Meet the Wildcats: #55 Josh Harrellson
By Staff
JUNIOR
FORWARD
6’10 265
ST CHARLES, MO
SW ILLINOIS COLLEGE
BEFORE UK:
Josh averaged 14.8 points and 8 rebounds a game at SW Illinois College and he became one of the “infamous JUCO” players that Billy Gillispie brought aboard. While at SW Illinois College, he was named first team All Great Lakes Conference Team.
AS A WILDCAT:
Josh’s first season at UK was literally the tale of two seasons. In 2008, he was a steady contributer to the Cats, earned regular moments and as a whole played pretty well. Josh was averaging about 20 minutes a game and had scored in double digits in 5 games. He had displayed a hard nosed style and seemed to be a nice complement in UK’s arsenal of big men. He had 2008 statistics of 6.3 points and 4 rebounds a game. Once 2009 hit, Josh saw a steady decrease in playing time and as a result a lack of production. He is the stuff of UK legend as the player banished to a bathroom stall and he apparently took the brunt of Gillispies tactics. He seemed to lose his edge and his confidence and became a forgotten Wildcat down the stretch, hitting double digits in scoring just once. Josh tallied just 42 minutes in the last 9 games of the season and finished with season totals of 3.6 points and 2.5 rebounds.
CAREER HIGHS:
Points: 15 – 12/13/2008 – vs Indiana
Rebounds: 10 – 11/25/2008 – vs West Virginia
Assists: 1 (8x) – last – 12/29/2008 – vs Central Michigan
Blocks: 3 – 11/24/2008 – vs Longwood
Steals: 1 (9x) – last 2/25/2009 – @ Notre Dame
WE KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER:
When Calipari signed at Kentucky and started the roster purge, Harrellson’s name was one of the ones most mentioned not to be returning at UK. Obviously Josh did enough this summer to impress Calipari and earn a roster spot and send Matt “the Beast” Pilgrim packing and into the arms of Travis Ford and Oklahoma State.
WHAT TO EXPECT THIS SEASON:
It’s hard to figure Harrellson out. Early reports had him being the star of Calipari’s initial practices and he beat out the mythical Pilgrim for the last scholarship spot. He played well in the exhibitions and most importantly played hard and had 11 points and 15 boards in the Blue/White game. Then came the recent revelation that Perry Stevenson will serve as the main backup to Patrick Patterson and this seemingly knocks Harrellson to 5th in the big man lineup and seemingly fighting for playing time as the 11th man off the bench.
I do think that Harrellson will have his moments this year. He has shown an improved stroke as a 3 point shooter and while he seems buried on the bench, he is a big man that has shown flashes of potential. It’s hard to find more than 4-6 minutes a game for Harrellson this season, but with Stevenson, Patterson, and possibly Orton departing after this season, Harrellson is a valuable commodity to have on this team.
Josh on last season: “It was like a roller coaster, I was up and down, up and down. It was really frustrating knowing I could produce and sometimes I wouldn’t get the opportunity and sometimes I would go out there and play so timid I wouldn’t play like I know how. I think I took toughness and getting mentally focused (from last year), how to prepare myself for everything. I’ve been through it now and I’m a lot tougher. “ (from Catspause)
CALIPARI ON HARRELLSON:
“Josh brings a versatile set of skills to our team. He’s a very good shooter for a big man and could cause some matchup problems for our opponents. I’ve been extremely impressed with him this preseason. Expect continued development from him this season.”
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