By LARRY VAUGHT
Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook publisher Chris Dortch doesn’t deny that his publication has Kentucky too low in the preseason rankings.
Coach John Calipari’s team is ranked 13th. But Dortch and his staff had to make their rankings before they knew if Wake Forest transfer Olivier Sarr would be eligible to play for UK or not
“Our ranking did not reflect his eligibility,” Dortch said. “If we had known for sure (he would be eligible), they would have been elevated into the top five.”
Now that Sarr is eligible, Dortch has no doubt what kind of impact he’ll make for Kentucky.
“I think he is the best transfer Cal has ever had and I don’t care where he’s been,” Dortch, who also writes for NBA.com, said. “He is more skilled than most realize and I have watched a ton of film on him.
“He can face up (to the basket) and score. He can pass. He can run the floor in transition. You can throw it down low to him and he can get a basket that way.
“I think he will easily be one of the top five to eight impactful transfers in the country. I just don’t think Cal has ever had a better transfer. He’s a great kid and great teammate. He definitely elevates Kentucky into a top five situation in my mind.
“Kentucky is right there with the best teams in the country now that Sarr is eligible.”
Assistant coach Jai Lucas says not to underestimate the leadership both Sarr and Creighton transfer Davion Mintz add.
“When you have younger kids and younger teams, some of the stuff from high school takes a while to get rid of,” Lucas said. “But I think the one thing that those two have done is just been able to kind of add that sense of seriousness, if that’s the right word, to getting prepared for practice and what we’re trying to do and what we’re trying to accomplish for that day. It’s very important.”
Kentucky held its annual Pro Day last week to give John Calipari’s players a chance to make an early impression with NBA scouts. It also gave Calipari a chance to show off his team to the nation during a 90-minute show on the SEC Network.
However, ESPN analyst Jay Bilas says Pro Day is not all that helpful to NBA scouts. He says it’s just another “data point” for the scouts.
“It’s a great marketing tool. In the past you got NBA people on campus and that creates lot of interest. I think it is a fun thing for players and they enjoy it,” Bilas said. “Nothing but a good thing. It’s an early job interview
“But I don’t know of any great value. The best value is how you perform in practice. I have not been to one (practice at UK) where NBA scouts were not there. They are there all the time. A lot more goes into any decision to go pro, get drafted than Pro Day.”