Rivals began releasing its final rankings for the 2020 class on Monday. Our team of national analysts started the process by unveiling and ranking the five-star performers. In the end, Kentucky was able to secure the signature of three of these 29 players.
The order went from the bottom to the top, so the first player named was Isaiah Jackson. The 6-foot-10 power forward jumped one spot from No. 27 to 26 in the final analysis. This was not a particularly strong power forward class in regards to quantity, and Jackson also ended up the third highest rated player at that spot.
Just as we already have with B.J. Boston and Terrence Clarke, we will take a look at Jackson's contemporaries over the past decade with identical rankings and position ratings.
National rankings
Beginning with 2010, here is a look at the last ten players who came in at No.26 as well as what they contributed during their college and professional careers. There are two one-and-done's in this group. Three went on to be chosen in the NBA Draft.
2010 - Keala King, 6-foot-5, Arizona State. King played two seasons at Arizona State. He didn't do a lot as a freshman, but averaged 13.7 points per game as a sophomore. From there he transferred to Long Beach State where he averaged 9.8 points per game. He went on to play professionally from the Philippines.
2011 - Myck Kabongo, 6-foot-2, Texas. Kabongo played in 34 games as a freshman and was suspended for 23 games as a sophomore for illegal activity with an agent. He averaged 10.8 points in two seasons with the Longhorns. Kabongo was undrafted and has played in the G-League and internationally since then.
2012 - DaJuan Coleman, 6-foot-8, Syracuse. Coleman is a rarity amongst these lists. He played four years of college ball at the same school. He started 81 games in his career, but only averaged 4.9 points and 4.4. rebounds overall at Syracuse. Coleman was undrafted and plays in Europe.
2013 - Jeramaine Lawrence, 6-foot-9, Cincinnati. Lawrence played as a freshman at Cincinnati and as a sophomore at Manhattan. His ceiling was 4.8 points per game in year number two.
2014 - Keita Bates-Diop, 6-foot-7, Ohio State. Bates-Diop had an outstanding career at Ohio State. His senior season was his best. He averaged 19.8 points and 8.7 rebounds which resulted in him being Big Ten Player of the Year. He was selected 48th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He has split time between the NBA and the G-League.
2015 - Deyonta Davis, 6-foot-9, Michigan State. Davis was one-and-done with the Spartans in 2015-16. He started in sixteen games and averaged 7.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. He was drafted at the front end of the NBA Draft's second round by the Boston Celtics with the 31st pick. He has played in 107 NBA games with three different teams. His best season was 2017-18 with the Memphis Grizzlies where he averaged 5.8 points in 62 games.
2016 - V.J. King, 6-foot-7, Louisville. King played three seasons at Louisville. He started 48 games in his career and averaged 6.1 points. He was undrafted and has played in the G-League with the Westchester Knicks since 2019.
2017 - Emmanuel Akot, 6-foot-8, Arizona. Akot never found his footing in Tucson. He averaged 1.8 points as a freshman and 3.8 as a sophomore. He transferred after two years to Boise State. He sat out last season and has two remaining.
2018 - Coby White, 6-foot-3, North Carolina. White probably had more impact as a freshman as anybody on this list. The point guard averaged 16.1 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.5 rebounds. He was named Second Team All-ACC. White was taken with the 7th overall pick in the 2019 draft. He averaged 13.2 points this past season as a rookie with the Chicago Bulls.
2019 - Oscar Tshiebwe, 6-foot-8, West Virginia. Tshiebwe is a familiar name to Kentucky fans. He spurned the Wildcats for the Mountaineers. He averaged 11.2 points and 9.3 rebounds last year as a freshman. He will be returning for his sophomore season and is expected to be one of the top big men in the country.
Position Rankings
Of the third rated power forwards over the past decade, four went on to be drafted. Trey Lyles and Wenyen Gabriel are two names on this list that will be familiar with Kentucky fans.
2010 - Perry Jones, 6-foot-11, Baylor. Jones was ranked number nine in his class. Jones had two effective seasons at Baylor. He averaged 13.7 points and 7.4 rebounds. He was 2nd Team All-Big 12 in 2011 and 3rd Team in 2012. He was selected 28th in the 2012 NBA Draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Jones has played sparingly in the league, and has spent most of his time in the G-League and overseas.
2011 - James McAdoo, 6-foot-8, North Carolina. McAdoo was ranked number eight in his class. McAdoo played three seasons in Chapel Hill and ended up with 1232 points and 640 career rebounds. McAdoo was undrafted and has played mostly overseas.
2012 - Grant Jerrett, 6-foot-9, Arizona. Jerrett was ranked fifteenth in his class. Jerrett played one season at Arizona, and despite only averaging 5.2 points and 3.6 boards he went with the 40th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. He played a total of eight games in the league, and has predominantly played internationally.
2013 - Noah Vonleh, 6-foot-9, Indiana. Vonleh was ranked eighth in his class. Vonleh averaged 11.3 points and 9.0 rebounds in his one season at Indiana. The Charlotte Hornets chose him with the ninth pick in the 2014 draft. Vonleh has appeared in 328 games during his NBA career. He has averaged 5.0 points per game.
