Get to know the 2020-21 Kentucky men’s basketball team. Bios for every player.

Jacob Toppin

Uniform number: 0

Height/weight: 6-9, 194

Position: Forward

Class: Sophomore

Age: 20

Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y.

High school: Woodstock Academy (Conn.)

Toppin’s role in 2020-21: The super-athletic transfer from Rhode Island wasn’t even supposed to play this season. Toppin, the younger brother of reigning national player of the year Obi Toppin, left the Rams after one season to start a new chapter at Kentucky, where he was expected to sit out a year while working on his game and adding strength in the weight room. Instead, he’s eligible to play, and any contributions will be a bonus. Toppin’s biggest impact on UK’s program will be in the long term, but — for this season — he could be a quick, versatile, high-energy player off the bench in a stretch “4” role, providing plenty of length to the Wildcats. His teammates are already calling him the bounciest player on this squad full of five-star athletes, and his dunks in practice are quickly becoming a thing of legend. Though Toppin is seen as more of a long-term, high-upside player, he was a contributor — 5.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in 18.5 minutes per game — for a Rhode Island team that went 13-5 in the Atlantic 10 last season. Yes, his best basketball days are ahead of him, but he can still contribute in the present as he continues to prepare for a promising future.

What Toppin says: “The stories are not exaggerated. I surprise myself sometimes when I jump … I’m looking inside the rim every time I jump. I don’t know how to explain it.”

Devin Askew

Uniform number: 2

Height/weight: 6-3, 198

Position: Guard

Class: Freshman

Age: 18

Hometown: Sacramento, Calif.

High school: Mater Dei

Askew’s role in 2020-21: Projected by many to be the starting point guard on this Kentucky team, Askew wasn’t ranked quite as highly out of high school as most of John Calipari’s recruits at that position, but he does seem uniquely suited to handle the personnel that will be around him this season. Askew, who just turned 18 years old in late July, is the self-proclaimed “baby” of this UK team, but he brings the focus and maturity of a veteran player. He prides himself on his leadership and ability to get teammates in the right spot, and — though he’s a highly capable scorer — Askew has an unselfishness about him that should fit perfectly on a team that already packs plenty of offensive punch. Early reports out of Kentucky’s practices suggest Askew has been a hard-worker, and he came to Lexington knowing he’d have to earn his position as the Cats’ floor leader. He projects as a capable defender — with plenty of strength for the position — and should be one of the better outside shooters among point guards in the Calipari era. He’s also not projected by many as a one-and-done player, so UK fans could be seeing more of Askew next season.

What Askew says: “I like being the point guard. I like being the general and getting us ready. I’m just a very energetic player who loves to win. … That’s what (fans) will see from me.”

Brandon Boston

Uniform number: 3

Height/weight: 6-7, 185

Position: Guard

Class: Freshman

Age: 18

Hometown: Norcross, Ga.

High school: Sierra Canyon (Calif.)

Boston’s role in 2020-21: He’s yet to play a game of college basketball, but Boston is already being looked at as the star of this Kentucky team. He’s popping up on preseason All-American lists, and he’s projected as a lottery pick in next year’s NBA Draft. For good reason. The supremely confident and super-smooth perimeter player was among the biggest stars of the last high school basketball season, taking his game to the next level and elevating his recruiting ranking in the process. (He ended up as the No. 5 overall player in the composite rankings, and two of the prospects ahead of him went to the G League instead of college). Boston will be an early favorite to end up with leading scorer honors on this team because of his versatility from the perimeter. He has the ability to handle the ball, take defenders off the bounce, score in creative ways at the basket or just let fly from long range. He’s also an underrated passer and possesses the length and athleticism to be a good perimeter defender. It’s been a little while since Kentucky has had a star freshman with seemingly this much immediate potential going into the season.

What Boston says: “That’s the fun thing about this team — everybody is confident. They compete. We just get after it every time that we’re on the court. Nobody takes nothing. So, we just go out there and play our hearts out.”

Terrence Clarke

Uniform number: 5

Height/weight: 6-7, 194

Position: Guard

Class: Freshman

Age: 19

Hometown: Boston, Mass.

High school: Brewster Academy (N.H.)

