Once the news hit late Saturday evening that potential NBA Lottery selection Terrence Jones has decided to return to the University of Kentucky for his sophomore campaign, I’ll admit that I selfishly grinned in anticipation of just how good next year’s Wildcats team will be. Despite getting bad news earlier in the week that last season’s leading scorer Brandon Knight will remain in the 2011 NBA Draft, getting back Jones and fellow star sophomore Doron Lamb in addition to fielding another #1 rated recruiting class should make Kentucky a pre-season Top 5 selection heading into the 2011-2012 season.
I applaud Jones for turning down potentially millions of guaranteed money to return to Lexington to hone his skills and even potentially do what a number of one-and-done Calipari recruits like Rose, Wall, and Cousins have failed to do in their lone season under the coach, contending for a National Championship. Long known for being the NCAA’s prized recruiter, Calipari has taken 3 teams to a Final Four, although the first 2 have since been vacated. He now gets the chance to prove he belongs among his coaching contemporaries when it comes to winning a championship with the return of a talented core of experienced players to help guide the usual uber talented freshmen we are used to.
After a tremendous run in this past year’s SEC and NCAA Tournaments, highlighted by game-winning shots and key defensive stops, it absolutely makes sense for Brandon Knight to go pro. The Wildcat’s floor general led the team in scoring(17.3 ppg) and assists(4.2 ast) and established himself as an elite long range shooter. After a shaky start, Knight came on strong down the stretch and is projected in most Mock Drafts as a surefire Top 6 selection in the upcoming NBA Draft.
Instead of risking injury and considering the fact top rated PG prospect Marquis Teague will be arriving on campus this summer, it was the right time for Knight to move on. It also deserves mention that contrary to the belief that most Kentucky players blow off school and only play for Cal in an attempt to accelerate their pro careers, it’s been well documented that Brandon has been model student with a 4.0 average during his time in Lexington.
As a fellow Top 10 rated HS player prior to last season, Terrence Jones followed the opposite path of Knight. He started the year on fire, regularly dunking over defenders and ranking among the nation’s Top 10 in scoring and rebounding as opposing bigs were dumbfounded as to how to defend the talented big man. But down as SEC play began and opposing coaches figured out that he likes to go left and is still a work in progress inside the paint, Jones at times disappeared in games and could be seen in heated discussions with Calipari on the sidelines.
To his credit, he played a supporting role to the hot shooting Knight in the postseason, riding the wave all the way to the Final Four. He did average 15.7 points, and SEC leading 8.8 rebounds, to go along with nearly 2 blocks per contest. He did set the Kentucky record for scoring by a freshman by hitting for 35 points in a game but could clearly use another year of seasoning to ensure he not only makes it to the NBA but stays there as a potential prime time player. Similar to Knight, Terrence also was projected as a Top 10 player in the Draft but has a much higher ceiling as he has been compared to everyone from Josh Smith, to Antonio McDyess(before the injuries), and even the “next” Tracy McGrady because of his still untapped potential.
Check out Brandon Knight’s 2010-2011 Season Highlights:
Check out Terrence Jones 2010-2011 Season Mixtape:
Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen also provides content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, in addition to being a tenured NBA and NCAA columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.
