Why Hello Kenny Frease!!!

One of the great things about following recruiting is the various times when you will be watching basketball and see a name pop up and go, "didnt UK recruit you once?" Today I had that experience as I was at home working and saw Kenny Frease playing for Xavier. Besides the oddity of a live Friday afternoon game from Puerto Rico (strange sight), seeing Mr. Frease was also a bit disconcerting. People may remember that Frease was a big recruit for Tubby and had he remained at UK, there is a decent chance he would have played here, along with Draymond Green and other names of the past. Frease was a highly touted center, but one that drew mixed opinions....he could score and had a high basketball IQ, but at times played like a 7 foot stiff....and we have had some of those in the past. So what did he do today? Well he starts for Xavier and had a decent game with 10 points and 8 rebounds. He hit the game tying free throw in overtime and his Xavier team won the contest over Virginia Tech in an overtime thriller decided on a buzzer beater half-court shot. It was actually quite exciting. And Frease? Well he could go either way....he is a good shooter and showed potential to get much better. But he is also bulky, a bit slow and not quite aggressive enough. Depending on coaching he could become a top-notch Division I player, or a four-year starter who gets dunked on every game. We shall see. So good luck to you Kenny Frease.....may you join Tyrone Nash, Uche Echefu, Draymond Green and others (insert your favorites into the comment section) in UK recruits of the past lore....