BGI Crystal Ball — Predicting the 2017–18 UK Basketball Roster
The springtime can be a season that is shrouded in uncertainty for fans of Kentucky basketball as the annual mass exodus occurs in Lexington. It is also a time filled with an aura of wonder and optimism as heralded recruiting savant and UK Head Coach John Calipari puts the customary bow on top of the next crop of uber-talented incoming freshmen. This spring is no different.
In this column, I’ll break out the crystal ball and try to predict what the 2017–18 Kentucky Basketball Roster will look like.
Departures
First, let’s recap who is leaving UK this summer:
G — Dominique Hawkins, Graduation
G — Mychal Mulder, Graduation
G — De’Aaron Fox, Declared for NBA Draft
G — Malik Monk, Declared for NBA Draft
G — Isaiah Briscoe, Declared for NBA Draft
F — Derek Willis, Graduation
F/C — Bam Adebayo, Declared for NBA Draft
F — Isaac Humphries, Turning pro (presumably in Australia)
All of the above are for sure leaving the program and moving on. However there is one wild card, and that is redshirt freshman guard Hamidou Diallo.
Diallo committed and enrolled at Kentucky in January and was redshirted upon his arrival — basically meaning he could workout, practice, and travel with the team but couldn’t play in games. His enrollment in classes this semester also means that he is eligible for the NBA Draft in June.
Earlier this week, Diallo decided to test the NBA waters and declared for the draft without signing an agent, retaining his amateur status — meaning he can return to school should he decide to withdraw from the draft. This year’s draft class is absolutely loaded, particularly at guard. Given the amount of talent projected ahead of him in mock drafts and the lack of in-game film, Diallo looks as though he won’t be a lottery pick in this year’s draft and may not even be a first round pick.
I do think that it is the right call for him to declare and go through the draft process, working out for different teams and learning what he needs to do to mold his game for the NBA. Nevertheless, I believe Diallo will return to UK for the upcoming season.
Newcomers
G — Quade Green (5 star), Freshman
G — Shai Alexander (4 star), Freshman
G — Jemarl Baker (4 star), Freshman
F — Jarred Vanderbilt (5 star), Freshman
F — P.J. Washington (5 star), Freshman
C — Nick Richards (5 star), Freshman
Does it ever get old? Yet again, Cal and the Cats have anticipated another potential №1 recruiting class coming to campus this fall.
Possible Remaining Commits
There are a few remaining uncommitted players that are on Kentucky’s radar.
SG — Cam Johnson, Graduate Transfer (Pitt)
SF — Kevin Knox (5 star)
C — Mohamed Bamba (5 star)
Cam Johnson is a grad transfer guard who was granted release after playing under Kevin Stallings at Pitt last season. He is considered one of, if not the most coveted graduate transfer of this recruiting season.
The 6'8'’ shooting guard will be a plug and play wherever he goes as he provides an instant spark on offense with his elite three-point shooting, (41.5 percent last season). Oh, and not to mention he has two years of eligibility left. Johnson visited UK on Wednesday, and rumors are Kentucky is the leading candidate to land him.
The superstar that UK has the best chance of getting is five star center Mohamed Bamba. Bamba is a raw, but skilled offensive player and an absolute game-changer on the defensive end. Coming in at 6'11'’ with a 7'8'’ wingspan, Bamba provides ELITE rim protecting ability, which is something the Cats have missed ever since 2015 with Willie Cauley-Stein and Karl-Anthony Towns patrolling the paint. If I could choose only one last player for next year, Mo Bamba would be the the pick. Check out some of his highlights.
Lastly, Kentucky is considered a dark horse candidate to land five star small forward Kevin Knox.
Knox is a versatile 6'8'’ small forward who is a great rebounder and really good in the transition game. Pending the development of his three-point shot, Knox has potential to be a prolific scorer as he has shown he can move without the ball on offense and finish through contact at the rim. He has said he will make his decision come the first of May. Although UK isn’t the favorite with Knox, never count John Calipari out.
Projected 2017–18 Roster
All of this speculation leads us to this — here’s who I think will be suiting up for the Cats this upcoming season.
Starters:
G — Quade Green, Fr.
G — Hamidou Diallo, Fr. (RS)
G — Cam Johnson, Jr. (Grad)
F — P.J. Washington, Fr.
C — Mohamed Bamba, Fr.
Bench (listed in order of projected rotation):
F — Jarred Vanderbilt, Fr.
C — Nick Richards, Fr.
F — Wenyen Gabriel, So.
G — Shai Alexander, Fr.
G — Jemarl Baker, Fr.
F — Sacha Killeya-Jones, So.
Reserves (God bless ‘em):
G — Brad Calipari, So.
G — Jonny David, Jr.
G — Dillon Pulliam, Jr. (RS)
F — Tai Wynyard, So. (RS)
No matter what happens, one thing is for sure — this will be the youngest team Calipari has ever had at UK. It will be about as close to a clean slate as you can get, and the question will remain — can John Calipari do it? We were asking ourselves this in 2013 when the Harrison Twins/Randle superclass came in with murmurs of 40–0, and we were doubting by mid-season. But in the end we learned what we should have already known, the answer is yes. It’s John Calipari, master of the revolving door that is the one-and-done system. If anyone can, it’s him.
But please BBN, no 40–0 tattoos this year.
