LEXINGTON, Ky. — For college basketball, these days the offseason is the big season, the time when players come and go, when rosters need either an “Under Construction” or “Pardon Our Mess” sign. Or both.
Take the Kentucky Wildcats. After a so-so 22-12 season ended with that second-round NCAA Tournament loss to Kansas State, Kentucky basketball news has experienced the drip-drip-drip of what they used to list under “transactions” on the agate page.
Sahvir Wheeler entered the transfer portal. Cason Wallace and Jacob Toppin entered the NBA draft. Chris Livingston, Antonio Reeves and Oscar Tshiebwe entered the NBA draft while retaining the option to play college basketball next season. Somewhere. Ugonna Onyenso entered the transfer portal before removing his name a week later.
Then this past week, both CJ Fredrick and Daimion Collins entered the transfer portal.
The Collins news was no real surprise. Since season’s end, there had been speculation that the 6-foot-10 sophomore would transfer in hopes of relocating closer to his Atlanta, Texas, home. After all, Collins lost his father right before the start of the season. Being closer to his family makes sense.
The situation was unfortunate, most of all for the death of Collins’ father, Ben, who was only 43 years old and in Lexington to help out his son. The loss had to affect Collins, a shy kid from a small Texas town with length and potential talent coaches crave.
Collins ended up averaging 1.9 points and 1.9 rebounds in 25 games this past campaign. He averaged 7.9 minutes, a tick above the 7.5 he played as a freshman. In the preseason, Collins was considered a key to UK’s fortunes. Down the stretch, he played 22 minutes in UK’s final five games.
The same could be said of Fredrick, the former Covington Catholic star who started 52 of 52 games his first two seasons at Iowa before transferring to Kentucky. His return home did not go as planned. Fredrick could never quite catch a break.
A preseason leg injury caused the 6-3 guard to miss the entire 2021-22 season. This year, a series of injuries — from a hand injury to cracked ribs — limited him to 27 of UK’s 34 games. He started 15 and averaged 22.2 minutes. After averaging 10.2 points as a freshman and 7.5 points as a sophomore at Iowa, Fredrick averaged 6.1 per game this past season.
Moreover, the injuries affected Fredrick’s shooting. He shot 46.1% from 3 his first year in Iowa City; 47.4 the second. At Kentucky, Fredrick was 34 for 107 from behind the arc for 31.8%. After suffering a cracked rib against Florida on Feb. 4, Fredrick was 2 for 13 from three the remainder of the season.
Who might replace these departing pieces? John Calipari has the five incoming freshmen that comprise the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class. He’ll need more to fill out the roster, however. And the portal is already in overdrive with prospects taking the on and exit ramps every day.
Reports have former Michigan center Hunter Dickinson making a visit to UK’s campus. The 7-1 center averaged 18.5 points and 9.0 rebounds last year as the Wolverines finished a disappointing 18-16. Questions exist about how Dickinson would fit the Calipari system. He did average 1.8 blocked shots per game last season and made 24 of 57 3-point shots. He’s not the overly athletic type Calipari normally covets, however.
Kentucky is not the only school on Dickinson’s visit list. The Alexandria, Va., native has reportedly checked out Maryland, Georgetown and Kansas. The site 247Sports has Dickinson No. 1 on its list of uncommitted transfers.
What does this mean for Tshiebwe? From all indications, Tshiebwe’s chances of being drafted are low. His skill set doesn’t fit the current NBA game. But does that mean Oscar will return to UK? Transfer elsewhere? Or start his pro career in the G League or possibly overseas? No one knows until they know.
Same for the Kentucky basketball roster. We’ll know when we know. Until then, pardon the mess.
