Isaac Humphries Leaving Kentucky Basketball for the Pros

With the influx of frontcourt recruits and the likely return of Wenyen Gabriel and Sacha-Killeya Jones, Sophomore Isaac Humphries has decided to go play professional basketball.

Isaac (“eye-zach”) Humphries is going to sign with an agent and play professional ball, either here in the United States or overseas. The 7-foot Australian was a bit of a mystery as he was a late addition to the 2015-2016  class. His charisma, and not to mention his accent, won the hearts of Kentucky basketball fans.

He developed a ton over the two seasons he was at the University of Kentucky. His numbers don’t show it, averaging 2.8 points and 2.8 rebounds, but his game had improved. By the end of this regular-season and into March, he had become rotational player, keeping us in many ball games.

Unfortunately, the best that we saw of Humphries came in the last game of his career at Kentucky. Humphries was playing with confidence, which led him to a 12 point and five rebound outing in the Elite Eight loss to North Carolina. He was knocking down mid-range jumpers, attacking the glass against the likes of Kennedy Meeks, and played with passion that bled through to his teammates.

Goodbye from Humphries to BBN

Isaac has always been a genuine guy in his two years at Kentucky, and now he’s voicing his appreciation.

What This Means for Kentucky Basketball Next Season

Isaac Humphries decision to leave early has left Kentucky a bit thin at the center position for next year. With incoming freshman and only one of them being a center, has posed concerns for the Big Blue Nation. The Wildcats will be losing 8 of its’ 9 scorers as of right now, which is 95% of their offense.

Incoming Freshman:

Quade Green, PG

Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, CG

Jarred Vanderbilt, SF/PF

PJ Washington, PF

Nick Richards, C

Jemarl Baker, SG

Hamidou Diallo, SG

Returning/Questionable to Return:

Tai Wynard, C -Junior

Sacha-Killeya Jones, PF -Sophomore

Wenyen Gabriel, PF -Sophomore

Bam Adebayo, C -Sophomore

The big question surrounding who’s returning is Bam Adebayo. If Adebayo, a projected second round pick, were to come back, it would be a huge plus for such a young frontcourt. Also, Mohamed Bamba has yet to decide, with Kentucky and Texas the seeming front runners. Bamba would be the biggest get for this class, as the Cats don’t have a sure-fire top five pick in next year’s draft.

Next: Ranking the Top 5 Kentucky Players to Wear No. 3

Also, it will be interesting to see how this recruiting ends up shaking out, with Cam Johnson yet to decide as well. What we do know is that Isaac Humphries will be leaving Kentucky to chase his dreams, and Big Blue Nation supports him. Good luck, Isaac.