Former Kentucky Wildcat Kyle Wiltjer Thriving at Gonzaga

On an exhilarating night in April 2012, the Kentucky Wildcats were named the 2012 National Champions, bring home the eight national title to Lexington, KY. That night, there were eight players that saw the court, six that played significant minutes. One of the two players that didn’t play until the end was freshman Kyle Wiltjer. On that night, he only played three minutes, missing his one three-point attempt. This was his only record on the stat line. On the season, however, he made an appearance in all 40 games for the 38-2 Wildcats. On the season, Kyle Wiltjer averaged 5.0 points while shooting 43.8% from the field, 43.2% from three point range, and 81.5% from the free-throw line. He also averaged 1.8 rebounds, 0.4 blocks, and 0.4 assists in only 11.6 minutes a game. While it wasn’t a huge impact, it was certainly enough to see that he could be a star in two-three seasons.

The next year, the Kentucky Wildcats experienced as rough of a season that has ever been seen in Lexington, one that no one expected under John Calipari. That team finished with a record of 21-12 after a loss at Robert Morris in the first round of the 2013 NIT. Despite the embarrassment, there were three bright spots returning from that roster. Two of them are still here, as Willie Cauley-Stein and Alex Poythress shocked the world and returned for their junior seasons to a loaded roster in 2014. The other one? Kyle Wiltjer. Despite not starting but 10 of the 33 games that season, he was still arguably the most important returning piece. He averaged 10.2 points on 42.1% shooting from the field, 36.7% from the three-point line, and 81.0% from the free-throw line. He was also able to average 4.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.4 blocks, and 0.4 steals in 23.8 minutes a game. While still not spectacular, his minutes were expected to increase in 2013, making the news that summer somewhat shocking.

On July 19, 2013, Kyle Wiltjer announced that he was transferring from Kentucky. The school he chose was the Gonzaga Bulldogs under the guidance of Mark Few. While many were shocked, it was not surprising once the reasoning was explained. In fact, Wiltjer took to Twitter to explain why he choose to transfer, which you can read below.

"Dear BBN, this past month has been very emotional and challenging for me. Whether to transfer or not has been one of the toughest decisions of my life, so I would like to thank everyone for being so supportive through this process. I feel like in my basketball career I’m facing a make it or break it moment and the primary factor in this decision is transforming my body. I’m choosing to transfer to Gonzaga because i feel they have a proven plan in place to help develop players similar to me, which has seen great results. I believe with hard work I can maximize my development at Gonzaga. The last two years at UK have been a valuable experience and I’m very grateful for them. Even though I’m leaving the program, Coach Cal and I will continue our relationship and I will look to him for advice. He is more than just a coach to me. I have made many friends here and I plan to come back. My heart will always be in Lex.Thank you BBN,Kyle Wiltjer"

Of course, choosing to transfer would mean that Kyle Wiltjer would have to sit out a season. A season where he could work on his body, work on his shot, and work on expanding his game. While many expected improvements coming into the 2014-2015 college basketball season, no one quite saw this. Wiltjer has become the number one option for the Gonzaga Bulldogs. He has lead them to a 10-1 record while leading the team in scoring. On the season, Kyle Wiltjer is averaging 17.5 points while shooting 56.3% from the field (43.9% from the three-point line) and 74.2% from the free-throw line, 5.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.7 blocks, and 0.4 steals in 25.5 minutes a game. Those numbers are even more impressive this month, where he is averaging 20.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.4 blocks in an increased 28.2 minutes a game. This new and improved Kyle Wiltjer is something to notice. His game is getting stronger every game and the regular season is only a third of the way through.

The Big Blue Nation certainly does miss the big man, but he has found his new home at Gonzaga. Expect great things from his the remainder of the season, as he could very well lead them to a deep NCAA Tournament run come March. And the scariest thing about this whole situation? He still has another year of eligibility left after this year. That’s just another season to terrorize opponents with his ever-expanding, ever-improving game. Keep doing your thing, Kyle. And good luck to the rest of college basketball.