Kentucky Center Jayden Quaintance: 'We Could Be One of the Best Defensive Teams in the Country'

Cincinnati Bearcats guard Dan Skillings Jr. (0) dunks as Arizona State Sun Devils forward Jayden Quaintance (21) defends in the second half of the NCAA basketball game at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati on Saturday, January 18, 2025. © Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Kentucky wasn’t known for its defense during the 2024-25 season. However, with a retooled roster, things are changing in Lexington.

One of those additions, Arizona State transfer Jayden Quaintance, believes Kentucky can be elite defensively. He talked to reporters on Tuesday about his expectations for UK’s defense.

“I feel like we could be one of the best defensive teams in the country,” he said. “We have a really long team. We have a lot of height and length on our team, and everybody is committing.”

Quaintance himself was elite defensively as a freshman during the 2024-25 season. He was named to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team after averaging 2.6 blocks per game and 1.1 steals in 29.5 minutes per night. He believes that Kentucky’s overall roster will complement him well.

“We have people pushing full court, guarding full court,” Quaintance said. “We have people in the backcourt in gaps, in help, in rotations, and we have a really good chance to be special this year defensively.”

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Kentucky Wing Kam Williams: ‘We Disrupt What They Want to Do’

Kam Williams is another player who comes to Kentucky with some defensive chops. The 6-foot-8 forward from Tulane was named to the AAC All-Freshman Team in 2024-25 after averaging 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks per game in 32.4. minutes per night.

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“I feel like we could all switch one through five,” Williams said. “We’ve got the guys to do it. Coach [Mark Pope] emphasizes playing hard defense and not really letting the offense get what they want. We disrupt what they want to do. They won’t be able to mess with us for real.”

Williams singled out one player on the team as a standout defensively. That’s the freshman center from Georgetown, KY, Malachi Moreno.

“I would say I’m still getting to learn everybody, but I know that Malachi is a shot blocker,” Williams said. “If I do end up getting beat on the dribble, I know that he’s got me.”

It’s not just Moreno that’s standing out. Williams said it’s a full team effort.

“We can switch one through five,” Williams said. “We can guard everyone. BG [Brandon Garrison] can switch on a guard if we need to. Mo [Mouhamed Dioubate] can guard one through five, too. This team is going to be a better defensive team than last year’s team.”