recruiting process. We’ve been doing this for years, so I don’t feel like there should be any pressure.”Īdebayo, Fox and Monk are favorites to start alongside Briscoe this season. We’re still just coming in and playing basketball. “I know the expectations are high, but mine are high for myself as well. “I can’t really speak for anybody else, but I’m honestly not feeling any pressure,” Fox says. Senior forward Derek Willis, senior guard Dominique Hawkins and sophomore forward Isaac Humphries also have played important minutes for Kentucky in the past.īut, again, it is the UK freshmen who will be needed to carry much of the load. Sophomore point guard Isaiah Briscoe will be counted on in a leadership role after electing to return to school instead of stay in the NBA draft. “But we’re just trying to come here to play basketball and just learn from him.”Īnalysis: Breaking down the preseason coaches poll top 25 teams Blending the rosterĪs with Calipari’s best Kentucky teams, the 2016-17 Wildcats will feature a blend of star freshmen and returning experience.

“It’s crazy to see that we could be one of the best groups that he ever had, because he had a bunch of greats,” Monk says.

Forward Sacha Killeya-Jones qualifies as the “under-the-radar recruit” in the group as a four-star prospect and Scout’s 27th-best player in the class of 2016. Calipari’s 2016 signing class is headlined by four top-15 recruits in ’s national ranking: point guard De’Aaron Fox (No.

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