Cason Wallace and Chris Livingston are both top 10-rated recruits. (Photo by UK Athletics)
Rather than focusing on who Kentucky may have staying on the roster or transferring to join the roster, let’s not forget about two five-star players that John Calipari is definitely adding for next season.
Guard Cason Wallace and wing Chris Livingston are both top 10 players in the 2022 recruiting class and both anxious to be part of John Calipari’s program.
The 6-7 Livingston says his role will be “just a wing, playing off the ball.” He says he can play guard or forward and that Calipari has shown him film of how Devin Booker and Hamidou Diallo were used at Kentucky, especially Booker coming off screens to get shots.
“Just me being an athlete and being a knockdown shooter off the ball,” Livingston said about his role at UK. “Of course, you have to play defense. That’s high school, college or the next level after that. That’s a given.”
Wallace is a capable guard with or without the ball in his hands. He can be a terrific defender and even though he’s a pass-first guard, he can score from all three levels.
“Coach just wants me to go be a player. Numbers don’t matter. Just go out there and be myself is what he (Calipari) wants me to do,” Wallace said.
Wallace had 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting, four rebounds, two assists and two blocks and Livingston scored 21 points on 8-for-16 shooting and also had eight rebounds and three steals in the Jordan Brand Classic last Friday. Livingston had 13 points, six rebounds and five assists in the McDonald’s All-American Game when he was 5-for-9 from the field while Wallace had seven points, six assists, five rebounds and one steal in the same game.
“I thought Cason looked extremely comfortable with the ball in his hands,” Krysten Peek, basketball writer for Rivals.com and Yahoo.com, said after the McDonald’s Game. “He also kept guys in front of him on the defensive end. He just seemed comfortable with everything he did.”
Peek said guards always have a little harder time adjusting to college basketball than other positions, but she likes what Wallace should be able to do.
“He is such a good playmaker, so that bodes really well for Kentucky,” Peek said. “He likes to create for others and make them better. He can put up 30 points but he’s not about scoring. He’s just a really good all-around player who does a lot of things.”
Sahvir Wheeler, the Georgia transfer who was UK’s starting point guard last season and SEC assists leader the last two years, has announced he will stay at Kentucky for his senior year.
“That could help Cason adjust easier if the pressure is not on him to create the offense. It could give him more time to just let the game come to him instead of having to run the offense,” Peek said.
What about Livingston, who transferred to Oak Hill Academy to play for legendary coach Steve Smith his senior season?
“Chris is a pure athlete who gets better and better every time I see him,” Peek said. “He has developed an outside jump shot. Out of all the McDonald’s All-Americans, he has the most college ready body. He is so strong and athletic.”
“He will probably have the least amount of trouble adjusting to the speed and pace of play at the collegiate level of all the McDonald’s All-Americans.”
Wallace seems to have the speed and athleticism that elite Calipari guards have had. He can beat defenders to create his own shot or set up a teammate. Livingston has the strength and tenacity to get to the rim and finish to create matchup issues, especially if used at the four.
Livingston said Calipari has talked to him about players that might be leaving via the NBA draft or transfer as well as the de-commitment of Skyy Clark.
“I think I will be able to impact Kentucky positively with whoever Coach brings in. I don’t think that is a big concern for me,” Livingston said.
7 Responses
Does no good with Elmer Fudd still coaching.
So 1996 who is on your short list to replace this so called Elmer Fudd coach that we have, that can win the championship every year that is expected from fans like you?
I don’t expect to win the championship every year. I don’t expect to miss the tournament twice, go over 1,000 days between NCAAT wins, and go over a decade in between NCAA championships all while losing the All times wins lead and the all time tournament wins lead.
Plenty of coaches can get the same results Elmer has the past 7 years for a whole lot less money.
He’s washed up. Time for a new coach and new life in the program!
Sahvir Wheeler either cannot or will not make a post pass and good teams know how to flood the lane when he makes his mad dash to the hoop. There will be plenty of defenders to go after his shot and cover his bail out pass. My fear is Calipari is going to do everything he can to improve Wheeler’s draft stock at the expense of the team. Cason would be the better fit at point.
The offense should go through the national player of the year first and let Oscar score or make the right pass. CJ and Chris would be the perfect recipients for pass outs for a 3, but this diminishes Wheeler’s perceived value. Short of adding at least 25 lbs of muscle, Damion is not going to be ready for battles around the basket.
Cason will see his playing time limited to covering for when Sahvir gets in foul trouble or hurt which is a shame. Sahvir knows how to dial back his defense to avoid foul trouble and getting tired and look for him to employ that. A lineup of Cason, CJ, Chris, Keion, and Oscar give us the best chance to win, but Calipari favors his pets and I don’t expect to see such a lineup more than 10 minutes in any game. With that being the case, we will do well to be a .500 team next season. No SEC title, no national title, just a handful of happy Calipari lovers getting drowned out by calls for Calipari’s firing by the bulk of BBN.
Wow 1996. What you expect as a fan is just that. You have nothing but that. We as fan should cheer the team that is put forth no matter how good or bad. Let’s see Kanas won this year, but before that it was 2008 and Self was the coach on both teams. During that time their program went through a lot of problems with the NCAA and their fan never ask for his firing. These things come in cycles and true fans cheer on. Bad fans will even make bad comments about the players and they are just kids. So I just cheer and hope to win every game, and I leave that type of program changes up to the people that have that power to do so.
Steven, I’m a fan of Kentucky 100%. I never badmouth the players. I’m not a fan of the coach. This happens all the time in sports college and professional. You can support your team and players without being a fan of the coach. We had a basketball team with as much talent as anyone this season but we didn’t have a good coach.
The players deserved better. We had a coach playing guys too many minutes until they got injured and then playing them injured all while protecting his lottery pick. And he also buried capable players on the bench without giving them a fair opportunity.
I’ve said this before, don’t remember if on this site:
No KY coach since Rupp has survived a stretch this bad for this long.
Our fans have always loved the teams but had a fickle relationship with the coaches, long before social media made it known worldwide.
I remember the grownup talk (criticisms and frustrations) around the TV when I was 8 years old about Coach Hall’s first years and then, later, after he won a NC, it only bought him a few years of grace. After the 1984 FF loss, the bandwagon was full force to run him out – Cal is fortunate to survive much past 2015.
I’ve read that there was unrest with Rupp, especially in later years.
I would say Pitino is the only coach in my lifetime to recieve a lot of grace from criticism. Even then, there was some.