2014-15 Kentucky Wildcats Basketball: Meet Alex Poythress

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If you follow me on Twitter, you would know that I’m a huge Alex Poythress fan. His brightest moments often leave most of the Big Blue Nation wondering why we don’t see those more often from the Junior big man. After an uneven freshman year on an uneven 2012-13 Wildcat team, expectations were high for AP last year. And despite Poythress moving to the bench for the betterment of the team, some still view his perceived lackluster play as one of the reasons that the team struggled during the regular season. As Alex stepped up his game, with others, the 2013-14 team gave us a run for the ages. And one thing to remember, when Alex Poythress is going to dunk, it’s best to be somewhere else.

High School

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Alex Poythress starred at Northeast High School in Clarksville, TN. As a Senior, he was named Tennessee’s Mr. Basketball and Gatorade State Player of the Year. Poythress was also named a Parade and McDonald’s High School All American. By most recruiting services, he was ranked as a top 10 player nationally and on November 10, 2011, he signed to play ball at UK joining Nerlens Noel, Archie Goodwin and Willie Cauley-Stein to form another top rated recruiting class for head coach John Calipari.

Freshman Year

Once in Lexington, Poythress’ career started off with a bang. In his second game, he scored 20 points and grabbed 7 rebounds against the Duke Blue Devils. After that, during Calipari’s most tumultuous year, Alex was plagued by inconsistent play. And even though he averaged a respectable 11 points and 6 rebounds as a freshman and was named to the 2013 SEC All Freshman team, it seemed like there was a fire or a passion lacking from his game.

Sophomore Year

To start off the 2014-14 season, Alex Poythress moved to the bench and did so without public complaint, a sign of maturity from such a young man. Again, his play was uneven as he struggled to find his new role for the team. As the year progressed, he became one of the most consistent players on the Wildcat roster. He only averaged 6 points and 4 rebounds per game, but he doubled his block shots and all while averaging 7 fewer minutes a game and not starting once. Toward the end of the year, and especially in the NCAA Tournament, Poythress’ role as the first man off the bench was defined. He was bringing consistent effort, making the right play at the right time and still giving the fans highlight reel worthy dunks.

Junior Year

When Poythress decided to return to school and join Cauley-Stein for their Junior seasons, the Big Blue Nation rejoiced. For the first time since Calipari’s arrival in Lexington, he will have veteran leaders with multiple years in his system. You’d have to believe that Poythress, along with WCS will be locker room leaders. And if his play in the Bahamas was any indicator, the days of inconsistent play from Alex Poythress are long over. He’s agile. He’s mobile. And he’s definitely hostile.

His numbers may not jump off the page at you this season, but rest assured that the beast is about to be let loose. Please, Alex, don’t hurt ’em.