How are Kentucky’s freshmen comparing to other star 2019 recruits? Here’s a look.
Surprise, surprise — through six games of the regular season, it’s a freshman that leads Kentucky in scoring.
That’s been the case by the end of eight of John Calipari’s 10 seasons as head coach of the Wildcats, and — at least so far — freshman guard Tyrese Maxey is the latest newcomer to top UK’s roster in points.
Maxey — the No. 10 overall recruit in the 2019 class and the highest-ranked member of Kentucky’s incoming group of freshmen — is averaging a team-high 16.0 points per game after his 21-point performance in the Cats’ victory over Lamar on Sunday night.
(In Calipari’s tenure at UK, the only non-freshmen to lead the Cats in scoring have been sophomore Aaron Harrison in 2014-15 and sophomore PJ Washington last season.)
Maxey is also UK’s leading three-point shooter with 10 makes — shooting at a 35.7-percent clip — and he’s averaging 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, while making 86.7 percent of his free throws so far. He’s also playing more than anyone on the team (32.0 minutes per game).
Three returning players — Nick Richards, Ashton Hagans and Immanuel Quickley — and graduate transfer Nate Sestina follow Maxey on the scoring list, and then it’s freshman Kahlil Whitney, who was the No. 11 overall recruit in the 2019 class.
Whitney is averaging 6.2 points and 2.8 rebounds over 19.6 minutes per game.
Fellow freshman Keion Brooks — the No. 24 recruit in the class — is averaging 5.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 17.2 minutes per game.
The Cats’ other active freshman, Johnny Juzang, is averaging 1.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in 12.4 minutes per game, the lowest amount of playing time among UK’s nine healthy scholarship players. Juzang, who was billed as a knockdown shooter in high school, has struggled offensively, going just 1-for-9 from three-point range and 2-for-14 from the field through six games.
UK’s other 2019 signee — Kentucky Mr. Basketball Dontaie Allen — is still recovering from a torn ACL and has not played for the Wildcats this season.
How do UK’s freshmen compare to other star recruits from the 2019 class? Here’s a rundown of college basketball’s top new stars so far this season, as well as a look at some former Kentucky recruiting targets and in-state prospects:
Early standouts
Cole Anthony (North Carolina): The son of former NBA point guard Greg Anthony leads all freshmen in scoring with 22.8 points per game, and he’s the only freshman in the country that ranks inside the top 25 nationally in that category. Anthony — the No. 4 recruit in the 2019 class — is also averaging 8.0 rebounds and a team-high 4.5 assists per game, while shooting 38.2 percent from three-point range.
Vernon Carey (Duke): One of UK’s original targets in the 2019 class, Carey instead chose Duke and is off to a stellar start for the No. 1-ranked Blue Devils. Carey is averaging 18.3 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, and he ranks fourth nationally among first-year college freshmen in both of those categories. Carey averaged 25.5 points and 11.0 rebounds in two games at Madison Square Garden late last week. He was the No. 6 player in the 2019 recruiting class.
Kofi Cockburn (Illinois): Not only is Cockburn the leading rebounder among all college freshmen, but he’s among the best in the country in that category, regardless of class. The 7-footer went into Sunday’s games tied for fourth nationally with 12.7 rebounds per game. He’s also averaging 15.8 points per game and leads all players in the country with five double-doubles in six games. His primary recruiter with the Illini was former UK assistant coach Orlando Antigua. Cockburn was the No. 46 recruit in the 2019 class.
Anthony Edwards (Georgia): As expected, Edwards is off to a hot start to his college career, averaging 19.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.8 steals through four games for the undefeated Bulldogs, who will begin play Monday afternoon in the Maui Invitational. Edwards was the No. 2 recruit in the 2019 composite rankings, and 247Sports ranked him No. 1 overall. Kentucky was listed among Edwards’ finalists, but the Cats were never seen as favorites for the Atlanta star.
Zeke Nnaji (Arizona): One of the biggest surprises of the college basketball season so far, Nnaji has gone from a highly ranked but uncelebrated recruit to a projected first-round pick in the 2020 NBA Draft after just a handful of games. The Minnesota native ranks among the top five nationally in freshman scoring with 19.5 points per game. He’s shooting 80.7 percent from the floor. Nnaji was the No. 40 overall recruit in the 2019 class and had a scholarship offer from UK, but the Cats were never seen as serious players for his commitment. He wasn’t on ESPN’s Top 100 list of NBA Draft prospects coming into the season. Now, he’s No. 25 on that list.
Ineligible to play
Two of Kentucky’s biggest recruiting targets in the 2019 class — James Wiseman and N’Faly Dante — are currently ineligible.
Wiseman — the No. 1 recruit in the 2019 class — played in three games for Memphis this season but is now sitting out what amounts to a 12-game suspension following an NCAA investigation that concluded his mother took money from Memphis Coach Penny Hardaway, who was Wiseman’s Nike league and high school coach prior to taking over the Tigers’ program.
Wiseman was playing well before his suspension, averaging 19.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.0 blocks in just 23.0 minutes per game. He will be eligible to return to the court Jan. 12.
Dante — the No. 14 player in 2019 after reclassifying from 2020 — was not cleared by the NCAA in time to gain eligibility for Oregon to start the season. He’s hoping to be eligible to play starting Dec. 14, but no official word has come down on his situation. Kentucky made a late push to land Dante after missing out on graduate transfer Kerry Blackshear and other frontcourt players in the 2019 recruiting cycle.
Top 10 recruits
Here’s how the players ranked in the top 10 — other than the aforementioned Anthony, Carey, Edwards, Maxey and Wiseman — have fared this season:
3. Isaiah Stewart (Washington): The former Kentucky target is averaging team-highs of 17.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game for the Huskies. Stewart had his highest-scoring game yet late Sunday night, going for 25 points in a victory over San Diego.
