DARNELL DODSON
SOPHOMORE
GUARD/SMALL FORWARD
6’7 215
GREENBELT, MD
ELEANOR ROOSEVELT HS
MIAMI DADE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
BEFORE UK:
It has been literally a long and winding road for Darnell. He was a member of the 2007 Eleanor Roosevelt squad that advanced to the 4A semifinals and was ranked #11 in the Washington Post’s Top 20. Dodson was the leading scorer for that team, averaging 29.1 points and 11 rebounds a game. Coming out of HS, rivals had Darnell rated as the 34th best SF and the 130th best player. Darnell committed to the Pitt Panthers in 2006.
Darnell never played a game for Pitt and his path found him at Miami-Dade Community College last season. He helped lead the Sharks to a 26-2 record and a Southern Conference Championship. He averaged 15.7 points and 5.6 rebounds a game and caught the eye of John Calipari and committed to his Memphis Tigers. With the hiring of Calipari at Kentucky, Dodson found his way to Lexington. It’s hard to find where JUCO players would rank in the recruiting class, but Dodson is believed to be a solid four star recruit and his overall ranking if he were a freshman is believed to be around the top 60 players. He is rated as a solid 95 rating by ESPN.
FROM ESPN: Dodson is a quick and athletic small forward who uses his perimeter jumper to set up his slashing and pull up game when needed. He can knock down open jumpers off the catch and dribble if the defense gives him space. He also has range from 20 to 22 feet. He has improved his strength and is finishing stronger at the basket.
WHAT TO EXPECT THIS SEASON:
Dodson is the most mysterious Wildcat recruit since Ramon Harris suddenly appeared in a Wildcat uniform from Alaska. The legend of Dodson as a lights out shooter precedes him but we should temper our expectations. There was speculation that Dodson may start at the SG position this year, but that spot was filled by Eric Bledsoe in the Blue/White game. That may not mean anything as I assume Calipari was getting Bledsoe time with the starting lineup as the eligibility of John Wall was up in the air at that time.
In some way,s the Blue/White game (which is all we know about Dodson) may be a microcosm of this season. He started on the “non starters team”, shot the lights out (4 3-pointers) and got “promoted” to the starters team and finished with 26 points and 7 rebounds.
I think we will see Dodson in the starting lineup a few times this season, depending on the opponent and matchups, and he would appear to be a possibility to be the first or second man off the bench on some nights. At this point, it’s hard to say. Dodson is a true “X factor” because if he can give UK the shooting touch he supposedly possesses, he may be a 12 point a night player and key contributor. He can also see time at the SF position as his numbers indicate he is a solid rebounder. All in all, I would expect Dodson’s numbers to be around Miller’s: around 8 points and 6 rebounds a game. I think you may see Dodson top the scoring list a couple of games as well, but I think Dodson is a great addition to UK and will become a main force during his time at UK.
Darnell on his journey: “It was a long journey but it helped me to realize a lot of things, bring me back to reality. It motivated me to work hard every day so I could try to get back to the Division 1 level. It was a good learning experience. It helped me with a lot of little stuff I needed to improve”
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