Kentucky basketball’s Jacob Toppin aiming high: ‘I’m going to have a breakout year’
Kentucky basketball — players, coaches and support staff — moved an hour west to Bardstown on Tuesday to conduct the first in a series of youth camps. About 70 boys and girls participated in the opening session at Thomas Nelson High School.
During a question-and-answer period, children asked UK Coach John Calipari to name the team’s tallest player, the strongest player and ultimately the best player.
It got interesting when a child asked who was the best dunker.
“Jacob Toppin,” Calipari said before adding, “He thinks he’s better than his brother.”
That was saying something since Obi Toppin was the National Player of the Year in 2019-20.
When asked in a postgame interview session a direct question — did he really think he was better than his brother? — Jacob Toppin gave a direct answer.
“Yes, I do,” he said. “I think I have the confidence in myself that I can be better than him. Right now, I’m probably not. But I can definitely be better than my brother.”
Toppin acknowledged that there was a difference of opinion within the family. “He probably thinks he’s better than me,” he conceded. “So, it’s a competition between us.”
Obi Toppin averaged 20 points and 7.5 rebounds in his celebrated sophomore season of 2019-20.
After transferring to Kentucky from Rhode Island, Jacob Toppin averaged 5.2 points and 3.5 rebounds.
He suggested those modest numbers were mere prelude.
“I’m excited for it,” he said of the better-than-big-brother talk. “I like the challenge. It’s no pressure because, to me, myself, I feel like I’m going to have a breakout year.”
Toppin spoke of working diligently this offseason to dramatically improve in 2021-22. He seemed to put a priority on shooting better from beyond the arc. He made four of 13 three-point shots (30.8 percent) in his first UK season. He claimed to be a better shooter than Obi, who made 41.7 percent of his three-point shots while playing two seasons for Dayton.
Why did Jacob Toppin not shoot better last season?
“A little bit was mental,” he said. “Mentally, I wasn’t there.”
Toppin said he intended to have more of a presence next season, literally as well as figuratively.
“I definitely think I grew, like an inch,” he said. Last season UK listed him at 6-foot-9, coincidentally the same height listed for Obi.
Calipari took notice, Toppin said.
“I came back and Cal looked at me,” the player said. “He’s, like, whoa, did you grow?”
Toppin also intends to add bulk. UK listed his weight as 194 pounds. The New York Knicks list Obi Toppin’s weight as 220.
“This offseason I plan to, like, gain at least 10 pounds because I need that 10 pounds of muscle,” he said. “So, we’ll see how that goes.”
As for the Kentucky team for next season, Toppin echoed earlier player comments about the players meshing. This process has been helped by the relaxation of restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s definitely different,” he said. “Last year we didn’t do anything together. I think that was one of the problems.
“And this year, we’re already in the (Wildcat Coal) Lodge.”
Toppin spoke of a gathering place at the team dorm that includes a ping pong table, pool table and a big screen television.
Toppin conceded that even with COVID-19 receding, a Kentucky team with so many new players will need time to coalesce.
“It’s definitely going to take some time for us to build that connection (and) build that trust within one another to play better,” he said. “But I think we’ll be good. We’re all meshing well right now, so as time goes on, as we play more together, we’ll get that connection.”
Of the newcomers, freshman Daimion Collins has made a positive first impression.
“He plays just like Isaiah (Jackson),” Toppin said. “I don’t know if everyone noticed that. . . . He’s blocking shots. He dunks the ball. He’s going to be a great player for us.”
Toppin also all but predicted a noticeable improvement in shooting.
“We have a lot more shooters,” he said. “Even the freshmen, they’re shooting the ball really well. . . . So it’s going to be different. We’re going to be able to space the floor more.”
Returning to the child’s question about Kentucky’s best dunker, Toppin smiled as he said he noticed Calipari pause before responding. Toppin saw this as the UK coach flashing his playful sense of humor.
“Everyone knows I’m the best dunker,” he said. “He was just messing with me. I know he’s messing with me. I know I’m the best dunker, and everyone knows I”m the best dunker.
“So I wasn’t really worried about that.”
