Here are my rankings of John Calipari's top 20 freshmen since he's been at Kentucky. This is just based on their freshmen seasons and not their overall careers at Kentucky or their professional success.
I took into account their individual play, their numbers, their teammates and team success.
Would love to hear your top five or 10. Or top 20 if you have the time.
1. Anthony Davis (2012): This was easy. Had one of the best individual seasons in Kentucky history, despite being a freshman. 14.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.7 blocks while helping UK to its eighth national championship.
2. John Wall (2010): He didn't get to cut down the nets like Anthony Davis but he may have been just as important, if not more. He made Kentucky cool again while putting up huge numbers.
3. DeMarcus Cousins (2010): Cousins often gets overshadowed by Wall, but UK doesn't have the team success without one of Calipari's best bigs. He nearly averaged a double-double at 15.1 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.
4. Brandon Knight (2011): The debate between Jamal Murray and Brandon Knight as Calipari's best scoring guards is a fun one but Knight did something Murray didn't do and that's lead UK to a Final Four. 17.3 points, 4.2 assists and four rebounds is a nice year.
5. Jamal Murray (2016): Although Knight is ranked above Murray, Murray does win the scoring debate. He's Calipari's best scorer at Kentucky and who knows if the Cats will ever see a freshman that could light up the scoreboard like the Canadian could.
6. Julius Randle (2014): Randle averaged 15 points and 10.4 rebounds in his only year at Kentucky, joining just Anthony Davis as the only freshman to average a double-double under Calipari. He muscled Kentucky to the national championship game in 2014.
7. Terrence Jones (2011): This may come as a surprise but despite Jones returning for a sophomore season he was awfully impressive in year one. On a Final Four team he averaged 15.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. Better scoring and block numbers than DeMarcus Cousins.
8. Karl-Anthony Towns (2015): If you were ranking the talent of Calipari's players, Towns would surely be in the top three, but this about their seasons. Yes, he was the No.1 draft pick and yes his team also went to the Final Four, but Towns was on one of the deepest teams in Kentucky history, so he was overshadowed at times.
9. Nerlens Noel (2013): Had Noel not been injured he could have been higher on this list. People usually gloss over the 2013 team but Noel was a stud. He finished averaged 10.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.4 blocks and would have given Davis a run for his money on the shot-blocking record.
10. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (2012): If we were going just by numbers, Kidd-Gilchrist would be down the list. 11.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and two assists per game is solid, especially by a freshman, but not jaw-dropping. But Kidd-Gilchrist did a lot that wouldn't show up in the stat-sheet. He was a key player and defender for the 2012 title team.
11. James Young (2014): Young sometimes gets a bad wrap for being inconsistent, turnover prone and a poor defender, but he did more good than bad. Averaging 14.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and shooting 35 percent from deep was exactly what the 2014 team needed.
12. Archie Goodwin (2013): Speaking of a bad wrap, Goodwin was thought to be wildly out of control during his one year at Kentucky. But how would the Cats have been that year without Goodwin? It's ugly to imagine. He averaged 14.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists. Yes, the 3.1 turnovers were a bit much, but at least he tried to create.
13. Aaron Harrison (2014): Some may say his brother was better during their first year at UK but Aaron Harrison was the more important player. He averaged 13.7 points, three rebounds and two assists per game. But Harrison comes in at No.13 because of his clutch shots in the tournament. What a March it was in 2014 thanks to Aaron Harrison.
14. Alex Poythress (2013): It's actually sad going back and thinking about a freshman Alex Poythress. One, because it wasn't far off from a senior Alex Poythress and two he did thinks back in 2013 that he didn't do his senior season. He averaged 11.2 points, six rebounds and made 91 free throws, his highest total at UK. He would make just 134 the next three seasons. Poythress was aggressive and good his freshman season.
15. Doron Lamb (2011): Lamb is now known for being a goofball on Twitter but even before helping UK win a national championship, Lamb laid the groundwork his freshman season. The sharpshooter averaged 12.3 points and 1.6 assists while shooting 48.6 percent behind the arc.
16. Eric Bledsoe (2010): Bledsoe was certainly overshadowed by one of the best guards to ever play college basketball and a dominating big, but he still had a sensational year. The Alabama native averaged 11.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game and was a nice Robin to Wall's Batman.
17. Andrew Harrison (2014): Harrison took sometime, like many Calipari point guards, but come March he was a force. He didn't knockdown the big shots like his brother, but he did averaged nearly 11 points, four assists and 3.2 rebounds per game. He also attempted 208 free throws his freshman season. He was able to get to the rim.
18. Marquis Teague (2012): Teague was exactly what the 2012 Cats needed. A point guard that was smart, took care of the ball and wouldn't try to do too much. His unselfishness, while good for the team, has him a little farther down the list. His 10 points, 4.8 assists and 2.5 rebounds was solid for a freshman but he should have returned for a sophomore season.
19. Devin Booker (2015): Booker had some slumps but for the most part he was a reliable scorer for the Cats in 2015. He averaged 10 points, two rebounds and one assist per game, shooting 41 percent from deep. He was a liability at times defensively but grew as an overall player throughout the year.
20. Willie Cauley-Stein (2013): A fan favorite, fans forget that Cauley-Stein made an impact from day one. He averaged 8.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. He was raw and would eventually come a long way as a Cat, but he showed all the signs fans wanted to see in year one.
