Wilkins, Flattered by Comparisons, Working Hard to Reach Goals
Earlier this summer, Kentucky men’s basketball head coach Mark Pope raised a few eyebrows with a comment he made about sophomore transfer Alex Wilkins.
Speaking to the UK Sports Network, Pope was asked to describe Wilkins in a couple of words. His answer – “SGA vibes”.
Yes, Pope was comparing Wilkins to former Kentucky standout Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who happens to be the two-time defending NBA Most Valuable Player.
On Thursday, Wilkins met the UK media for the first time, and he talked about Pope comparing him to Gilgeous-Alexander.
“I mean, that’s the best player in the world, in my opinion,” Wilkins said. “So, that’s high praise, a lot of expectation.”
While he doesn’t believe he’s on that level right now, Wilkins has a level of confidence that he hopes can carry him to that lofty perch one day.
“I think I can get to that point,” Wilkins said. “That’s how confident I am, but we’ll see what people say when they see it on the court.”
Wilkins will take the comparison to SGA, but he says he also sees a couple of other NBA players in his game.
“I feel like, for my game, I’ve got a couple of shades,” Wilkins said. “Darius Garland, one of my really big-time players. Kyrie Irving, stuff like that. I’m not going to say that I’m Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the best player in the world right now.”
As a freshman at Furman last season, Wilkins led the Paladins in scoring, averaging 17.8 points per game and in assists, at 4.7 per outing. He made 65 three-point baskets and tied for the team lead with 27 steals.
Wilkins and Furman got hot at the right time, winning three consecutive games to claim the Southern Conference Tournament title and an NCAA Tournament bid. There, the Paladins went toe-to-toe with UConn before falling 82-71. Wilkins tied for the team lead with 21 points in that game.
During his recruiting process, Wilkins was definitely attracted to Kentucky because of the history and the prestige. But he also looked forward to playing in Pope’s offensive scheme.
“Pope’s offense is one of the greats,” Wilkins said. “Everybody talks about it. Having Milan (Momcilovic) and having Malachi (Moreno) and Zoom (Diallo) and all of these guys around me and being around them is going to be really cool, just to be able to have a really skillful offense.”
Wilkins was asked about his relationship with Pope since he arrived on campus.
“He has a ton of trust in me and a ton of love for me,” Wilkins said. “He thinks I can be really good. You always want to play for a coach who has a lot of trust in you and a lot of belief in you. So, I’m excited.”
Wilkins figures to be a key cog on the UK team this season, even if he’s not SGA.
