Ten former Kentucky players are still playing college basketball. Where are they now?
When the college basketball season tips off Monday night, plenty of eyes will be on Kentucky’s young roster. The Wildcats will feature eight freshmen, one transfer, and just three scholarship players — Antonio Reeves, Adou Thiero and Ugonna Onyenso — from last season’s team.
Elsewhere, there will be enough former Cats to fill two starting fives.
Ten ex-UK scholarship players are still playing college basketball. Just not in Lexington.
It’s an extraordinary number and a close-to-home example of just how much the landscape has changed in recent years, with the transfer portal and an extra year of eligibility turning the sport upside down with constant roster movement.
From a former Kentucky Mr. Basketball to four players who were on the last Wildcats’ team to 25-year-old Jemarl Baker — yes, folks, he’s still in college — UK fans interested in keeping tabs on the ex-Cats will have plenty to watch over the course of the 2023-24 season.
Here’s a look at where all those players are now, and how to watch their season openers (all games are Monday night, unless otherwise noted):
Dontaie Allen
Current school: Western Kentucky.
Years at UK: 2019-22.
The former Mr. Basketball from Pendleton County was injured during his senior season of high school, sat out his first year at UK as a result, and — other than a few hot-shooting games in the Cats’ abysmal 9-16 season — didn’t make much of an impact in Lexington. He’s now in his second season at Western Kentucky, where he averaged 9.3 points per game and shot 37.6% from deep in 2022-23. Allen has been selected as one of 10 preseason all-Conference USA honorees, and WKU was picked to finish third in the league.
Season opener: vs. Kentucky Wesleyan (8:30 p.m. on ESPN+).
Devin Askew
Current school: California.
Years at UK: 2020-21.
The much-maligned point guard on Kentucky’s 9-16 team during the COVID-19-impacted season ended up transferring to Texas and then Cal, where he’s entering his second season. He led the team in scoring last season (15.5 points per game), but Cal was terrible, finishing with a 3-29 record. The Bears have been picked 11th (out of 12 teams) in the Pac-12 this preseason.
Season opener: vs. St. Thomas (Minn.) (9 p.m. on Pac-12 Network).
Jemarl Baker
Current school: New Mexico.
Years at UK: 2017-19.
It has been six and a half years since Baker signed on as part of UK’s class of 2017, which also featured such long-gone Cats as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kevin Knox, PJ Washington and Jarred Vanderbilt, among others. He sat his first year in Lexington due to injury and played sparingly the next season. Following two seasons each at Arizona and Fresno State — with more injuries at both stops — Baker is now at New Mexico for his seventh and final year of college. He missed the Lobos’ final exhibition game last week due to injury but started in their exhibition opener. New Mexico is viewed as a possible NCAA Tournament team this season.
Season opener: vs. Texas Southern (9:30 p.m. on Mountain West Network); the Lobos play Saint Mary’s at 10 p.m. Thursday on ESPN+.
Keion Brooks Jr.
Current school: Washington.
Years at UK: 2019-22.
The former five-star recruit certainly had his moments for the Wildcats — including a 27-point performance in that road rout of eventual national champ Kansas two seasons ago — before leading Washington in scoring (17.7 points per game) his first year there. The three-time UK letterman is back for his final season with the Huskies, who have been picked to finish ninth in the Pac-12.
Season opener: vs. Bellarmine (11:30 p.m. on Pac-12 Network).
Daimion Collins
Current school: LSU.
Years at UK: 2021-23.
A former McDonald’s All-American who started the past two seasons with serious NBA draft buzz, Collins scored just 125 points in 52 games for the Wildcats. He wasn’t ready in year one, and — possibly on the verge of a breakout as a sophomore — his father died unexpectedly on the eve of last season. He’s since left Lexington in search of a basketball reset, but he remains in the SEC as part of LSU’s new-look roster. League media members picked the Tigers to finish 13th in the conference this season. Collins had 15 points and seven rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench in LSU’s only official exhibition, a 132-44 victory over the NAIA’s Louisiana Christian.
Season opener: vs. Mississippi Valley State (8 p.m. on SEC Network+).
Cam’Ron Fletcher
Current school: Florida State.
Years at UK: 2020-21.
A tumultuous freshman season — including an on-court spat with John Calipari that led to a brief departure from the team — ended up being the totality of Fletcher’s time in Lexington. The 6-7 guard was a key contributor off the bench as a sophomore at Florida State and was averaging 10.8 points and 7.5 rebounds last season before going down with a torn ACL after just 10 games. He’s back on the court and should be a key player for the Seminoles, who have been picked 11th in the 15-team ACC this preseason.
Season opener: vs. Kennesaw State (6 p.m. Friday on ACC Network streaming).
CJ Fredrick
Current school: Cincinnati.
Years at UK: 2021-23.
A former Kentucky Sweet Sixteen MVP at Covington Catholic, the Cincinnati guard was a sharpshooting 3-point threat at Iowa for two years before transferring to Kentucky, though he missed the entire 2021-22 season due to injury. He started 15 games and averaged 6.1 points for the Cats last season, another campaign riddled with injuries. Fredrick has now returned to his hometown and says he’s healthy and ready to go for the 2023-24 season.
Season opener: vs. Illinois Chicago (9 p.m. on ESPN+).
CJ Fredrick ( @cj_fredrick ) enters this season healthy and a key piece to Cincinnati's success.
He discusses how this off season has been different from others, relationship with Wes Miller, and how the team has progressed since stepping on campus. pic.twitter.com/wrDJtvz2NF— Ryan Roberts (@Ryan_Ky0203) November 2, 2023
Bryce Hopkins
Current school: Providence.
Years at UK: 2021-22.
Hyped in the 2021-22 preseason, Hopkins was limited by injuries at the beginning of his freshman year and never broke into Kentucky’s rotation. He emerged as an immediate star and possible NBA draft pick at Providence last season, which ended with a first-round NCAA Tournament loss to his old team. Hopkins decided to come back for another year with the Friars, and he projects as one of the best players in the Big East.
Season opener: vs. Columbia (7 p.m. on Fox Sports app).
Lance Ware
Current school: Villanova.
Years at UK: 2020-23.
A backup big man on the past three Kentucky teams — and a one-time high school teammate of UK freshman D.J. Wagner — Ware left Lexington this past offseason and ended up at Villanova, which is ranked No. 22 in the initial Associated Press Top 25 poll. He’s expected to be a backup player in the Wildcats’ frontcourt this season. Ware suffered a hamstring injury early this preseason but sounds like he’ll be good to go for Monday’s game.
Season opener: vs. American (7:30 p.m. on Fox Sports app).
Sahvir Wheeler
Current school: Washington.
Years at UK: 2021-23.
Kentucky’s point guard each of the past two seasons, Wheeler led the SEC in assists as a junior — after transferring from Georgia — but sat out the final few weeks of the 2022-23 campaign. He’s now reunited with Keion Brooks Jr. — they were both starters on UK’s 2021-22 squad — and will also look for a fresh start in Seattle. In the Huskies’ only official exhibition, Wheeler tallied nine points, seven assists and one turnover in 18 minutes. If he can stay healthy and come close to his career average of 6.1 assists per game this season, he’d finish in the top 30 on the all-time NCAA assists list.
Season opener: vs. Bellarmine (11:30 p.m. on Pac-12 Network).
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