Georgios Papagiannis

[Joneslab]

According to Jonathan Givony, Papagiannis is down to three schools and Kentucky is one of them. (St. John's and NC State are the other two.) He says that he's spoken to the player's father and that Papagiannis will commit soon.

Don't know much about him other than he's a 7'1" Euro who opted to not play his senior season of high school in America but went to play in his native Greece. He's a four-star player and would be eligible in 2015.

http://sports.yahoo.com/ucf/basketball/recruiting/player-Georgios-Papagiannis-155549

[Joneslab]

To clarify, Givony says that the player's father says that "college is still an option." Would suggest that he's going to make a decision about whether to play professionally overseas or play college ball in the US.

[Joneslab]

More on Papagiannis.

Apparently he's the youngest player to ever appear in a Greek Basketball League game. Not sure if his numbers in high school in America or his lack of playing time in Greece suggest he hasn't blossomed the way many thought or if he's just young.

https://ucf.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1756653

[Blue Heaven]

He's gotta have some form of a game to be a 4 star. We need a big man and some depth in the front court. I haven't seen any highlights or anything to make me say that I'd want him though.

[Joneslab]

Interesting article by Luke Winn. Definitely sounds like he will end up in the US.

Oregon is also involved. The story of their involvement is odd and makes it sound like they sent Dorsey to the FIBA games to specifically recruit Papagiannis. I think we've seen this song-and-dance before, in the old halcyon days of last week.

http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2015/06/30/georgios-papagiannis-recruiting-2015-nba-draft-2016-oregon-kentucky-st-johns

[J.Jennings]

If we can add this kid, I can honestly say that I will feel just as good about this upcoming season as I did the past year. Not sure if the undefeated expectations will be there but at the same time, enough talent and depth to win a Championship in my opinion. My biggest concern all offseason has been interior size, this kid provides that. May not be a 5 star but someone who can spot some minutes at the 4 or 5 spots is all we need.

[Joneslab]

According to KSR, Papagiannis is not an option for UK.

[J.Jennings]

According to KSR, Papagiannis is not an option for UK.

Well that sucks, back to small ball..........

[GOCAT15]

Well that sucks, back to small ball..........

I for one am ok with the idea of small ball, but that's only if Skal, Lee, and Tai(hopefully from December on) stay healthy. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy having some tall trees down low blocking shots, but we have watched a lot of guard heavy teams win championships lately and I'm looking forward to it.

[Joneslab]

I for one am ok with the idea of small ball, but that's only if Skal, Lee, and Tai(hopefully from December on) stay healthy. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy having some tall trees down low blocking shots, but we have watched a lot of guard heavy teams win championships lately and I'm looking forward to it.

Me too.

Although having Okafor down there last year for Duke allowed the guards to do what they did. You have to have balance. Kentucky is likely going to be a little unbalanced next season, but if Skal is as good as advertised then I think we'll be fine. Problem is he and Poythress and Lee are going to have to play a lot.

[GOCAT15]

Me too.

Although having Okafor down there last year for Duke allowed the guards to do what they did. You have to have balance. Kentucky is likely going to be a little unbalanced next season, but if Skal is as good as advertised then I think we'll be fine. Problem is he and Poythress and Lee are going to have to play a lot.

I agree, you have to have that threat down low to keep teams honest. Skal has to be a Davis type player for this team to work, he has to attract attention on the offensive end which I think he will do and be able to bother shooters that come in the lane. I don't expect him to be anywhere near as good as Davis when it comes to blocking and affecting shots though. I know it's a lot to ask for, but that is what we'll need because I just don't see Lee progressing enough on offense to be any type of consistent threat other than for alley-oops and putbacks. And of course, the wild card will be Poythress, I am really curious to see how he comes back from this injury, if he is more timid, or if he comes in and plays like the beast we all know he can be, his NBA career is going to depend on it. It's going to take a special year for him to get drafted.

If all the pieces fall into place this team could really look like the 2012 team.

[George]

If all the pieces fall into place this team could really look like the 2012 team.

And if I pick the right numbers, I win the lottery.

[Joneslab]

The major difference--outside of that Anthony Davis guy--in this year and '12 are the three returnees '12 had.

As much crap as Terrence Jones took, he became invaluable because of the way he would rebound. Having that brute--who could play--on the glass to take the pressure off Davis was major. If Skal is the real deal, he and Poythress should complement one another. But Poythress has been more of an enigma than Jones was, and Poythress is coming off an injury.

Guard-wise I think Kentucky could be better than '12...but again you had Lamb and Miller on the perimeter, both of whom had played on a Final Four team. This year outside of Ulis is a bunch of freshmen and a JUCO.

This team is probably a hybrid of '11 and '12 on paper. But again this is making big assumptions, the most obvious among them that Skal is going to be as good as people say he is and that Poythress is ready to go and much-improved from when we last saw him.

[GOCAT15]

And if I pick the right numbers, I win the lottery.

Just trying to be positive man!

[Joneslab]

Evan Daniels‏@EvanDaniels 58s59 seconds ago Georgios Papagiannis will stay in Greece & pursue a professional career, a source told Scout. N.C. State, Kentucky & St. John's were on him.