Will our new Freshman Class be a contender?

[Joneslab]

That discounts any leadership that one (or more) of the freshmen might bring to the table.

John Wall. Brandon Knight. MKG. De'Aaron Fox. All leaders, all freshmen.

I could easily see Keldon Johnson stepping up if need be. Heck, if everything we've heard about him is true, he might be the alpha even among a stable of vets.

Yeah, I don't buy Kevin's argument. Because we've seen freshmen lead at Kentucky.

The only thing is whether or not these freshmen are the right freshmen. They've got to be mentally strong but also physical beasts. Beyond their age. If we have a couple who are built like our great ones in the past then we could make a run.

You do have to have a couple of vets in there for sure. If all the vets leave then I think Kevin's probably right. Most of them would be making really dumb decisions, but it could happen.

[George]

Wenyen will never play in the NBA. But he could make some money somewhere. It's just so hard for Kentucky to keep people past their sophomore year when they realize the NBA dream is probably gone, because at that point the usefulness of Kentucky basketball is essentially zeroed out.

Here comes an inevitable comment about the value of a college degree (which not everyone values).

[George]

Yeah, I don't buy Kevin's argument. Because we've seen freshmen lead at Kentucky.

The only thing is whether or not these freshmen are the right freshmen. They've got to be mentally strong but also physical beasts. Beyond their age. If we have a couple who are built like our great ones in the past then we could make a run.

You do have to have a couple of vets in there for sure. If all the vets leave then I think Kevin's probably right. Most of them would be making really dumb decisions, but it could happen.

Sure, but the basic premise of the argument? No.

Freshmen can lead.

[Joneslab]

Here comes an inevitable comment about the value of a college degree (which not everyone values).

The only thing about this is that Cal has preached getting the degree down the road. The players have a lifetime scholarship.

[Joneslab]

Sure, but the basic premise of the argument? No.

Freshmen can lead.

Agree...but I'd love to get the four returners back that it looks like we might (Vanderbilt/Washington/Richards/Quade) to give us some guys who know what the grind is like.

Vets open up your margin for error a little. Miller and Patrick Patterson and Jones and Lamb--those guys were obviously essential.

I think the balance of power can be on the freshmen, but I still doubt a team with an all-freshmen starting line-up.

I don't think this team will have that, but it easily could lack any junior or senior contributors. That makes it so that those freshmen better be ballers, and those sophomores better have improved.

[TrueblueCATfan]

IMO..we need some experience for leadership..we need for some guys to come back.....I really wish SKJ would not transfer

[KevinHall]

Until we see a freshman be a leader we don't know if any one of these guys can or not. UK had better hope there is at least one who is a very good leader. Also they have never played in an NCAA tournament game. Totally different animal when the lights are on the brightest. It helps to have a couple of players who have played major roles in a previous tournament.

[Joneslab]

Until we see a freshman be a leader we don't know if any one of these guys can or not.

This sort of goes with upperclassmen too. Just because they return doesn't make them leaders.

I saw some things with Quade that I liked as far as his ability to get guys motivated, but you never really know who the leader is.

More than leadership I think what Kentucky needs are guys who can be stable presences as the freshmen adjust. This is what helps you dodge those early-season losses you shouldn't take, and gets the team into a more cohesive state by the time league play rolls around.

Kentucky's sketchier teams have taken too many losses early on and on the road, and they've had to sort of play catch-up as the year has gone on. Statistics show that if you want to win a title then you want to be one of those teams that's at least in play for a 1 or 2 seed by Selection Sunday.

That's very hard to do for all-freshmen teams, because freshmen who are just thrown into the fire take weird losses. They can drive the bus at some point in the season but they need some stability until they learn how to play the game as fast as it is at this level. Even guys like De'Aaron and Julius Randle and Karl Towns needed that.

[Blue Heaven]

Being a coaches Son, I thought PJ would've been a natural leader. I feel he has that in him. Jumping from high school to college is a major transition.

[Joneslab]

Being a coaches Son, I thought PJ would've been a natural leader. I feel he has that in him. Jumping from high school to college is a major transition.

