Sophomore Terrence Jones is rated the nation’s top power forward by Rivals.com. (Britney McIntosh, UK Athletics)
With the start of the college basketball right around the corner, Rivals.com has ranked the top 20 players in the nation at each position. John Calipari has a player on each of the lists and, in fact, none of the five is ranked lower than ninth.Not too shabby, huh? Let’s take a look.Power forward1. Terrence Jones (6-9/252, Soph.), KentuckyJones’ 25-point, 12- rebound performance in his Kentucky debut may have set the tone for the rest of his career. He averaged 15.7 points and 8.8 rebounds last season and will team with freshmen Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to give Kentucky one of the nation’s top frontcourts this season.Center 2. Anthony Davis (6-10/220, Fr.), KentuckyDavis averaged 32 points, 22 rebounds and 7 blocks as a senior at Chicago’s Perspectives Charter. He was a finalist for the Naismith and Morgan Wootten national high school player of the year awards. He could provide the same type of impact Sullinger made in his freshman season.Small forward5. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (6-7/232, Fr.), KentuckyRated as the No. 3 prospect in the 2011 recruiting class, Kidd-Gilchrist was one of five finalists for the Naismith and Morgan Wootten national high school player of the year awards. He averaged 20.2 points and 11.0 rebounds last season for Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick.Point guard5. Marquis Teague (6-2/189, Fr.), KentuckyRated as the No. 5 overall prospect in the 2011 recruiting class, Teague should continue Kentucky coach John Calipari’s tradition of outstanding freshman point guards. The former Indianapolis Pike star was one of five finalists for the Naismith Award given annually to the nation’s top high school player.Shooting guard9. Doron Lamb (6-4/210, Soph.), KentuckyLamb made 14 starts and averaged 12.3 points per game as a freshman. Lamb is deadly from long range, as he went 68-of-140 (.486) from 3-point land last season.The amazing thing is that one of the five Cats recognized by Rivals might not even start because of the presence of UK’s most experienced player, Darius Miller, who could merit a mention in these rankings as the season progresses.