John Calipari on Cason Wallace: 'He's tough as nails'

John Calipari has another great young guard on his roster again in freshman Cason Wallace. The five-star recruit out of Richardson, Texas made a statement in his college debut as he stepped in as Kentucky’s lead guard in Sahvir Wheeler’s absence. Based on everything he’s seen, Calipari believes Wallace fits right into the mold of his other special backcourt players in Lexington.

Calipari spoke highly of Wallace following the Wildcat’s 95-63 opening night win over Howard. He said Wallace’s toughness, energy, and receptiveness to coaching is what has set him apart early.

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“He’s a guard is what he is. And the best players I’ve had have been guards,” said Calipari. “They can play on the ball, they can play off the ball. But they’re tough as nails. He is tough…This kid walks in (and goes), ‘Where’s your energy coach? Energy!’ So he’s fun to be around. He’s a competitor. He’s kind of like Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) where he says, ‘I trust you. Tell me how you want me to play. I trust you’. He’s special.”

Wallace went for a near triple-double with 15 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds in Kentucky’s opener. He did it efficiently too on 7-11 shooting from the field and also paired that with his well-documented defensive play with a pair of steals. It’s only one game and he had a lot of extra opportunities without Wheeler but, even so, Wallace looked like the next pro-level guard prospect that Calipari has produced.

Wallace will get his next shot to turn heads come his second game tonight when Kentucky plays Duquesne. If he puts up numbers again in another Wildcat win, the hype will continue grow for him as he nears his primetime debut in the Champion’s Classic next week when he, Calipari, and UK face off with Michigan State.