UK Signee De’Aaron Fox Named Naismith Awards Finalist

ATLANTA – Kentucky men’s basketball signee De’Aaron Fox, one of the premier high school scorers in the country, has been named one of five finalists for the Naismith Awards Boy’s High School Player of the Year. The Atlanta Tipoff Club made the announcement Wednesday.

The winner of the Naismith Awards Boy’s High School Player of the Year will be announced March 10. The All-American Teams will be revealed March 8.

Fox is enjoying one of the best high school basketball seasons in the country during his senior season at Cypress Lakes High School in Katy, Texas. He’s scored 30 or more points in 17 games this season, 40 or more six times and even hit the 50-point mark earlier this month.

Fox is rated as high as No. 2 overall in the rankings by 247Sports. Scout ranks him at No. 4, Rivals has him at No. 5 and ESPN tabs him No. 7. Scout and 247Sports both rank the five-star prospect as the No. 1 point guard in the talented 2016 group. He participated in the 2015 USA Basketball Junior National Team minicamp and made the 2015-16 USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team in September.

He’s part of the nation’s consensus top-ranked 2016 signing class that will join the Wildcats in the fall.

When UK head coach John Calipari announced the signings in fall 2015, Calipari raved about Fox’s speed, scoring ability, passing ability and defensive prowess. 

“The intangible that I really loved is that every player wants to play with him,” Calipari said at the time. “The whole class wants him to be the guard on the team. When I found out how much they loved him, I nicknamed him ‘the General’ because they all want to play for him.”

For the latest on the Kentucky men’s basketball team, follow @KentuckyMBB on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and on the web at UKathletics.com.