Kentucky Basketball: Alex Poythress, Senior

Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Since John Calipari has been in Lexington, he’s been known as the “King” of the one-and-done era of college basketball. Despite a record that would make most college basketball coaches envious, there are still detractors that laugh about Kentucky’s need for a senior day at the end of the season. With so many players leaving the University of Kentucky with eligibility remaining, the notion that a star would hang around for four years seemed remote and couldn’t possibly happen. Enter Alex Poythress.

By default, Alex Poythress will be a senior leader on next year’s team. Coming off his ACL injury, he’s got a lot to prove on the court. Will be be as explosive as he was before? Has he been able to develop his perimeter game? For the first time in a long time, the Big Blue Nation will have a four year player that we have watched develop from a freshman that showed promise to a senior that will hopefully lead the Cats on another deep NCAA tournament run.

If you don’t follow me on Twitter, and you should (@tbrown_80 ), then you might not know how big of a fan I am of Alex Poythress. From his first primetime game against Duke to his stellar play down the stretch of the Cats’ 2014 NCAA runner-up team, Poythress seems to do what the team needs. Plus, he’s chosen to return to school twice when he had the opportunity to leave. It only seems right that he gets the opportunity to be The Man for the Cats.

In 2013, Poythress’ play was a bit uneven, but most of that can be chalked up to a roster whose pieces didn’t seem to quite  come together. He showed flashes of greatness, but wasn’t nearly consistent enough to help push that team into the NCAA tournament. Surprisingly, Poythress returned for his sophomore season and, without public dissension, moved to the bench when Calipari asked him to, for the benefit of the team. It took a few games to find his niche, but by the time the Cats played Connecticut in the 2014 NCAA title game, Alex was an integral piece of the team and his contributions couldn’t be underestimated.

Mandatory Credit: Chris Steppig, NCAA Photos/Pool via USA TODAY Sports

This past season was supposed to be the AP coming out party. He was one of 9 McDonald’s All-Americans on the Wildcat roster. The talent was so deep that Coach Cal decided to implement his platoon system to keep everyone happy. Alex looked great in the Bahamas when we all got our first glimpse at the team. He was rebounded and attacking the rim like we had all hoped he would. And once the season started, it was clear he was going to continue to be a key player on the team.

And then December 11, 2014 happened. During practice, Alex Poythress tore his ACL. Alex was devastated. Coach Calipari was devastated. The team was devastated. The BBN was devastated. One of the main reasons Poythress came back for his junior season was to win a national title and now the team would have to go on without him. As it turned out, he was able to watch the Cats finish an improbable 38-1 and reach the Final Four, still short of the national title.

Alex Poythress is back for his senior year with one more shot at that NCAA championship. He’s going to be surrounded, as usual, by talented teammates. He’s going to have Coach Cal to lead and guide him and he’s going to have the entire Big Blue Nation supporting him. While there’s no guarantees in life, one thing is certain: on senior night 2016, there will be few dry eyes in Rupp Arena when Alex Poythress busts through the paper and receives his framed jersey. And for the last time we will hear “Alex Poythress, senior.”