Kentucky Basketball: Sacha Killeya-Jones preparing for big season

Sophomore Sacha Killeya-Jones is looking to be a productive component of the Kentucky basketball frontcourt.

When Mohammed Bamba decided to commit to the Texas Longhorns, the issue of depth in the Kentucky frontcourt became real. Five-star freshman Nick Richards is the only true center brought onto the roster for the 2017-2018 Kentucky basketball season. Five-star forward PJ Washington has the build to play the center position this season, but it’s not his natural position. This leaves the trio of “upperclassmen” in Tai Wynard, Wenyen Gabriel, and Sacha Killeya-Jones to fill the backup position. According to Kyle Tucker of SEC Country, Killeya-Jones is ready for the challenge.

Sacha Killeya-Jones was sent to the bench early on for the Cats last season. He saw only 96 minutes over the year, and never found a role with the team. This came as a surprise to some fans, as Killeya-Jones was a former McDonald’s All-American coming out of high school. He came in the youngest guy on the team last year, and it showed in his physical and possibly even mental maturity.

Kyle Tucker of SEC Country talked with Gilbert Abraham, Killeya-Jones’ personal trainer since 9th grade, about his development. Abraham has trained the likes of Raymond Felton, and other NBA players as well, so he knows what it takes to get to the next level. Here’s what he had to say about Killeya-Jones:

"“He’s extremely long, agile, a Swiss Army knife. He can challenge shots at the rim, he can drive it, he can shoot it, he can put it on the floor. He’s a Chris Bosh type who can do a little bit of everything.“Whether Cal decides to play him at the 4 or 5 or wherever, he has excellent touch and dexterity and skill. I think he’s ready to show it.”"

Is he the answer?

Could Killeya-Jones be the answer to the frontcourt problem currently faced by the Wildcats? There’s no question about our backcourt, but that’s not enough to win a ninth national title. Kentucky needs bigs who can hold the paint down, and Killeya-Jones could be the dark horse contributor that Coach Calipari needs. Big Blue Nation is rooting for Killeya-Jones to make that leap this season.