Oscar Tshiebwe gives UK a solid inside presence. (UK Athletics Photo)
About a month ago it looked like Kentucky might have its choice of Illinois transfer Kofi Cockburn or high school sensation Jalen Duren. Cockburn was viewed as the top name in the transfer portal and overall probably the best returning center in college basketball. Duren is seen as a potential No. 1 overall NBA draft pick.
However, Kentucky didn’t get either one of them. Cockburn decided to stay put at Illinois — even though former Illinois assistants Orlando Antigua and Chin Coleman are both now at Kentucky. Word spread that UK had opted not to really pursue Cockburn that hard in the end and the consensus was that Duren seemed likely to be UK-bound.
Duren did reclassify from the 2022 to 2021 recruiting class but Friday he committed to Memphis, not Kentucky.
So that means UK will go into the season counting on West Virginia transfer Oscar Tshiebwe to provide scoring, rebounding and defense in the middle.
While some UK fans fret that the Cats needed one of the two bigs that got away, ESPN analyst Seth Greenberg — a former college head coach and friend of UK coach John Calipari — has a different view.
“I think it is good,” Greenberg said about UK not getting Cockburn or Duren. “I am not sure either one of those guys …. they could have potentially impacted chemistry.”
Tshiebwe transferred to Kentucky to play more than 10-12 minutes per game. Cockburn and/or Duren would have been the same way. It would have been hard to get adequate playing time for Tshiebwe and either Cockburn or Duren.
“Duren is a really interesting talent but he is not a finished product,” Greenberg said. “I just don’t think you could have played two of those guys together.”
Greenberg believes Tshiebwe could be even better than some are expecting.
“He is an elite rebounder and a better shooter than many people think,” Greenberg said. “The guy can rebound the hell out of it. He can finish and score around the basket. He has a lot of toughness and can clear out space. He has to improve his passing a little bit but he’s really a good player.”
10 Responses
So with this team that we have do we have a chance of getting to the final four or maybe winning number nine
Definitely think Cats have a great chance
Do you think where and top and will contribute in our front court this year and with the big man that we do have do we have a chance to get to the final four or maybe win a number nine I know we will have some really really good guards that don’t bother me
Larry, I echo your statement. It looks good on paper and it will show on the court too. There’s to much upside in this team compare to last 3-5 years teams that we’ve had in my opinion.
Cats79, what are you saying about the last 5 teams?
I was saying this team will have more balance comparing to last 3-5 years teams. We got experience, dept, and will have more fire power that we haven’t seen in awhile.
Kion Brooks will be the man, he will have a great year and be a first round NBA pick, when it is all said and done.
Cats79, that is what I have been saying about the quality of play that we have seen in recent years. You cite experience, depth, and fire power. Those factors work to reduce the quality of play and the competitiveness of the team. You cite 3 to 5 years, and I believe the decline began in 2016 and continued through the 2021 season. The 2021 team was clearly the weakest of the lot over that span, but 2020 was weaker than 2019, and I believe 2018 was weaker than 2016, and over the course of those 6 seasons, the program has been in a steady, discernible slide.
I agree that the depth, experience, and fire power as you put it are the primary reasons for this slide.
I hope that Calipari has realized this and is intent on correcting this starting with the upcoming team. I hope that the 2021-22 team will be a final four team, and a legitimate contender for #9. However, given the recent history, I am from Missouri on this one, and they will have to show me that they have what it takes to make a real run at #9.
That pre-covid team was excellent, they had a chance to cut down the nets, max and quickly, great free throw shooting team, excellent defensively.
Yes they did Brett