2014 - Trey Lyles, 6-foot-10, Kentucky. Lyles was ranked thirteenth in his class. The former Wildcat started 21 games in one of John Calipari's best teams in 2015. He averaged 8.7 points and 5.2 rebounds. He was chosen 12th overall in the 2015 draft by the Utah Jazz. Lyles has had a consistent career with the Jazz and the Denver Nuggets. He has appeared in 351 games, and averaged 7.4 points and 4.2 rebounds.
2015 - Cheick Diallo, 6-foot-9, Kansas. Diallo was ranked fifth in his class. Diallo is another who had a pedestrian college experience but was still drafted. He averaged just 3.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in one season at Kansas. He was taken with the 33rd pick by the Clippers that summer. Diallo has appeared in 160 games with New Orleans and Phoenix the past three years.
2016 - Wenyen Gabriel, 6-foot-9, Kentucky. Gabriel was ranked thirteenth in his class. Another Wildcat, Gabriel averaged 5.7 points and 5.1 rebounds between 2016-18. He went undrafted but is currently playing with the Portal Trail Blazers.
2017 - Billy Preston, 6-foot-9, Kansas. Preston was ranked eleventh in his class. Preston didn't play any games at Kansas and went undrafted. He has played in the G-League and overseas.
2018 - Jordan Brown, 6-foot-11, Nevada. Brown was ranked twelfth in his class. Brown averaged 3.0 points and 2.1 rebounds as a freshman at Nevada. Brown transferred to Arizona and sat out this past season.
2019 - Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, 6-foot-9, Villanova. Robinso -Earl was ranked eleventh in his class. Robinson-Earl averaged 10.5 points and 9.4 rebounds this past season. He declared for the NBA Draft this spring but has already announced that he will return.
Other Kentucky Wildcats in the Calipari era ranked in the top twenty-six
Isaiah Jackson is the forty-third highest ranked player to sign with Kentucky during the John Caliapri era.
No. 1 John Wall, (2009) Skal Labissiere (2015)
No. 2. DeMarcus Cousins (2009) Anthony Davis (2011) Nerlens Noel (2012) Julius Randle (2013)
No. 3. Enes Kanter (2010)
No. 4. B.J. Boston (2020)
No. 5. Marquis Teague (2011). Andrew Harrison (2013). Karl Anthony-Towns (2014)
No. 6. Brandon Knight (2010) De"Aaron Fox. (2016)
No. 7. Aaron Harrison (2013). Bam Adebayo (2016) Terrence Clarke, (2020)
No. 8. Alex Poythress (2012)
No. 9. Dakari Johnson (2013). Jamal Murray (2015) Malik Monk (2016)
No. 10. Isaiah Briscoe. (2015). Kevin Knox (2017) Tyrese Maxey (2019)
No. 11. James Young (2013) E.J. Montgomery (2018)
No. 13. Terrence Jones (2010) Trey Lyles (2014) Wenyan Gabriel (2016) Ashton Hagans (2018)
No. 14. Archie Goodwin (2012) Jarred Vanderbilt (2017) Kahlil Whitney (2019)
No. 15. P.J. Washington (2017) Keldon Johnson (2018)
No. 17. Nick Richards (2017)
No. 19. Marcus Lee (2013)
No. 21. Doron Lamb.(2010). Tyler Ulis (2014)
No. 22. Kyle Wiltjer (2011) Quade Green (2017) Immanuel Quickley (2018)
No, 24. Sacha Killeya-Jones (2016)
No. 26. Isaiah Jackson (2020)
The order went from the bottom to the top, so the first player named was Isaiah Jackson. The 6-foot-10 power forward jumped one spot from No. 27 to 26 in the final analysis. This was not a particularly strong power forward class in regards to quantity, and Jackson also ended up the third highest rated player at that spot.
Just as we already have with B.J. Boston and Terrence Clarke, we will take a look at Jackson's contemporaries over the past decade with identical rankings and position ratings.
National rankings
Beginning with 2010, here is a look at the last ten players who came in at No.26 as well as what they contributed during their college and professional careers. There are two one-and-done's in this group. Three went on to be chosen in the NBA Draft.
2010 - Keala King, 6-foot-5, Arizona State. King played two seasons at Arizona State. He didn't do a lot as a freshman, but averaged 13.7 points per game as a sophomore. From there he transferred to Long Beach State where he averaged 9.8 points per game. He went on to play professionally from the Philippines.
2011 - Myck Kabongo, 6-foot-2, Texas. Kabongo played in 34 games as a freshman and was suspended for 23 games as a sophomore for illegal activity with an agent. He averaged 10.8 points in two seasons with the Longhorns. Kabongo was undrafted and has played in the G-League and internationally since then.
2012 - DaJuan Coleman, 6-foot-8, Syracuse. Coleman is a rarity amongst these lists. He played four years of college ball at the same school. He started 81 games in his career, but only averaged 4.9 points and 4.4. rebounds overall at Syracuse. Coleman was undrafted and plays in Europe.
