Willie Cauley-Stein: Humble Beginnings

Willie Cauley-Stein is almost a household name at this point in his career. His ability on defense is unmatched across the board and some could argue that he is the sole purpose for the Wildcats success this season.

In his last year of high school, Willie Cauley-Stein of Kansas was the 32nd best player out of everyone in his class. He was known for his ability on defense and running the floor at his height of 6-11. Recruited by schools such as Florida, Alabama, Kentucky, and in-state college Kansas State, it’s pretty clear that the big man wasn’t as highly recruited as others in the class. Cauley-Stein signed with the Wildcats in November of 2011 and slipped under the radar due to being in the same class as #1 overall recruit in Nerlens Noel and other big time recruits in Archie Goodwin and Alex Poythress.

In a piece for the Bleacher Report, Jason King talks about Willie’s issues with feeling as if ‘he didn’t fit in’ at Kentucky.

"“Even as we were driving to the airport,” Shields said, “it was clear he didn’t want to get on that plane. He was thinking, ‘This is Kentucky. Am I good enough? Can I really hang with these guys?'”Cauley-Stein has asked himself those questions a lot during the past three years.He committed to the Wildcats a few weeks after his visit, but as Rivals’ 40th-ranked senior in the country, he was often regarded as an afterthought, “the other guy” in a Kentucky recruiting haul that included three top-15 players, including No. 1 overall prospect Nerlens Noel."

Willie would soon be forced to swallow his fears.

Dec 20, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Norman Powell (4) attempts to shoot the ball against Kentucky Wildcats forward Willie Cauley-Stein (15) during the second half at United Center. Kentucky defeats UCLA 83-42. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

The 2012-2013 season, Willie’s first season at Kentucky, was one to forget. It was a team that was held to high expectations and standards due to the previous team who had cut down the nets in New Orléans. Going into SEC play the Cats were 9-4. Tons of negativity and disappointment surrounded the team as they weren’t playing as expected. When starting center Nerlens Noel went down with a season ending ACL tear at the O’Connell Center in the first matchup between Kentucky and Florida that year, Willie was forced to step up and take the spot.

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A year later, Willie started to find the success that he had chased for so long. This team, like the last, was held on the unreasonable pedestal of ’40-0′ due to the epic recruiting class that Coach Cal had put together (Randle, Young, Harrison Twins… etc.). This is the year that Willie Cauley-Stein had the chance to show his true colors, and he did just that. Willie almost doubled his numbers in blocks and steals. He became the defensive presence and rim protector that Kentucky had been desperate for and that defense played a big part in the tournament run later in the year. and one could even argue that his absence against UCONN in the final could’ve tipped the scale in favor of the Huskies.

And the summer after his sophomore season, Willie Cauley-Stein shocked the Big Blue Nation when he announced his return for another year of basketball despite being projected as a lottery pick.

And that puts us here. Today, the Cats are sitting at 16-0 and don’t look like they intend to stop the winning anytime soon. Willie is averaging 9.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in only 25 minutes of play. He has found his way in to several award races such as the Wooden award and the prestigious Naismith POY race.

Needless to say, Willie Cauley-Stein has come a long way.

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