“Succeed and proceed;” that’s the mantra in Lexington. Kentucky is a de facto NBDL franchise and I mean that as a compliment; I always have. Being the first and foremost NBA Developmental Program is the defining characteristic of Coach John Calipari’s recruiting pitch.
Incoming freshmen guards De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk shared MVP honors Friday night at the annual Jordan Brand Classic. Fox, a point guard, was named MVP of the winning East Team, and Monk, a shooting guard, earned MVP honors for the West Team. The dynamic backcourt duo led all scorers with a combined 45 points.
Fox scored a game-high 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting to go along with five rebounds while Monk scored 22 points with five rebounds, three assists and three steals. The Bentonville, Ark., native was 10 for 19 from the floor.
Here’s where we see De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk stepping in next season, as Jamal Murray and Tyler Ulis are now leaving early for the NBA.
Projected Depth Chart
C: Bam Adebayo (Fr)/Isaac Humphries (So)/Tai Wynyard (Fr)
PF: Wenyen Gabriel (Fr)/Derek Willis (Sr)/Sacha Killeya-Jones (Fr)
SG: Malik Monk (Fr)/Charles Matthews (So)
G: Isaiah Briscoe (So)/ Mychal Mulder (Sr)/Dominique Hawkins (Sr)
PG: De’Aaron Fox (Fr)
Gone: PG-Tyler Ulis, C-Skal Labissiere, SG-Jamal Murray, F-Alex Poythress, PF-Marcus Lee
As of now, we rank the Wildcats 3rd in the early 2016-17 Preseason Poll, to see the rest of the top 25 go here.
Kentucky’s NBA assembly line is showcased every single year in the Jordan Brand Classic Game. The Kentucky signees in the JBC this year will be in the NBA Draft Lottery next year.
The Jordan Brand Classic, won 131-117 by the East, annually features the top high school players from across the country, many of who have gone on to play at Kentucky. Since John Calipari’s arrival at UK, 30 total players have been selected to the Jordan Brand Classic, including:
Bam Adebayo, Devin Booker, Isaiah Briscoe, DeMarcus Cousins, Anthony Davis, Fox, Gabriel, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Archie Goodwin, Aaron Harrison, Andrew Harrison, Dakari Johnson, Terrence Jones, Brandon Knight, Skal Labissiere, Doron Lamb, Marcus Lee, Trey Lyles, Charles Matthews, Monk, Nerlens Noel, Daniel Orton, Alex Poythress, Julius Randle, Marquis Teague, Karl-Anthony Towns, Tyler Ulis, John Wall, Kyle Wiltjer and James Young.
KENTUCKY RECRUITING CLASS PROFILES
De’Aaron Fox
Malik Monk
How John Calipari is Blazing a Trail Via His Recruiting Methods
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication and Bold Global.
He also consistently appears on numerous talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram