Fox, Monk Living up to Lofty Expectations

As far as first impressions go, Briscoe’s first look at De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk told him everything he needed to know.

“I don’t think Malik missed a shot,” Briscoe said.

But then when Coach Cal was able to begin installing basic drills and a foundation for the season, Briscoe’s eyes began to widen. Immediately, after the first day, he realized Kentucky was a complete team. The Wildcats had bigs and guards. They were fast, they could do it all.

But it was one play during the summer that showed Briscoe all he needed to see.

“I remember like the first drill we did we were scrimmaging against the other team and I think Bam (Adebayo) got the rebound, outlet it to me at half court, I think I dished it up to Fox and then Fox threw an alley-oop up to Malik,” Briscoe said. “It was just like that. The ball didn’t touch the ground. Then we all just looked around and started smiling at each other like, ‘Yo, OK, we see what we can do this year.’ It showed.”

The final two pieces in that play, Fox and Monk, had been scheming up this potential display before even arriving in the Bluegrass.

Fox, the Gatorade High School Player of the Year in the state of Texas, and Monk, the Gatorade High School Player of the Year in the state of Arkansas, were both top-10 ranked prospects in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index.

They competed against each other in the Jordan Brand Classic in April, and shared MVP honors. Fox scored a game-high 23 points. Monk finished with 22. They were the only two players in the game to top the 20-point plateau.

The idea of Fox, arguably the fastest high school prospect in the country who had garnered comparisons to former Wildcat great John Wall, and Monk, arguably the most athletic high school prospect in the country and had been the subject of Russell Westbrook comps, was dizzying.

“We talked about it,” said Monk of the idea of playing with Fox in college. “We really didn’t know it was going to happen, but we talked about it. I’m just happy it happened.”

So is head coach John Calipari.

The two players’ freshman seasons have lived up to lofty expectations. Monk has scored more points in a single season by a UK freshman and in a single game. His 742 points (and counting) this season topped Jamal Murray’s 720 points scored one season earlier. His 47 points against North Carolina on Dec. 17, who the Wildcats will face again Sunday (5:05 p.m. ET on CBS) for a trip to the Final Four, put his name on the national map.

“He hits tough shots,” Fox said of Monk. “When his shot’s going, literally he can close his eyes and he can throw it up there and it’s going to go in. That game, the way he did, that’s just something that’s tough to do. Looking away from that, when he’s not scoring he’s defending. Before this year, like he said, he never played defense in his life.”

De’Aaron Fox is coming off a 39-point effort against UCLA in the Sweet 16 that gave him the highest scoring game by a freshman in NCAA Tournament history. On Nov. 28, he became the second player in Kentucky history, and the first since 1988, to record a triple-double when he had 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists against Arizona State.

“He can score whenever and he can pass the ball,” Monk said of Fox. “It’s hard to guard him. He’s been knocking down shots. His jumper has gotten way more consistent now. He’s knocking down jumpers and stuff like that now. He’s just hard to guard at all three levels.”

Now, the two freshman dynamos prepare to lead the Wildcats, the youngest team in the NCAA Tournament, against a veteran North Carolina team. It’s the type of matchup that Monk has said the two of them came to Kentucky to play in: “to play the best teams and have the best moments.”

And whether it’s Fox or Monk who has the better game against the Tar Heels, if Kentucky is going to advance to its 18th Final Four, the common belief is that one or both of the guards will need to play a major role.

“He’s not selfish; I’m not selfish,” Monk said. “Whoever is on at one point we can give each other the ball and if the defense is locked in on me he can go get 30 like he did, or if the defense is locked in on him I can do what I gotta do.”