July 23, 1999
A roster that includes eight freshmen and sophomores usuallygives a head coach fits when he considers the upcoming season. AtKentucky, it?s status quo.
?Yikes!? Coach Tubby Smith shrilled when asked his reaction to asquad loaded with teen sensations for the 1999-00 season.
With the loss of three seniors and two transfers from the 1999?Elite Eight? team, Coach Smith is assigned the agonizing task ofbottling an abundance of youthful enthusiasm into a solution that cancompete for a national title.
?It makes you nervous,? Coach Smith said, ?because you know theonly way these guys can get experience is to play.?
Coach Smith got a jump on job one — experience — last seasonwhen three of the five sophomores saw significant action.
Tayshaun Prince is the squad?s second-leading returning scorerand rebounder. The slender swingman, who has grown an inch to 6-9,averaged 20.2 minutes an outing while tallying 5.8 points and 3.8rebounds per contest. Guard Desmond Allison, who started the last 17games, averaged 15.4 minutes and 4.7 points per game. And forward JulesCamara earned 11.2 minutes per game while averaging 4.4 points and 3.2rebounds.
?Going to the final eight and winning the (SoutheasternConference) Tournament helps them understand that they can wintournaments and big games,? Smith said of his three one-year veterans.?And they all played in a lot of games because we knew they?d need thatexperience.?
Prince and Camara played in all 37 games. Allison played in 36.
The returning upperclassmen total two. Jamaal Magloire, whoventured into the NBA waters to test his skills against those in the ?99Draft, decided to return for his senior season in hopes of leading theWildcats to another national title while becoming a lottery pick nextsummer.
?What comes first is definitely the team,? Magloire said when heannounced his return in June. ?I would like to accomplish anothernational championship, and the potential on this team is somewhat scaryin what we can do next year.?
Magloire has played in 112 games during his three seasons at UK,needing 39 more to tie ex-teammate Wayne Turner?s NCAA record of 151games played. Last season, he played well down the stretch and finishedthe year averaging 7.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. With thetransfer of starter Michael Bradley to Villanova, Magloire?s return isinvaluable.
?His aggressiveness will be a big plus for our team, and we?llbe counting on him to step up and be a leader of the squad,? Coach Smithsaid. ?Hopefully, his aggressive quality will rub off on the youngerguys.?
Another key contributor to UK?s fortunes will be Saul Smith. The6-2 son of the head coach is likely to assume point guard duties fromhis mentor, the departed Wayne Turner. Smith is the only returningjunior, now that Bradley has left along with guard Ryan Hogan, whotransferred to Iowa.
?It?s tough when you lose guys like Ryan and Mike who weremature and experienced. It?s a setback after you?ve put two years intotheir careers and you?re expecting them to really step to the forefrontas juniors,? Coach Smith said. ?But the five sophomores and Saul havebeen in our system, they?re young men my staff recruited, and they?reready to step up to the challenge.?
The younger Smith is picking up extra playing time this summeras UK?s representative on the SEC All-Star team that will tour Japan inAugust.
?It?s a great opportunity for Saul, not only to play, but to getthe chance to practice against a guy like (Auburn?s) Doc Robinsoneveryday,? Coach Smith said. ?And for Coach (John) Brady and Coach (Rod)Barnes to request that Saul make the trip, shows their respect for hisabilities and it should give him a lot of confidence as well.?
With three experienced sophomores returning alongside Smith andMagloire, the nucleus of the squad begins to take shape.
?Team chemistry will be a key,? Smith said. ?If they can meshtogether — our young guys with our couple of ?old? guys — and grow upand understand the team concept, we?ll be fine. And the guys wee havebrought in should understand that, because they come from programs thatare considered some of the top prep programs in the nation.? The Squad
?This team is more athletic and more versatile,? Coach Smithresponded, when asked to compare this roster with his previous ones atUK.
Out front for the Cats is the jet-quick Saul Smith, who beginshis third year in a UK uniform. He has seen action in 76 games, playingboth guard positions, and is considered a solid shooter from beyond thearc. Smith and sophomore J.P. Blevins will try to replace Turner, avaluable penetrator who played in an NCAA-record 151 games. Blevinsplayed sparingly last season, but is a good ballhandler and a threatfrom three-point range.
Allison returns at shooting guard where he finished the seasonas the starter. The athletic two-guard proved he was a shooter and ascorer — he scored 10 points against fourth-ranked Auburn in the SECTournament, hitting two three-pointers — and his strength as aarebounder inside is an added bonus.