5. RJ Hampton (New Zealand Breakers): Once a UK target, Hampton was expected to choose either Kansas or Memphis, but he instead opted to go pro, joining the Breakers in the Australia-based National Basketball League. He’s averaging 9.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 22.2 minutes per game, shooting 36 percent from three-point range.
7. Scottie Lewis (Florida): A major UK target, Lewis’ recruitment came down to the Wildcats and the Gators. He’s started five of seven games, averaging 8.7 points and 3.9 rebounds with a team-high 11 blocks in 29.3 minutes per game.
8. Jaden McDaniels (Washington): The other star recruit in Washington’s freshman class, McDaniels is averaging a team-high 34.5 minutes per game, going for 13.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in that time. He was also a former Kentucky recruiting target.
9. Nico Mannion (Arizona): Mannion is averaging 14.8 points and a team-high 5.0 assists per game for the Wildcats, boasting a better than 2-to-1 assist/turnover ratio. He’s also shooting 48.0 percent from three-point range through six games.
Former Kentucky targets
And here’s a quick look at the other players who had UK scholarship offers for the 2019 recruiting cycle, and how they’re playing for their new college teams:
Bryan Antoine (Villanova): The No. 17 recruit in the 2019 class, Antoine made his college debut last week after missing the start of the season due to a shoulder injury. He scored nine points in 19 minutes off the bench against Middle Tennessee in his first game.
Kerry Blackshear (Florida): He wasn’t a recruit in the 2019 class, but Blackshear emerged as one of UK’s biggest targets in the cycle after announcing his intention to transfer from Virginia Tech as an immediately eligible college graduate. He chose home-state Florida, and Blackshear is averaging 13.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per game for the Gators, leading the team in both categories.
Matthew Hurt (Duke): Hurt’s recruitment lasted into the spring, and the No. 12 overall prospect ultimately chose the Blue Devils over UK and others. He has started five of six games at Duke, averaging 8.7 points and 3.5 rebounds in 19.3 minutes per game. Hurt has made 38.1 percent of his three-point shots.
DJ Jeffries (Memphis): The only player to decommit from UK in John Calipari’s decade-plus with the program, Jeffries instead chose to play for his Nike league coach, Penny Hardaway. The forward — ranked No. 52 nationally in 2019 — is averaging 14.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. He’s come off the bench in all six of Memphis’ games, but Jeffries leads the team in playing time with 25.8 minutes per game.
Oscar Tshiebwe (West Virginia): Another former UK frontcourt target that ended up elsewhere, Tshiebwe is averaging 12.5 points and 9.8 rebounds in 22.5 minutes per game. His rebounding average is second nationally — behind only Kofi Cockburn — among freshmen who have played all season. Tshiebwe was the No. 31 recruit in the 2019 class.
Kentucky basketball stars
The recruiting class of 2019 was seen as a stellar one for in-state prospects, but the Kentucky high school players at the top of the rankings in that group haven’t seen much time on the court.
Louisville Trinity guard David Johnson — the No. 82 recruit nationally — made his debut for hometown U of L last week after sitting the first few games with a shoulder injury.
The next three players in the in-state rankings — University Heights guard KyKy Tandy (Xavier), Pendleton County wing Dontaie Allen (Kentucky), and Walton-Verona forward Dieonte Miles (Xavier) — have all been on the sidelines.
Tandy is out with a stress fracture in his foot, though he did participate in Xavier’s pregame warm-ups Sunday night. Allen is still recovering from a torn ACL suffered last December, and he’s expected to be cleared to start practice soon. Miles — a high-upside frontcourt player — will redshirt this season. “Dieonte has a chance to be a special player and this extra year of development will do wonders for him,” Xavier Coach Travis Steele said recently.
11th Region standouts
In addition to those four in-state recruits, there were three local players who were much celebrated throughout their high school careers: Isaiah Cozart (Madison Central), Michael Moreno (Scott County) and Kyle Rode (Lexington Christian).
Cozart — the state’s all-time leader in blocked shots — is averaging 1.2 points and 1.6 rebounds in 3.8 minutes per game for Western Kentucky.
Eastern Kentucky is taking a conservative approach to Moreno’s return to the court after he broke his foot twice in the past year. He’s averaging 6.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in 13.3 minutes through seven games, and he scored 14 points and made four three-pointers against UK in Rupp Arena this month.
Rode is at Liberty University, where he’s averaging 9.1 points and 3.6 rebounds in 27.4 minutes per game. He’s 11-for-27 from three-point range (40.7 percent).
NBA Draft stock
Recruits from the 2019 class dominate the early prospect rankings for next year’s NBA Draft. Here’s a rundown of the 2019 recruits projected as first-round picks, according to the latest ESPN Top 100 rankings:
James Wiseman (No. 1), Anthony Edwards (No. 2), LaMelo Ball (No. 3), Cole Anthony (No. 4), RJ Hampton (No. 5), Nico Mannion (No. 7), Tyrese Maxey (No. 8), Jaden McDaniels (No. 9), Isaiah Stewart (No. 12), Scottie Lewis (No. 13), Memphis’ Precious Achiuwa (No. 15), Arizona’s Josh Green (No. 16), Kahlil Whitney (No. 17), Matthew Hurt (No. 18), Louisiana State’s Trendon Watford (No. 19), Auburn’s Isaac Okoro (No. 21), Florida State’s Patrick Williams (No. 22), Zeke Nnaji (No. 25) and Duke’s Wendell Moore (No. 29).
This story was originally published November 25, 2019 at 7:52 AM.