Think it's hard to lead when you're that inconsistent.

You never knew what you were going to get from PJ. Think one of the reasons Shai stepped up is because Shai was so even-keeled for much of the season. Always the same disposition, the same type of production.

I really hope PJ comes back and gives us his Kansas St. game (minus the free throws) every night.

[Lighthouse]

It seems like so many times we read the topic title and focus our answers there, but never answer the questions asked. I would like your thoughts on the questions asked in my original post.

[justford]

This sort of goes with upperclassmen too. Just because they return doesn't make them leaders.

I saw some things with Quade that I liked as far as his ability to get guys motivated, but you never really know who the leader is.

More than leadership I think what Kentucky needs are guys who can be stable presences as the freshmen adjust. This is what helps you dodge those early-season losses you shouldn't take, and gets the team into a more cohesive state by the time league play rolls around.

Kentucky's sketchier teams have taken too many losses early on and on the road, and they've had to sort of play catch-up as the year has gone on. Statistics show that if you want to win a title then you want to be one of those teams that's at least in play for a 1 or 2 seed by Selection Sunday.

That's very hard to do for all-freshmen teams, because freshmen who are just thrown into the fire take weird losses. They can drive the bus at some point in the season but they need some stability until they learn how to play the game as fast as it is at this level. Even guys like De'Aaron and Julius Randle and Karl Towns needed that.

Speaking of Quade, he took a bad shot at the end of the KState game but I liked his willingness to do so.

[Joneslab]

Will Quickly step right in and lead from the PG spot early, or will it be February?

Ashton Hagans will be the starting point guard assuming he reclassifies.

Will Herro shoot the percentage we expect, or will he take awhile?

Freshmen usually take awhile. The physicality necessary, the conditioning, learning where to get their shots...all that usually makes it so that there's a fairly steep learning curve with freshmen shooters.

That said, Herro is a gym rat, which counts for a lot. He also is not just a set shooter and can put the ball on the floor. I think he'll play a significant role on this coming team and would expect him to get around the same minutes that Quade got last year.

Will Montgomery step in a fill the 4 spot as expected, or will he be weak and get pushed around at 215 lbs?

If Montgomery can put the ball in the basket as some say he can he'll get on the floor. Has guard skill, which puts him ahead of where some of our other forwards are. Think he'll likely see some time in the pivot behind Richards but how much he plays will come down to how physical he likes to be and how much weight room time he puts in this summer.

Will Hagans and the others need a lot of time to play for each other, or will this team play for themselves? They look great on paper, but.....

Impossible to answer this just having seen them in high school. I like Vanderbilt (if he's healthy) on next year's team because he's such a good passer and he's a guy who's willing to try and get others involved. Think he'd be a really good fit with a team trying to blend in a lot of youth.

I also would love to see a grad transfer come in who can give us something. But whether or not Kentucky will be a legitimate Final Four contender will likely be about how good the freshmen really are, how many we return, and whether or not those returners have actually improved.

[George]

We can't really answer any of those specific questions right now. Impossible to predict whether or not Herro will shoot well, or Quickley will be a leader, when it will happen, etc. etc.

Herro's shooting should translate. The court's the same size, the hoop's still the same height, and his stroke is pure. The question is whether or not he faced any real competition in high school or played against scrubs that make his tapes look good. By all accounts he was one of the best performers in the JBC, so that's a good sign.

Quickley's good, but it's tough to predict anything about his leadership until we have a clearer idea of what the roster will look like. If Quade returns and Hagans reclassifies, IQ might have to defer to those to pretty regularly.

Montgomery hasn't been billed as a banger, so if Richards comes along, and P.J. and/or Vando are around to fill in around the basket, then Cal might finally be able to let a stretch four be a stretch four.

Will they play as a team? Probably. Little evidence so far of any Calipari team failing to come together.

But at the end of the day, all of this is pure speculation. Have to see them play before we can answer with any accuracy.

[Lighthouse]

^^ Now that the discussion I was shooting for. Thanks, and continue.