Battling for playing time at both guard positions will beMcDonald?s All-American Keith Bogans. The 6-5 freshman from prep powerDeMatha Catholic was one of the mostly highly sought-after recruits lastyear, leading DeMatha to the top of the USA Today prep rankings whileaveraging 17.9 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. A scorer, Bogans alsocan handle the ball and should provide help at point guard.
Also stepping up his playing time at shooting guard should beTodd Tackett. The sophomore from Paintsville is a pure shooter whopossesses good quickness. He filled in for his foul-plagued teammateslate in the first half against Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament, holdingthe Rebels? top scorer, Keith Carter, to one basket in the final fourminutes and helping UK battle to a 31-31 tie at halftime.
Entering his senior season, Steve Masiello, the former New YorkKnicks ballboy and UK walk-on, will receive a full scholarship. The 6-1guard has been a member of UK?s ?97 NCAA runner-up squad and its ?98NCAA title team and has played in 55 games over the last three years.The ?fans? favorite will be counted on to provide leadership on theCats? young roster.
Out on the wing for the Cats is Prince, who started 11 gamesearly last season before moving into a reserve role behind seniorHeshimu Evans. Prince played shooting guard, small and power forward,and even brought the ball up the floor against pressure. He can shootfrom long range, make the pass or drive to the rim, all while possessinga 7-foot wing span that enables him to rebound with any big man. Hecapped his freshman campaign with a near-perfect performance againstMichigan State, hitting all three of his shots from the field, includingtwo three-pointers, and all four free throws while adding two boards, ablock and an assist in 24 minutes.
Prince, Allison and Bogans will likely rotate between the twowing positions, especially with the lack of depth at small forward. Atpower forward, Camara should have the leg up on the competition thanksto his experience in ?99. Camara can shoot from outside, run the floorextremely well and dominate inside with his shot-blocking ability.
He?ll get pushed for playing time by three newcomers — freshmenMarvin Stone and Marquis Estill, and junior transfer Nate Knight. Stonejoined Bogans on the McDonald?s All-Americca team and was a finalist forthe Naismith Award, given to the nation?s top high school player. TheHuntsville native and Alabama Mr. Basketball is a stout 6-10, 268pounds, and can score inside or out.
Estill battled knee problems during his high school career,playing only 13 games as a junior before leading Madison Central to thestate tournament as a senior, despite injuring his other knee in theplayoffs. Postseason surgery on both knees has the 6-9, 273-poundforward back on the floor and ready to compete for playing time on UK?sthin front line.
Knight transferred to Kentucky from Utah Valley State College,where he averaged 14.5 points and 8.9 rebounds last year. The 6-8,220-pound forward is the younger brother of L.A. Laker Travis Knight andbegan his college career at Oregon State in 1996-97, where current UKassistant George Felton was on staff. After a Mormon mission thefollowing year, Knight played one year of junior college hoops and ledthe Scenic West Athletic Conference in rebounding. He, too, can run thefloor and possesses strong post-up moves.
Knight, Estill and Camara will have chances to play in themiddle for the Wildcats as well, but only as reserves for the ?BigCanadian.? Magloire?s return for his final season helps plug the holeleft by Bradley?s departure. Magloire backed up Bradley last season butoutplayed the starter down the stretch. He?s the only true center lefton the roster, and the minutes, along with the paint, should belong tothe senior. Magloire has already established himself as one of the topshot-blockers of all-time at UK and with an improving offensive game,could become the Wildcats? next All-American.
Coach Smith will need Magloire?s leadership, and abilities, ashe molds his 12 players into title contenders against a schedule thatwill rank among the nation?s toughest.
The Cats begin play in the Preseason NIT against Penn, an NCAATournament qualifier last season. The 16-team field is loaded with Utah,Maryland, New Mexico State, Arizona and Notre Dame.
UK?s non-conference slate also includes home games withLouisville and Michigan State, road games at Maryland and Miami (Fla.)as well as games in Louisville against Georgia Tech and in Indianapolisagainst Indiana.
With a highly competitive SEC this season, UK could face as manyas 17 NCAA Tournament qualifiers in the coming campaign.
A tough task?
?This schedule will be a great challenge for a young team,? UKathletics director C.M. Newton said.
As Magloire stated, the Cats? potential is ?scary.? But so isits schedule.
