Wildcat Basketball Preview: #30 Eloy Vargas
By Paul Jordan
ELOY VARGAS
JUNIOR
6’11, 250
MOCA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
AMERICAN HERITAGE (PLANTATION, FL)/MIAMI-DADE CC
BEFORE UK:
Before he signed on to play for the Cats, Vargas played under the tutilage of Billy Donovan as a Florida Gator. While in Gainesville, Vargas only averaged 0.6 pts. and 0.7 rebounds in only nine games. Vargas missed the first half of the season due to off-season ankle surgery, which he needed to recover from. Due to academics, he ended up going to Miami-Dade CC for one season where he had 21.1 pts. and 14.1 rebounds per game. In high school, he played at American Heritage in Plantation, near Miami, where he was a teammate to future Gator Kenny Boynton and played against schools such as Pinecrest, where Brandon Knight played. He is another player in the Florida recruiting pipeline picked up by Coach Orlando Antigua. He was the 10th player overall by Rivals and was the 30th overall by Scout.
FROM ESPN:
Vargas is a versatile post player who can score the ball from all over the floor. Eloy has all the means to manufacture a double-double every time he steps on the floor. His ability to play inside/outside allows him to take advantage of his defenders and will make him a powerful contributor at Kentucky. Eloy is comfortable handling the ball and creating off the bounce or going down to the block and demanding the ball in the post to do a post move or use his natural ability and instincts to score. He has great shooting technique and good rhythm on his jump shot; he can easily put it up out to 19 feet. Eloy attacks the offensive glass with regularity and pursues balls outside of his area. Eloy can improve on taking care of the basketball and avoiding carelessness that can lead to turnovers; he must compete to win on every possession. If Eloy can improve in these areas, he will be an instant impact player for Kentucky next season.
SUMMER SCHOOL:
Eloy, along with Enes Kanter, was one of the players that did not participate in UK’s summer trip to Canada. Instead, he stayed in Miami finishing a few last-minute credits required before he could officially transfer to UK. He did not practice with the team until he arrived on campus in late August/early September.
WHAT TO EXPECT THIS SEASON:
We can expect to see alot of Vargas this year, as UK is short on frontcourt players. He will split time with Josh Harrellson, Enes Kanter, and Terrence Jones. Vargas has shown he isnt afraid to attack the basket and fight for rebounds, because it is certainly something UK will need from him this year. He is still a little rusty as his post moves go, but he will improve with time. I believe he should average somewhere in between 20-25 minutes a game. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see him start at times, since Calipari almost never uses the same lineup. And with his size, he could also present a few defensive problems for opponents.
CALIPARI ON VARGAS:
“Eloy is a long, big forward who is skilled both offensively and defensively. He immediately adds a shot-blocking presence and a versatile front-court player to our team next season. He will add quality minutes to our front court.”
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