I took into account their individual play, their numbers, their teammates and team success.
Would love to hear your top five or 10. Or top 20 if you have the time.
1. Anthony Davis (2012): This was easy. Had one of the best individual seasons in Kentucky history, despite being a freshman. 14.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.7 blocks while helping UK to its eighth national championship.
2. John Wall (2010): He didn't get to cut down the nets like Anthony Davis but he may have been just as important, if not more. He made Kentucky cool again while putting up huge numbers.
3. DeMarcus Cousins (2010): Cousins often gets overshadowed by Wall, but UK doesn't have the team success without one of Calipari's best bigs. He nearly averaged a double-double at 15.1 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.
4. Brandon Knight (2011): The debate between Jamal Murray and Brandon Knight as Calipari's best scoring guards is a fun one but Knight did something Murray didn't do and that's lead UK to a Final Four. 17.3 points, 4.2 assists and four rebounds is a nice year.
5. Jamal Murray (2016): Although Knight is ranked above Murray, Murray does win the scoring debate. He's Calipari's best scorer at Kentucky and who knows if the Cats will ever see a freshman that could light up the scoreboard like the Canadian could.
6. Julius Randle (2014): Randle averaged 15 points and 10.4 rebounds in his only year at Kentucky, joining just Anthony Davis as the only freshman to average a double-double under Calipari. He muscled Kentucky to the national championship game in 2014.
7. Terrence Jones (2011): This may come as a surprise but despite Jones returning for a sophomore season he was awfully impressive in year one. On a Final Four team he averaged 15.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. Better scoring and block numbers than DeMarcus Cousins.
8. Karl-Anthony Towns (2015): If you were ranking the talent of Calipari's players, Towns would surely be in the top three, but this about their seasons. Yes, he was the No.1 draft pick and yes his team also went to the Final Four, but Towns was on one of the deepest teams in Kentucky history, so he was overshadowed at times.
9. Nerlens Noel (2013): Had Noel not been injured he could have been higher on this list. People usually gloss over the 2013 team but Noel was a stud. He finished averaged 10.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.4 blocks and would have given Davis a run for his money on the shot-blocking record.
10. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (2012): If we were going just by numbers, Kidd-Gilchrist would be down the list. 11.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and two assists per game is solid, especially by a freshman, but not jaw-dropping. But Kidd-Gilchrist did a lot that wouldn't show up in the stat-sheet. He was a key player and defender for the 2012 title team.
11. James Young (2014): Young sometimes gets a bad wrap for being inconsistent, turnover prone and a poor defender, but he did more good than bad. Averaging 14.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and shooting 35 percent from deep was exactly what the 2014 team needed.
12. Archie Goodwin (2013): Speaking of a bad wrap, Goodwin was thought to be wildly out of control during his one year at Kentucky. But how would the Cats have been that year without Goodwin? It's ugly to imagine. He averaged 14.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists. Yes, the 3.1 turnovers were a bit much, but at least he tried to create.
13. Aaron Harrison (2014): Some may say his brother was better during their first year at UK but Aaron Harrison was the more important player. He averaged 13.7 points, three rebounds and two assists per game. But Harrison comes in at No.13 because of his clutch shots in the tournament. What a March it was in 2014 thanks to Aaron Harrison.
14. Alex Poythress (2013): It's actually sad going back and thinking about a freshman Alex Poythress. One, because it wasn't far off from a senior Alex Poythress and two he did thinks back in 2013 that he didn't do his senior season. He averaged 11.2 points, six rebounds and made 91 free throws, his highest total at UK. He would make just 134 the next three seasons. Poythress was aggressive and good his freshman season.
15. Doron Lamb (2011): Lamb is now known for being a goofball on Twitter but even before helping UK win a national championship, Lamb laid the groundwork his freshman season. The sharpshooter averaged 12.3 points and 1.6 assists while shooting 48.6 percent behind the arc.
16. Eric Bledsoe (2010): Bledsoe was certainly overshadowed by one of the best guards to ever play college basketball and a dominating big, but he still had a sensational year. The Alabama native averaged 11.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game and was a nice Robin to Wall's Batman.
17. Andrew Harrison (2014): Harrison took sometime, like many Calipari point guards, but come March he was a force. He didn't knockdown the big shots like his brother, but he did averaged nearly 11 points, four assists and 3.2 rebounds per game. He also attempted 208 free throws his freshman season. He was able to get to the rim.
18. Marquis Teague (2012): Teague was exactly what the 2012 Cats needed. A point guard that was smart, took care of the ball and wouldn't try to do too much. His unselfishness, while good for the team, has him a little farther down the list. His 10 points, 4.8 assists and 2.5 rebounds was solid for a freshman but he should have returned for a sophomore season.
19. Devin Booker (2015): Booker had some slumps but for the most part he was a reliable scorer for the Cats in 2015. He averaged 10 points, two rebounds and one assist per game, shooting 41 percent from deep. He was a liability at times defensively but grew as an overall player throughout the year.
20. Willie Cauley-Stein (2013): A fan favorite, fans forget that Cauley-Stein made an impact from day one. He averaged 8.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. He was raw and would eventually come a long way as a Cat, but he showed all the signs fans wanted to see in year one.
