LEXINGTON, Ky. — The University of Kentucky’s men’s basketball roster continued to take shape Tuesday evening with the announcement that forward Jacob Toppin would return for a third season with the Wildcats in 2022-23.
Toppin entered his name in the 2022 NBA draft after this past season, went through the process of receiving feedback from professional teams, and decided to stick around at UK for additional seasoning.
Toppin will be a key component of what is shaping up to be a veteran roster. Oscar Tshiebwe, Sahvir Wheeler, Lance Ware, Daimion Collins and CJ Fredrick will also be back from this past season’s team and will be joined by veteran transfer Antonio Reeves. The Wildcats will welcome three freshmen in Chris Livingston, Adou Thiero and Cason Wallace.
In announcing his intention to play for Kentucky next season, Toppin tweeted boldly.
“I’m coming back with big goals in mind,” he said on his Twitter account. “It’s time for NINE!”
He punctuated the tweet, which presumably meant a ninth national championship for Kentucky, with a heart emoji.
Toppin, a 6-foot-9 forward from Brooklyn, N.Y., was not heavily recruited out of high school. Rated as a two-star prospect, he played for Rhode Island as a freshman. He averaged 5.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 18.5 minutes.
Toppin has posted remarkably consistent numbers in his three college seasons. His scoring averages for UK were 5.2 and 6.2 points. His rebound averages were 3.5 and 3.2. His playing time averages were 17.2 and 17.8 minutes.
The high point of 2021-22 for Toppin came at LSU when he scored a season-high 14 points and equaled a career-high eight rebounds.
Toppin also contributed to Kentucky’s regular-season victories over two eventual Final Four teams: seven points and five rebounds against North Carolina and 11 points in 11 minutes at Kansas.
The younger brother of former college Player of the Year Obi Toppin, he had the highest vertical leap on the Kentucky team last season at 42 1/2 inches.
As a college player, Toppin has scored 455 points in 83 games.
In this year’s SEC tournament quarterfinals, Toppin provided a spark that helped Kentucky beat Vanderbilt. Besides scoring 10 points, he blocked three shots. One of the blocks was a memorable leaping swat off the backboard in the first half that changed the momentum in Kentucky’s favor.
“What he did for us on defense was phenomenal,” teammate TyTy Washington said after the game. “He brings that for us every game. He’s always rebounding. He’s just an energy guy for us.”
Toppin left the court after breaking his nose against Vandy. He wore a mask upon returning to the court and in Kentucky’s subsequent losses to Tennessee the next day and against Saint Peter’s in the NCAA Tournament.
More than once, UK coach John Calipari spoke of Toppin’s ability to guard all five positions and be effective on offense either around the basket or on the perimeter.
Toppin announced in mid-April that he would enter this year’s NBA draft. He also said he would keep alive the option of playing another college season.
As he has done with all the announcements, Calipari voiced support.
“I think Jacob is making a good decision for him and his family by using the resources that the NCAA allows. I’m in full support of Jacob’s desire to explore his options,” Calipari said in a news release. “Jacob is as athletic as any player who I’ve coached and has really begun to come into his own on the court. He has all of the tools to be successful in this game, but his willingness to share and be a great teammate is a difference maker.”
During his two seasons for Kentucky, Toppin has become known as a defensive stopper, an example of the next-man-up philosophy espoused by Calipari and an athletically gifted player who could contribute in multiple ways.