Clarke’s role in 2020-21: If not for Brandon Boston, it would be Clarke getting a lion’s share of the preseason hype. He ended up at No. 8 nationally in the recruiting rankings and was rated even higher at the time he committed to the Cats last fall. Like Boston, Clarke is a versatile player from the perimeter and projects as a lottery pick in next year’s draft. He hasn’t proven to be a great outside shooter in the past — that aspect of Clarke’s game could obviously improve this season — but he can do just about everything else offensively. He’s been working on his skills as a point guard, and few can get to the basket and finish with the aplomb of Clarke, who has wowed crowds (and college coaches) for years with his creative shots and thunderous dunks in traffic. The pairing of Clarke and Boston on the perimeter should keep defenses honest and open up opportunities for others. Defensively, he has the length, strength and athleticism to be highly effective on the perimeter. Clarke also has a big personality and can be a bit of a talker on the court. Between that and his dynamic play, he can be an instant source of energy for his teammates.

What Clarke says: “I just want to be as mature as possible for the next level and I knew that being here is one of the things that could help me in that situation.”

Davion Mintz

Uniform number: 10

Height/weight: 6-3, 196

Position: Guard

Class: Grad student

Age: 22

Hometown: Charlotte, N.C.

High school: North Mecklenburg

Mintz’s role in 2020-21: The spring addition of Mintz — a graduate transfer from Creighton — could prove to be a boon for this Kentucky team. Not only does the veteran guard bring a level of experience and maturity to UK’s very young backcourt, he can flat out play. Mintz started a total of 79 games over three years with Creighton — a winning program in the basketball-rich Big East — before sitting out last season due to injury. Much of that playing time came at the point guard position, but Mintz can play off the ball, as well, and is a 35 percent shooter from three-point range for his career. He also prides himself on being a good perimeter defender, and he’s had three years of matching up with some of the best guards in the country to hone those skills. So, Mintz can fill a variety of roles on this squad, and — by all accounts — he’s willing to do whatever it takes to help this Kentucky team win games. If that means starting at the point guard spot, so be it. If that means playing a role off the bench while hot-shot freshmen like Brandon Boston, Terrence Clarke and Devin Askew get more of the spotlight, he’s seemingly fine with that, too.

What Mintz says: “Although I do bring a lot of experience, it means nothing if guys aren’t willing to hear it. That’s what’s special about this group. Everyone is willing to listen.”

Dontaie Allen

Uniform number: 11

Height/weight: 6-6, 198

Position: Guard

Class: Freshman

Age: 20

Hometown: Falmouth, Ky.

High school: Pendleton County

Allen’s role in 2020-21: Allen has yet to play on the Rupp Arena court, but Kentucky fans are plenty familiar with his story. One of the greatest scorers in state high school history — and last year’s Mr. Basketball — Allen has been kept off the court for nearly two years due to a devastating knee injury early in his senior season. He should be ready to go this season, and his immediate contributions will depend on his comfort level getting back on the court. Before the injury, Allen projected as a versatile scorer in college. He can get to the basket and has proven to be an effective three-point shooter. Allen isn’t the most athletic player on the team, but he knows how to play basketball, and — in the past — he has shown he knows where to be and how to get into the best spots on the court. This particular UK team is obviously loaded with perimeter talent, so Allen will need to prove himself to get significant playing time. If he can keep up defensively and rebound his position, his scoring ability could very well get him on the court as a redshirt freshman.

What Allen says: You can say there’s added pressure because you’re from Kentucky, but this is just where I want to be. This is the culture that I wanted to be in. I’m ready to work my hardest, work my tail off just to get things done here.”

Keion Brooks

Uniform number: 12

Height/weight: 6-7, 205

Position: Forward

Class: Sophomore

Age: 20

Hometown: Fort Wayne, Ind.

High school: La Lumiere

Brooks’ role in 2020-21: Amazingly, Brooks is the only one of Kentucky’s 11 scholarship players with actual in-game experience playing for Calipari. That certainly won’t hurt his chances to earn some substantial minutes on this team. Brooks is often slotted as a starter for these Cats based on that experience and, of course, his on-court ability. (He was a five-star recruit out of high school, don’t forget). He has been more comfortable in the role of a bigger perimeter player, but Brooks has continued to add strength to his frame and isn’t afraid to bang around in the paint — something that became more evident toward the end of last season. John Calipari could use him in a variety of roles depending on how things are going for Kentucky on any given night. Brooks can play on the perimeter or fit into a small ball “4” role. UK’s star-studded backcourt and a frontcourt that features bigger players like Olivier Sarr, Isaiah Jackson and Lance Ware certainly makes Brooks a bit of a “tweener” — position-wise — on this squad, so he’ll have to continue to work on doing all of the little things on the court and improving certain aspects of his game. Gaining more comfort and consistency as a shooter would help him as a perimeter player. Proving himself as rebounder would make him hard to keep off the court, as well.

