Ten questions that will make or break Kentucky’s 2019-20 men’s basketball season
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2019-20 College Basketball Preview
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Ten questions as the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team prepares to embark on the 2019-20 season:
1. Can Nate Sestina be productive despite a major step up in level of competition? After all, it’s a long way from the Patriot League to UK’s opener against No. 1 Michigan State or a road game at Florida or Tennessee.
Bucknell Coach Nathan Davis said he believed Sestina will be a productive player at the Kentucky level. “Against bigger schools, he did well,” he said of Sestina’s play last season. Sestina had double-doubles against Rhode Island (16 points and 10 rebounds), TCU (14 and 11) and St. Bonaventure (15 and 16). “I have no doubt he’ll be able to compete,” Davis said. “Now, is he going to be an All-SEC player? I won’t go that far. But I think he certainly can help a team in a lot of ways.”
2. Will we see the blossoming of Nick Richards?
Foul trouble has not trended well the past two seasons. As a freshman, he averaged a foul every 7.1 game minutes. The frequency of fouling quickened as a sophomore: every 5.9 minutes. So Richards fouling only twice in 40 minutes of the Blue-White Game was encouraging (only one foul in the first 32 minutes). Mike Rice, who coached Richards in high school, is an enthusiastic believer. He noted how Richards began playing basketball relatively late. The first two UK seasons served as a foundation rather than a springboard. “He’s going to have one heck of a year,” Rice said.
3. Who will lead this Kentucky team?
There’s no rule that requires one alpha dog to emerge in order for a team to be successful. What if the leader gets in foul trouble or sprains an ankle? UK appears to have at least three viable leaders. As the point guard, it’s part of Ashton Hagans’ job description. And early in the preseason, John Calipari likened freshman Tyrese Maxey to De’Aaron Fox. “At some point, he’ll have to do what De’Aaron Fox did, which is to take over,” the UK coach said of Maxey. Then there’s graduate transfer Nate Sestina, known as “Pops” to his teammates. He’s a leader as a communicator and, it seems, a cook. Immanuel Quickley said Sestina made him breakfast. Quickley called Sestina the best teammate he’s ever had.
4. With the three-point line farther from the basket, will Kentucky shoot well enough to spread opposing defenses?
It’s wise to take a wait-and-see approach. UK appears to have several options when it comes to perimeter shooting. Sestina made 38 percent of his three-point shots last season, then made four of eight in the Blue-White Game. (That the other UK players made only eight of 33 surely gave the sunniest optimist pause.) Two players expected to join Sestina as outside threats, Maxey and Johnny Juzang, combined to make one of 10 three-point shots. “That’s not good for us,” Calipari said.
5. While the front court seemingly lacks depth (by UK standards), the backcourt seems densely populated with potential point guards. How could that shake out?
Kentucky has not one, not two but three point guards. Of course, Hagans returns after starting 30 games at point guard last season. He played the position well enough to be named SEC Defensive Player of the Year. Let’s overlook the seven turnovers against Auburn in the Elite Eight. Maxey and Quickley think of themselves as capable point guards. What’s a UK coach to do? Aided by an improvisation-friendly attacking style, Calipari has plenty of experience dealing with multiple point guards: John Wall and Eric Bledsoe in 2009-10, Andrew Harrison and Tyler Ulis in 2014-15. Ulis, Jamal Murray and Isaiah Briscoe in 2015-16 and De’Aaron Fox and Briscoe in 2016-17.
6. More than one commentator said that Kentucky needed weeks to get over the opening-night loss to Duke last season. If No. 1 Michigan State wins in a rout on Nov. 5, might UK reconsider these made-for-TV spectacles?
Kentucky will not pass up the nationwide exposure and the revenue gained from such a marquee matchup. And, of course, Madison Square Garden is in the heart of a major metropolitan area teeming with potential recruits. Kentucky players learned a lesson in the 118-84 loss to Duke. Hence the “No Smile November” slogan that Ashton Hagans spoke about at SEC Media Day. “This year, everybody is just locked in,” he said.
7. Enough players to notice reclassify in order to start college a year early. Wouldn’t most of them benefit by staying in high school another year, maturing and improving their skills?
There’s a logic to not rushing the hoped-for evolution from NBA wannabe to NBA player. There is a rush to get to a second NBA contract. More than a few UK players have reclassified: Karl-Anthony Towns, Nerlens Noel, Dakari Johnson, Jamal Murray, Hamidou Diallo, Ashton Hagans and Johnny Juzang to name seven. This is misleading because most, if not all, of those players reclassified into what was their “regular” class. The same is true of future UK players. Terrence Clarke from the class of 2021 to 2020. The talk in recruiting circles is Devin Askew will do the same.
8. UK baseball begins preseason practice on Jan. 24. The first game is Feb. 14. The Final Four is April 4 and 6. How will Ben Jordan and UK handle this conflict?
In UK’s announcement that he was joining the basketball team, Jordan made clear that baseball “has been and will remain my top priority.” UK baseball coach Nick Mingione said that Jordan will spend only two hours a week on baseball as the basketball season unfolds. It seems logical that when the baseball season begins, it may be decided that he will have served his purpose of helping UK’s “bigs” by providing competition in practice. By then, it’s hoped players like Dontaie Allen and Zan Payne can be practicing at full strength.
9. What are the chances that Dontaie Allen does not redshirt this year?
Allen, Kentucky’s 2019 Mr. Basketball from Pendleton County, has been rehabilitating two injuries: a torn ACL that prematurely ended his high school senior season and then a shoulder injury. When asked for an update on Allen at The Rotary Club of Lexington, John Calipari spoke cautiously. “He’s really fallen behind, and it’s hard,” Calipari said. “He’s a great kid. I’m hoping he’s healthy enough to get on that court.” At Big Blue Madness, Allen said he was “getting a lot better.” He said he expected to return to the court by mid-November.
10. And the annual question about Kentucky teams in John Calipari’s time as coach: Which players will enter the 2020 NBA Draft and which will return for UK’s 2020-21 season?
When it comes to predicting what UK players will enter the NBA Draft, it’s always wise to take the over. Of course, Nate Sestina’s college career ends with this graduate transfer season. If all goes according to plan, Nick Richards and EJ Montgomery will follow PJ Washington’s example and show enough improvement to make the 2020 draft inevitable. A similar trajectory seems likely for Ashton Hagans and Immanuel Quickley. More than one freshman (Tyrese Maxey? Kahlil Whitney?) also figure to enter the draft.
This story was originally published October 29, 2019 at 1:08 PM.
