The team loses three players who saw meaningful playing time (Dez, Smot and Pack).
As of now, we have four new guys joining the team (Bender, Brantley, Carter, and Stone,
and as Scott pointed out this morning, we're still in the mix for Damion Lee. Should he become a terp, that's a net addition of 2 who will be competing for playing time. Plus, there is the
anticipated (freshman to sophomore) improvement for Cheko, Dodd, Nickens, and Wiley, and
they'll all want more minutes.
I'm not a John Calipari fan at all, but I admire how he was able to get so many talented players
to subordinate their personal stats and egos for the ultimate benefit of the team. With 6 - 7
guys leaving Kentucky now for the NBA draft, one could say it definitely didn't hurt their stock.
While most of the talk in the wake of Lee graduating from Drexel has been whether Maryland
could be his next landing spot, there has been virtually no talk whatsoever about Ivan Bender.
Sure, he's coming off a serious injury, but Turge must have seen something in his game
to warrant offering a scholarship. Can you imagine how scary this team will be if Bender's leg
holds up and he turns out to be a better version of Evan Smotrycz and makes a meaning
contribution this upcoming season?
This post was edited on 4/9 1:57 PM by Pikesville
As of now, we have four new guys joining the team (Bender, Brantley, Carter, and Stone,
and as Scott pointed out this morning, we're still in the mix for Damion Lee. Should he become a terp, that's a net addition of 2 who will be competing for playing time. Plus, there is the
anticipated (freshman to sophomore) improvement for Cheko, Dodd, Nickens, and Wiley, and
they'll all want more minutes.
I'm not a John Calipari fan at all, but I admire how he was able to get so many talented players
to subordinate their personal stats and egos for the ultimate benefit of the team. With 6 - 7
guys leaving Kentucky now for the NBA draft, one could say it definitely didn't hurt their stock.
While most of the talk in the wake of Lee graduating from Drexel has been whether Maryland
could be his next landing spot, there has been virtually no talk whatsoever about Ivan Bender.
Sure, he's coming off a serious injury, but Turge must have seen something in his game
to warrant offering a scholarship. Can you imagine how scary this team will be if Bender's leg
holds up and he turns out to be a better version of Evan Smotrycz and makes a meaning
contribution this upcoming season?
This post was edited on 4/9 1:57 PM by Pikesville