What Brooks says: “I feel like sometimes last year I put a little too much pressure on myself because I just wanted it so bad. And I forgot to have fun. And when I went out there having fun, I usually played well.”

Riley Welch

Uniform number: 13

Height/weight: 6-0, 185

Position: Guard

Class: Senior

Age: 23

Hometown: Littleton, Colo.

High school: Chatfield

Welch’s role in 2020-21: The oldest player on this team and one of four walk-ons, Welch is already kind of like a coach on the bench. That makes sense. His father is Los Angeles Clippers assistant John Welch, who has been a coach in the NBA for nearly 20 years. If you watch the younger Welch during games, he’s often standing up and communicating with the Kentucky players out on the court, telling them where to be and what to do. While his actual playing contributions to this team will surely be limited, Welch certainly provides value by relaying that knowledge of the game, and that will be even more handy with such a young, inexperienced team. The arrangement also works well for Welch, who wants to be a coach himself after college.

Brennan Canada

Uniform number: 14

Height/weight: 6-6, 198

Position: Forward

Class: Sophomore

Age: 20

Hometown: Mount Sterling, Ky.

High school: Clark County

Canada’s role in 2020-21: Another walk-on for this Kentucky team, Canada is a former standout player at nearby Clark County and had opportunities for playing time at a lower level of college basketball, but he chose to play for his favorite team growing up instead. It’s a great setup for UK. Canada can provide different looks in practice than a regular walk-on — it’s difficult to find guys with his size that can actually play the game and provide some level of competition for the scholarship players. With 11 such players on this team, it’s unlikely Canada plays much this season, but he’ll bring a positive personality to the Wildcats yet again.

Zan Payne

Uniform number: 20

Height/weight: 6-4, 215

Position: Guard/forward

Class: Sophomore

Age: 20

Hometown: Lexington, Ky.

High school: Lexington Catholic

Payne’s role in 2020-21: This might be the year UK fans finally get to see Payne — the son of former assistant coach Kenny Payne — on the court. A star player at Lexington Catholic, he suffered a knee injury late in his senior season and has been sidelined for each of the past two seasons as he works his way back toward full health. Payne is a walk-on for Kentucky, though he was a standout high school player — one of the best in the state, in fact — with some legitimate Division I interest before his injury. At Lexington Catholic, he used his strength and basketball IQ to score on opponents in the paint, often looking like a 6-4 power forward. Obviously, that kind of game is unlikely to translate to the highest college level, and — like with UK’s other walk-ons — it’s difficult to see Payne getting any playing time unless the game has already decided. But, at this point, just seeing him out on the court toward the end of blowouts would be a positive step.

Cam’Ron Fletcher

Uniform number: 21

Height/weight: 6-6, 215

Position: Forward

Class: Freshman

Age: 19

Hometown: St. Louis, Mo.

High school: Vashon

Fletcher’s role in 2020-21: Often the forgotten man in UK’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class, Fletcher would have been the key member of most other teams’ incoming groups. He’s a strong and athletic prospect with long-term potential as a versatile perimeter player, but he’ll likely have his work cut out for him to earn substantial minutes on this loaded Kentucky team. The best path for immediate playing time appears to be through a gritty style of ball with a specific attention to detail on defense. Fletcher is saying all the right things on that front in the preseason, and his physical gifts certainly point toward him being a capable defender with an ability to rebound his position well and bring a certain level of physical play to the court. There are plenty of scorers on this team, and Keion Brooks already has an inside track to the kind of role many project Fletcher to play. If he’ll fight for 50/50 balls and bring a smothering defensive approach, he could find himself on the court in key times. His biggest contributions at Kentucky, however, are likely to come a little further down the line.

What Fletcher says: “I’m a dog. I’m going to get on the floor. I’m going to get dirty. I’m going to do all the little things. … I’m going for all the loose balls. I’m playing defense. I don’t want anyone to score on me. I’m just an animal.”

Isaiah Jackson

Uniform number: 23

Height/weight: 6-10, 206

Position: Forward

Class: Freshman

Age: 18

Hometown: Pontiac, Mich.

