A child or a grad transfer shall lead Kentucky’s basketball team
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2020-21 College Basketball Preview
The Lexington Herald-Leader’s 2020-21 College Basketball Preview special section was published in the print edition on Sunday, Nov. 15. Click below to view all the stories from that section that have been published on Kentucky.com.
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Though it’s a study of contrasts, the competition to be Kentucky’s point guard this season between freshman Devin Askew and graduate transfer Davion Mintz is a friendly one.
“It’s going great,” Askew said during a video teleconference Friday. “Me and him compete every day in practice. It’s fun learning from an experienced guard, a veteran guard like him. … I just learn from him every day.”
Mintz came to UK after having started 79 games and played a total of 2,061 minutes in three seasons for Creighton. He, too, has spoken of enjoying the competition.
“It’s fun,” he said earlier this fall. “It’s good to be around a guy … coming to play and playing against a guy who wants to go hard. Very ambitious. Who works hard. It’s just like looking in a mirror every day. Someone who wants to go hard. Who’s super fun to compete against because I know he’s going to compete.”
Askew and Mintz bring a West Coast-East Coast dynamic to the position. Mintz grew up in Charlotte, N.C.
Askew hails from Sacramento, Calif., which prompted a question. Californians Johnny Juzang and Jemarl Baker transferred from UK in recent seasons. Might Askew be apt to leave?
“I’m not like other West Coast kids,” he said. “That doesn’t affect me. … A lot of West Coast kids want to stay home. And they’re afraid to go far for college. …
“That’s not me. I want to be different. I feel like coming here was best for me, so I did it. And it’s best for me. I’m learning a lot. I’m learning new things every day. If I come out here, I’m out here. I’m not leaving.”
Besides the competition, Askew suggested that he also learns by observing Mintz.
“Just the way that he helps lead our team,” he said. “I’m a pretty good leader. But I’m seeing the way that he leads. It’s giving me that extra edge. It’s fun.”
Mintz is four full years and 26 days older than Askew, who turned 18 on July 26. Every teammate, even on a typically freshman-dependent Kentucky team, is older. He described his leadership style as “by being the youngest, just not being afraid to use my voice and to be vocal out there. That’s what I do every day. Try to be vocal, and that’s how I can help lead the team.”
Earlier this fall, assistant coach James “Bruiser” Flint saluted the effort Askew had put forth in practices.
“He goes hard on every rep,” Flint said. “One of the hardest-working kids I’ve ever been around, and I’ve been doing this for a minute. His energy is unbelievable. (One of the kids you say) ‘go reset yourself. Don’t run yourself into the ground.’ But unbelievable work ethic.”
Askew did not offer an elaborate explanation for his energetic style.
“That’s just the way I’ve had to play my whole life,” he said. “I’ve been the smallest. When I was younger, I wasn’t the fastest kid. I just had to bring a whole lot of energy to the team (and) to the game. That’s how I get going … (with) energy. That’s what I do best.”
Askew suggested he differs from Mintz in playing style.
“I’m a pass-first point guard,” he said. “Davion, he scores the ball, and he can pass as well. He can really shoot the ball well. I can shoot it, but he can shoot it really well.”
In early September, assistant coach Jai Lucas gushed about Askew and two other freshman guards, Brandon Boston and Terrence Clarke. “I can’t imagine a better trio of freshmen than that trio right there …,” he said. “In all of college basketball, you’re only as good as your guards. Those three guards are pretty good.”
As for point guard, Lucas saw neither Askew nor Mintz getting a firm grip on the starting position. He called it a “50/50 battle.”
Keion Brooks, a relative graybeard in his second season for Kentucky, suggested it would not make a big difference whether the freshman or the grad transfer started.
“They can both get the job done …,” he said. “They’re both good shot makers. They get our team involved in every situation in the offense … They’re both going to play. It doesn’t matter who’s out there on the floor because I believe in both of them.”
Season opener
Morehead State at No. 10 Kentucky
What: Bluegrass Showcase
When: 6 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Rupp Arena (limited spectators)
TV: SEC Network
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1
Series: Kentucky leads 10-0
Last meeting: Kentucky won 81-70 on Nov. 21, 2012, in Lexington
This story was originally published November 20, 2020 at 5:03 PM.
