4 questions to answer as Kentucky begins summer workouts
By Alec Lasley
3. Which freshman may step up and find a role on this team?
Kentucky has three freshmen coming in this summer -- all of whom are skilled in their own way. But, will they have a role on this roster once the season starts or even once we get into SEC play?
Travis Perry, Trent Noah and Collin Chandler all enter their freshman seasons after using a different path to get here. Perry committed under Calipari. Noah flipped his commitment from South Carolina to UK. And Chandler spent the previous two years committed to BYU and on a mission trip before flipping his pledge to UK.
The easy answer may be Perry. The local star broke the state career scoring record as a junior and finished his Lyon County career with 5,481 points. He can shoot and score, but he's not overly explosive or big. How will that all translate to the next level -- especially as a freshman?
I think the player to watch is Collin Chandler. Despite a two-year absence, Chandler has the size, athleticism, and scoring ability to find a role this year. At 6-foot-5, Chandler can play a few positions on the wing and has the verstaility to do so. He can score on and off the ball, allowing for more flexibility where and with what lineups he's on the floor with.
"Chandler was very well thought of coming out of high school and could really surprise in year No. 1 coming off of his mission," 247Sports National Basketball Analyst Eric Bossi wrote earlier this month.
Chandler scored 1,587 career points and made 135 3-pointers in his career at Farmington High (UT).
He was named the Utah Gatorade Player of the Year in 2022 after averaging 21.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.
While there will be some ramp up time for Chandler, Mark Pope has gone through this before -- Chandler won't be the first. It may take Chandler some time throughout non-conference play to get his feet under him, but come league play, he could find himself in a specific role for this roster.