Alex Poythress' Late Night News and Views

 

Alex Poythress is ready to answer the critics this season. After a year of disappoints in his freshman year individually and as a team, Poythress chose another year at Kentucky over an assured first round draft selection for a variety of reasons. With a summer of battling a possible first overall pick under his belt, Poythress knows what it takes to succeed at the collegiate level and will be a massive part of Calipari’s loaded squad this year. Even though he had rough patches throughout last season, the talent and explosiveness was always evident in the 6’8″ forward. Poythress showed his ability immediately last season with several phenomenal dunks against a strong Duke team last season. If Alex manages to translate his moments of brilliance into consistent production, a breakout year and a hefty NBA contract await the former McDonalds All-American.

The Tennessee native turns 20 today, which means he had plenty of delicious brownies from Mrs. Calipari to enjoy. Happy Birthday Alex!

On to the news and views…

– Coach Cal caused quite a stir when he posted a picture on Instagram of him with DeAndre Liggins earlier today. Hopefully Calipari had a long talk with Liggins about the recent events and how to proceed with the future. Liggins is officially on the job hunting market as he was officially waived by the Oklahoma City Thunder today following the arrest earlier this week.

– In better news, Big Blue Nation is fully focused on a huge weekend in Kentucky sports starting with the noon kickoff for the Cats against Miami of Ohio. The first home game under Stoops will be a special moment hopefully with a large crowd to cheer on the Cats in the home opener. The biggest storyline will likely be the performance of Max Smith as the new starting QB. Will Max Smith be able to unleash the Air Raid offense better than Whitlow? Which wide receiver will benefit from an increased passing attack? We all find out tomorrow at Commonwealth.

– Football will not be the only storyline this weekend in Kentucky sports. Lexington will be filled with returning basketball players for the Alumni Game and Calipari’s Fantasy Camp. Many Kentucky greats will be in Lexington to play in the Alumni Game which is raising huge amounts for charity. The total amount is still unknown, but it will be a proud moment for the University of Kentucky no matter what.

– Aside from the Fantasy Camp and the Alumni Game, Calipari has his hands full with three huge recruits that will be in town at different points this weekend for the Alumni Game. Tyler Ulis, Jahlil Okafor, and Devin Booker are all making their official visits to Kentucky this weekend. If you want the full rundown on their visits as well as other recruiting tidbits, check out my post here.

That’s all for now. Let’s get ready for a great victory in Commonwealth.

Go Cats. Attack Every Day.

@JayHochKSR