Cason Wallace keeps drawing a crowd but continues to make plays. (Vicky Graff Photo)
The more games he plays, the more national media members who seem to be impressed with Kentucky freshman guard Cason Wallace.
“I love this kid,” SEC Network analyst Pat Bradley, a former Arkansas player, said. “Great length and he values defense. He shoots 50 percent from 3.
“His defensive instinct and versatility are great. He’s equally as good a defender as he is a shooter. He was born with that defense.”
Guess who else is a Cason Wallace fan? That would be UK senior teammate Sahvir Wheeler.
Wallace is averaging 12.9 points per game, second on the team behind Oscar Tshiebwe. He’s also averaging 3.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game. He’s also hitting 50.4 percent overall from the field and 45.6 percent from 3, the best mark on the team.
Wheeler says those who thought Wallace was inexperienced coming into the season were wrong. Wheeler said high profile freshmen like Wallace have played “high level basketball a long time” or they would not be at a school like Kentucky.
“Cason has a sort of a maturity to him. Even keeled. Doesn’t get too high or too low. That has been a good thing for us,” Wheeler said. “We want him to be aggressive. He is super efficient on the court offensively and gets after it defensively.
“The next step for him obviously is becoming a better playmaker. He is super unselfish. He does everything so well. It’s kind of nitpicking (to mention his playmaking).
“He has been a great player and we want him to be aggressive and share what he knows. He is smart and has a great mind for the game.”
