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I decided to not break up the rest of the players into forwards and centers like previously mentioned. With there only being six players left we will cover them all in here. Well without further ado here are the big man who will be suiting up for the Blue and White this year.
#00 Marcus Lee 6-9 215 FR Antioch, Calif. (Deer Valley): Marcus Lee is another one of the forgotten freshmen whose minutes will be lower than they would be at any other school. Ranked as the #19 player by Rivals he chose UK over California, Louisville and Duke. First thing I notice right away with Marcus is while he is extremely skilled he will need to gain a lot of strength to be consistent at the college level. About 90% of Lee's weaknesses are due to his lack of strength. What he does bring though is great length with a 7-1 wingspan and crazy athleticism. Amazing finisher who can dunk everything and a premier shot blocker. Will definitely have his moments this year but as he gets stronger he will start to take his game to another level.
#15 Willie Cauley-Stein 7-0 244 SO Olathe, Kan. (Northwest): So WCS is my favorite player on this team considering I'm from Kansas also and grew up not too far away from Olathe. One of the few experienced players on this team and will be looked at to help these young freshmen bigs learn what it takes to play down low. Came to UK as the #40 player ranked by Rivals and chose UK over Alabama, Florida and Kansas State. He is vastly improved on the offensive end this year by showing more touch on his shots but is still raw on that end but is constantly improving. Will bring a hard working attitude on the defensive end getting rebounds and swatting balls away and look out for him on fast breaks as he is big and athletic. Should be the most improved player on the team.
#22 Alex Poythress 6-8 239 SO Clarksville, Tenn. (Northeast): Another one of the few returning players with playing experience. AP was ranked #8 by Rivals coming out of high school and chose UK over Florida, Memphis, Vanderbilt and Western Kentucky. Poythress is obviously extremely talented and athletic but he always leaves me wondering if he really gave it all he had. Needs to play harder more consistently and I worry that on this team where he won't be the focal point if we will get that. Very solid defender and rebounder and has his moments where he can take over games offensively. Has all the skills and can do a little bit of everything but needs to stand out more in games as his talent says he should.
#30 Julius Randle 6-9 250 FR Dallas, Texas (Prestonwood Christian): This guy leaves me speechless. He really is college basketball's version of Lebron James as he just do everything. He can score down low, has a great mid-range shot and will knock down 3's with ease. His ability to drive and dish though is very underrated. Randle is an exceptional ball handler and passer. My favorite quality about him has to be his relentlessness. This guy just goes 110% all the time. Will take games over with his scoring and defense but also shows ability and desire to get rest of team involved. #2 ranked player by Rivals and chose UK over KU, Texas and Florida. My pick for College Player of the Year and #1 draft pick in the NBA next summer.
#35 Derek Willis 6-9 205 FR Mt. Washington, Ky. (Bullitt East): Derek is another local kid from Kentucky who was is a 3-star recruit and ranked #115 by Rivals and chose UK over Indiana, Louisville and Purdue. Very skilled forward who can shoot from anywhere on the court. Has ability to put ball on the floor and then score off the dribble, which is very advanced and rare for a young post player. Needs to work on his strength and hit the weight room and has also been known to be a little immature at times on the court and will need to keep his emotion in check. I don't know where his minutes will come from his year but like Dawkins should develop and be a big time player for UK in the future. Very similar to Kyle Wiltjer offensively but should be much better on the defensive end.
#44 Dakari Johnson 7-0 265 FR Brooklyn, N.Y. (Montverde Academy): Dakari is just a big strong guy. He reclassified to the class of 2013 and was ranked #9 by Rivals and chose UK over Syracuse, Georgetown, Kansas, North Carolina and Ohio State. Dakari is a very solid player on offense. He has the ability to score with his back to the basket with a right hand hook shot and is a major threat on the offensive glass. Brings that New York toughness that you see in players from that area. Probably one of the least athletic on this team as he does struggle to get elevation, which can hurt him on the offensive end. Needs to work on his left hand and footwork to become a consistent scorer. Struggles with defending players outside of the paint and lacks lateral movement to be a shot blocking threat from the weak side. Will be a solid player though as a freshmen for Kentucky and have his moments.
And that does it for the preview of the upcoming season for UK basketball. My guess for the starting 5 this year will be Andrew Harrison at PG, Aaron at SG, Poythress at SF, Randle at PF and WCS at C. I would start James Young over Poythress due to AP's lack of motivation but he will get plenty of minutes off the bench along with Polson, Hawkins, Lee, Dakari and Derek.
Look out for a pre-game article for the exhibition game against Transylvania on Friday.
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