Kentucky basketball: Sehvir Wheeler now wearing blue simply golden

John Calipari’s had one ace up his sleeve to complete a hand that would look vastly different than last year’s forgetful season that ended in a fold,  so when Sehvir Wheeler committed Monday it was a royal flush for the Kentucky basketball program.

Wheeler played the past two seasons at Georgia where he garnered second-team All-SEC honors this past season. He entered the transfer portal and in the end will don Kentucky blue choosing the Wildcats over Kansas, LSU, and Oklahoma State.

He led the Southeastern Conference in assists at 7.4 per outing along with his 1.68 assist-to-turnover ratios, he averaged 14 points, 3.8 boards, and 1.7 steals in just under 35 minutes per game.

In his two years in Athens, he hit 42.8 percent from the field, 26.2 percent from three, and 72 percent from the free-throw line. The newest Wildcat was one of two Bulldogs to start every game and lead the team in scoring, assisting, and steals.

Wheeler brings all the tangle assets the Wildcats were lacking

Calipari has gone all in this offseason vowing to improve the hand he was forced to play with last year. He warned those who mocked his team to be careful what they wished for.

Now he has the player to back that up.

"“Sahvir is the kind of player that dictates the pace of the game, who gets easy baskets for himself and his teammates, and who can be disruptive defensively. He is what you look for in a point guard in that he puts his teammates in positions to score, yet he can score the ball in bunches when he needs to. He was a second-team all-conference player as a sophomore and almost routinely put up games with double-digit assists, including setting the SEC Tournament record this last season with 13. I am excited for him to be a part of this program and my guess is our players will be too.”"

This is welcome news to Big Blue Nation and the addition of Wheeler who is battled tested in the collegiate game including the daunting Southeastern Conference. He marks the second point guard that Calipari has landed in the past week that included TyTy Washington.

Wheeler and Washington at the point give the Cats that sorely missing piece that has eluded them in the past few seasons including last year when Devin Askew couldn’t shoulder that burden. In the end, the freshman opted to head to Texas to play next year.

A jitterbug style player that stands somewhere between 5-foot-8 and 5-foot-10, may be small in stature but players with a big heart and is ultra-strong, quick, and undoubtedly competitive.

He likes to drive the lane creating shots for himself but better yet finding the open man a struggle for Kentucky all of last season. Don’t sleep on that three-point shot he isn’t afraid to launch up either having made 34 in the past two years.

The fun will be watching him pick the opponent’s pockets where he swiped 70 steals for the Bulldogs in two seasons.

The only thing Kentucky fans hope for is Calipari not putting a short leash on him, instead, let him do all the things he is capable of doing.

"“Dynamic playmaking, I can make any play, fI eel like if the game calls me to get four-points  and ten-assists to win the game and be the person on the defensive end then I can do that. If the game calls me to be on the aggressive side and score 20-points then I can do that as well. I am a triple-double threat. I bring experience, leadership, I have been in the SEC with two years under my belt and have had success in it being an All-SEC caliber player and all SEC last year. I feel like my experience that I have is going to do well for us with this Kentucky team having everyone new. All of us together and putting our egos aside, we are going to win some really big games this year.”"

This attitude is what the doctor ordered for curing the woes of last year’s 9-16 team. A breath of life and fresh air.

Calipari almost has his roster complete for the 2021-22 season that included adding a total of four transfers while still waiting on two current UK players to announce their futures – Keion Brooks Jr. and Davion Mintz.

Wheeler joins a backcourt roster that currently is made up of Washington, CJ Fredrick, Kellan Grady, and Dontaie Allen.

In the frontcourt, it will be Jacob Toppin, Lance Ware, Daimion Collins, Bryce Hopkins, and Oscar Tshiebwe.

Georgia defeated the Wildcats in Athens 63-62 on January 20 that about had Wildcat fans everywhere abandoning the ship. Now Wheeler will be tasked with righting the Big Blue Boat.

In that game, he had 10 points, handed out seven assists, and grabbed two rebounds in the only meeting between the teams.

A human highlight reel many nights he had eight games of double-figure assists, including the first-ever Georgia triple-double against LSU  with14 points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds. He also dropped 20-plus points three times that included 27 against Florida.

Coach Cal not only shook up the roster he also did so with his assistants bringing back Orlando Antigua and his fellow Illinois assistant Chin Coleman. While Joel Justus (Arizona State) and Tony Barbee (Central Michigan) departed for other programs.

It’s clear that Wheeler is ready for the challenge and fun the roster, hype and upcoming season presents after speaking to ESPN.

"“I feel like Coach Cal and that staff and that roster gives me the best chance to win a national championship next year and pursue my dreams of playing in the NBA. The biggest thing was Kentucky’s roster. Playing with elite rim protection, elite size, athleticism, elite shooting. [Kellan] Grady, [CJ] Fredrick, [Dontaie] Allen, TyTy [Washington] can all shoot the ball. That system and style, Cal wants to get back to playing fast, playing downhill. And it’s still the SEC, a conference that I’m familiar with.”"

Stay tuned Calipari may still be holding another wild card somewhere.