2012 Off-Season Report: Kentucky Wildcats

The Off-Season Report is a new series here on Busting Brackets, where we catch up with with a writer of a specific team and discuss what’s taken thus far in the off-season. You can check out all the pieces in the series by clicking here. Our series rolls on with Paul Jordan of Wildcat Blue Nation, as we discuss an eventful off-season thus far for the defending national champion Kentucky Wildcats.

BustingBrackets.com: I think we know where we have to start here. John Calipari delivered a national championship to Lexington for the first time since 1998. As a fan, can you describe what it was like to watch the clock hit zero on the night of the national title game?

Paul Jordan: I guess numbness and relief is the best way to describe it, and then celebration set in. It was like a dream or something and I was watching it from afar. I know this sounds melodramatic but for a Kentucky fan, 14 years is an eternity to wait. I was in the (then called) Suncoast Dome in St. Pete when we beat Duke in 1998 for our third straight Final Four and remember the feeling that we would never be down again. Well, the program declined, but Calipari has brought the feeling that we will never be down again as long as he is there. It’s been a month and the euphoria has not faded. I live in Florida and I get crazy people driving up to me everyday honking and pointing at the UK stickers on my car or yelling “Go Cats”. The BBN is crazy.

BB: Where would you rank Anthony Davis in terms of the best players to ever play for the Wildcats?

PJ: Wow. Ever? I have to say top 10. That sounds horrible for a player of his stature, but we have names like Riley, Issel, Mashburn, Bowie, Chapman, Givens, and even Wall and Cousins. I do think that Davis is one of the most impactful players ever at UK and we are running a poll on the site to decide who the most impactful players are … but best ever? I think I have to go with Jamal Mashburn but Davis is in the conversation. A lot of people think that this front court of AD, Jones, and MKG were the best ever, but I would love t see them play against our frontcourt 30 years ago of Sam Bowie, Melvin Turpin, and Kenny Walker.

BB: Do you think all the players that left early (Davis, Kidd-Gilchrist, Jones, and Teague) made the right decision?

PJ: I do. I think for Davis, Kidd-Gilchrist, and Jones, it was a no brainer, although I hear that MKG very nearly returned. Also, most people thought Doron Lamb would leave last year. After his national title game, he beame a no brainer as well. As for Teague? I was on the fence with him, but his brother is in the NBA and is a pretty good judge of if he was ready, but You can argue both ways on him. There certainly is not any Daniel Orton type debate on these guys in the BBN. We support their decisions, but it would have been nice for another year.

BB: Let’s talk about this stellar incoming recruiting class. First off, Nerlens Noel. Can he make the type of impact that Davis made during his freshman year?

PJ: He can make half the impact of Davis and still be freshman of the year, but from everything I have seen, Noel is the real deal. Like Davis, his intiital impact will be on defense, but he will average a double double. It’s hard to imagine that he could break Davis’s block record after just one year, but he seems to be ahead of Davis as a shot blocker in HS. Some have said, he could be a top shot blocker in the pros right now. I think parts of NEol’s game is ahead of Davis as Noel is used to being a big man. Remember AD was a 6’3 guard two and a half years ago being recruited by Cleveland State. But I expect Noel to live up to the hype and he will make a huge impact.

BB: What about Alex Poythress, Willie Cauley, and Archie Goodwin? What do you see each of their roles being in year one?

PJ: Alex Poythress will be a beast. I think the talent level between he and Shabazz Muhammad has shrunk a good bit and I would say Poythress is better than Muhammad all around, when you factor in defensive ability. Shabazz is the better scorer, but Poythress much better on the defensive end. You can put Poythress’s name in ink as the SF right now and next to Noel, he will have the most impact. Willie Cauley is solid and will likely back up Noel and get minutes. He is more of a three year player, but the upside on him is huge. Kid was a seven foot WR in football and a good one, too. He is a very versatile athlete. I’ve heard Archie Goodwin called the best Calipari guard next to John Wall. That is huge praise, but his upside is huge. He can play the point some and he can score. I think he is a bit underrated in the rankings and he sits at like 13.

BB: Despite the high turnover in players, would you say the Wildcats are the favorite to repeat next season given all the great talent coming in?

PJ: Well, right now, we are ranked in the top four by most preseason polls and we have not filled out our roster yet. If we can add Amile Jefferson, we can move to number one preseason. Also, we could add Torrian Graham, who is still uncommitted. There is going to be a lot of shuffling the rest of the signing period and I expect UK to add 1-2 more players.

That said, there is no dominate team next year in college basketball. I know it will make them mad, but I think that Indiana and Louisville are a bit overrated next year and they are 1-2. Nothing against them, but I don’t see either as a dominate team. Kentucky won’t be as dominate as it will take us a few months to hit our stride. We don’t have the luxury of Darius Miller, Jones, and Lamb returning. This is Calipari’s biggest rebuilding job — remember that John Wall team had Patrick Patterson –but if we can land Bennett or Jefferson, we go into the season as the favorite. Keep in mind, being a favorite is where the pollsters think they will be in April … not November.

A huge thanks to Paul for taking the time to chat about the defending national champs with us. Be sure to check out WildcatBlueNation.com for all your UK basketball needs, and follow him on Twitter @WildcatBlueNatn!