High school: Waterford Mott

Jackson’s role in 2020-21: If there has been a “buzz” player out of these early practice sessions, it’s Jackson, who came to UK with the reputation as a highly athletic, high-upside power forward and is drawing nothing but praise from his fellow Wildcats over the first few weeks of organized team activities. Most who saw Jackson play in high school figured it would be a case of “when” not “if” he turned into a college star. Perhaps that will happen sooner rather than later. Jackson has been described as a “pogo stick” in the paint, perhaps the most athletic big man in all of high school basketball last season. He should contribute right off the bat as a rim-protector and rebounder, and he’s a player who excels in transition and was known for throwing down highlight-reel dunks and alley-oops on the highly competitive Nike circuit. His offensive skill set is still rounding into form, but he should be able to hold his own — and possibly emerge as a star — on defense. Adding strength to his thin frame will only help him battle with the bigger frontcourt players he’ll see this season. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Jackson break into the starting lineup alongside Olivier Sarr in the UK frontcourt.

What Jackson says: “I sort of have a knack for (blocking shots). I don’t really know how to explain it. It’s something that I guess I was born to do, pretty much. It just comes naturally. I don’t even think about it — it just happens. It’s weird.”

Kareem Watkins

Uniform number: 25

Height/weight: 5-8, 145

Position: Guard

Class: Freshman

Age: 18

Hometown: Camden, N.J.

High school: Kingsway Regional

Watkins’ role in 2020-21: A (very) late addition to Kentucky’s roster, Watkins wasn’t even announced as a member of the Wildcats’ team until Nov. 3, well after practices had begun and just a week before the season was originally supposed to start. He’s the smallest member of this Kentucky team — by a wide margin — but he’s billed as an excellent outside shooter and a skilled passer. Still, it’s unlikely he’ll be playing any meaningful minutes for the Wildcats this season. Watkins is the stepson of Dajuan Wagner, who was Calipari’s first big recruit as Memphis head coach. And Wagner is also the father of DJ Wagner, the No. 1 prospect nationally in the 2023 class and an early Kentucky recruiting target.

Olivier Sarr

Uniform number: 30

Height/weight: 7-0, 237

Position: Forward

Class: Senior

Age: 21

Hometown: Bordeaux, France

High school: INSEP

Sarr’s role in 2020-21: The offseason addition of Sarr cannot be overstated. Before the 7-footer’s arrival from Wake Forest as a transfer, Kentucky did not have a true college center on its roster. With Sarr, who was finally ruled eligible to play immediately for UK after a long wait, the Cats landed not only a top-flight center, but the No. 1 transfer in all of college basketball. He has the ability to be an all-conference player this season, and he should immediately slot in as the starting center on this Kentucky team. Sarr averaged 13.7 points and 9.0 rebounds per game as a junior at Wake Forest last season, often rising to the occasion and playing like a star against some of the best teams in the country. John Calipari loves to have a real post presence with his teams, and Sarr — a highly skilled offensive player — will give him exactly that. His younger teammates in the UK frontcourt have talked about the physical presence he brings to the paint — on both ends of the floor — and his experience as a high-level performer at the highest level of college basketball should only help this Kentucky team, on and off the court.

What Sarr says: Really what I would try to do this year is winning. That’s why I came to Kentucky, and that’s what I’m trying to bring to this team is that experience to win games.”

Lance Ware

Uniform number: 55

Height/weight: 6-9, 223

Position: Forward

Class: Freshman

Age: 19

Hometown: Camden, N.J.

High school: Camden

Ware’s role in 2020-21: He’s not ranked quite as high — No. 38 nationally — as most of the other recruits in this Kentucky freshman class, but Ware last year became one of the fastest-rising prospects in the country, and he’s still relatively new to the game of basketball. He didn’t start playing until the seventh grade. Since that time, he’s emerged as a skilled post player who should be a terrific college rebounder and plays a team-first, do-whatever-it-takes brand of basketball that Calipari is likely to love. Ware is also plenty athletic for a post player. He can defend the rim, rebound in and out of his position, and even create some offense for himself, when necessary. With Olivier Sarr and Isaiah Jackson sharing the frontcourt — and someone like Keion Brooks possibly taking some minutes from the “4” spot — Ware will have to earn every bit of playing time he gets as a freshman. But it won’t be any surprise at all to see him playing double-digit minutes this season, and the ceiling for PT is high for a freshman that checks a lot of the boxes John Calipari looks for in his frontcourt players.

What Ware says: “I’m going to play as hard as I can for however much time I’m in the game. I’m going to rebound. Defend. And just get points where I can get points.”

This story was originally published November 16, 2020 at 8:27 AM.

Ben Roberts

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-429-2848

Ben Roberts is the University of Kentucky men’s basketball beat writer for the Lexington Herald-Leader. He has previously specialized in UK basketball recruiting coverage and created and maintained the Next Cats blog. He is a Franklin County native and first joined the Herald-Leader in 2006. Support my work with a digital subscription