In accordance with prophecy, Kentucky turned over their entire roster. Five players from last season were drafted into the NBA, while a 6th - shooting guard Darnell Dodson - was dismissed from the team. (He then promptly got arrested for disorderly conduct and transferred to Southern Mississippi, which will be his fourth team in four seasons.) Perry Stevenson and Ramon Harris graduated and turned professional, and therefore, the only returning players were Darius Miller, DeAndre Liggins, Josh Harrellson and Jon Hood. Only the first two played significant minutes last season. It was, by and large, a complete reformation.
Of course, while a lot of talent went out, a lot more came in. Freshman Terrence Jones, Brandon Knight and Doron Lamb form arguably the best freshman trio in the nation, rivalled only by perhaps that of Ohio State. (Stacey Poole, another top 100 recruit, has played only 45 minutes all season. Not a good freshman season for Stacey Poole.)
Knight is a terrific scoring guard, in the mold of those such as Ben Gordon or Jason Terry. He's not really a point guard - he gets the ball over half court, makes the first pass, can find people in transition, and that's about it. Yet when it comes to scoring, he can do it all - driving, finishing, shooting, and creating shots. Much the same is true of Lamb, a born scorer way ahead of the usual freshman curve. Lamb scores from the perimeter, the mid-range and within the paint, all with startling efficiency. He is athletic, fluid, just about big enough, disciplined and agile, with the ability to create shots, hit open ones, run the court and get to the basket. He has a mid-range game, doesn't take bad shots, and doesn't make too many bad decisions. Furthermore, to compliment that, he has improved his defense significantly throughout the course of the season. He has real pro potential.
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An Unnecessarily Exhaustive Guide To The 2010/11 NCAA Tournament, Part 2: Eastern Region