2013 - Jeramaine Lawrence, 6-foot-9, Cincinnati. Lawrence played as a freshman at Cincinnati and as a sophomore at Manhattan. His ceiling was 4.8 points per game in year number two.
2014 - Keita Bates-Diop, 6-foot-7, Ohio State. Bates-Diop had an outstanding career at Ohio State. His senior season was his best. He averaged 19.8 points and 8.7 rebounds which resulted in him being Big Ten Player of the Year. He was selected 48th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He has split time between the NBA and the G-League.
2015 - Deyonta Davis, 6-foot-9, Michigan State. Davis was one-and-done with the Spartans in 2015-16. He started in sixteen games and averaged 7.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. He was drafted at the front end of the NBA Draft's second round by the Boston Celtics with the 31st pick. He has played in 107 NBA games with three different teams. His best season was 2017-18 with the Memphis Grizzlies where he averaged 5.8 points in 62 games.
2016 - V.J. King, 6-foot-7, Louisville. King played three seasons at Louisville. He started 48 games in his career and averaged 6.1 points. He was undrafted and has played in the G-League with the Westchester Knicks since 2019.
2017 - Emmanuel Akot, 6-foot-8, Arizona. Akot never found his footing in Tucson. He averaged 1.8 points as a freshman and 3.8 as a sophomore. He transferred after two years to Boise State. He sat out last season and has two remaining.
2018 - Coby White, 6-foot-3, North Carolina. White probably had more impact as a freshman as anybody on this list. The point guard averaged 16.1 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.5 rebounds. He was named Second Team All-ACC. White was taken with the 7th overall pick in the 2019 draft. He averaged 13.2 points this past season as a rookie with the Chicago Bulls.
2019 - Oscar Tshiebwe, 6-foot-8, West Virginia. Tshiebwe is a familiar name to Kentucky fans. He spurned the Wildcats for the Mountaineers. He averaged 11.2 points and 9.3 rebounds last year as a freshman. He will be returning for his sophomore season and is expected to be one of the top big men in the country.
Position Rankings
Of the third rated power forwards over the past decade, four went on to be drafted. Trey Lyles and Wenyen Gabriel are two names on this list that will be familiar with Kentucky fans.
2010 - Perry Jones, 6-foot-11, Baylor. Jones was ranked number nine in his class. Jones had two effective seasons at Baylor. He averaged 13.7 points and 7.4 rebounds. He was 2nd Team All-Big 12 in 2011 and 3rd Team in 2012. He was selected 28th in the 2012 NBA Draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Jones has played sparingly in the league, and has spent most of his time in the G-League and overseas.
2011 - James McAdoo, 6-foot-8, North Carolina. McAdoo was ranked number eight in his class. McAdoo played three seasons in Chapel Hill and ended up with 1232 points and 640 career rebounds. McAdoo was undrafted and has played mostly overseas.
2012 - Grant Jerrett, 6-foot-9, Arizona. Jerrett was ranked fifteenth in his class. Jerrett played one season at Arizona, and despite only averaging 5.2 points and 3.6 boards he went with the 40th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. He played a total of eight games in the league, and has predominantly played internationally.
2013 - Noah Vonleh, 6-foot-9, Indiana. Vonleh was ranked eighth in his class. Vonleh averaged 11.3 points and 9.0 rebounds in his one season at Indiana. The Charlotte Hornets chose him with the ninth pick in the 2014 draft. Vonleh has appeared in 328 games during his NBA career. He has averaged 5.0 points per game.
2014 - Trey Lyles, 6-foot-10, Kentucky. Lyles was ranked thirteenth in his class. The former Wildcat started 21 games in one of John Calipari's best teams in 2015. He averaged 8.7 points and 5.2 rebounds. He was chosen 12th overall in the 2015 draft by the Utah Jazz. Lyles has had a consistent career with the Jazz and the Denver Nuggets. He has appeared in 351 games, and averaged 7.4 points and 4.2 rebounds.
2015 - Cheick Diallo, 6-foot-9, Kansas. Diallo was ranked fifth in his class. Diallo is another who had a pedestrian college experience but was still drafted. He averaged just 3.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in one season at Kansas. He was taken with the 33rd pick by the Clippers that summer. Diallo has appeared in 160 games with New Orleans and Phoenix the past three years.
2016 - Wenyen Gabriel, 6-foot-9, Kentucky. Gabriel was ranked thirteenth in his class. Another Wildcat, Gabriel averaged 5.7 points and 5.1 rebounds between 2016-18. He went undrafted but is currently playing with the Portal Trail Blazers.
2017 - Billy Preston, 6-foot-9, Kansas. Preston was ranked eleventh in his class. Preston didn't play any games at Kansas and went undrafted. He has played in the G-League and overseas.
2018 - Jordan Brown, 6-foot-11, Nevada. Brown was ranked twelfth in his class. Brown averaged 3.0 points and 2.1 rebounds as a freshman at Nevada. Brown transferred to Arizona and sat out this past season.
2019 - Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, 6-foot-9, Villanova. Robinso -Earl was ranked eleventh in his class. Robinson-Earl averaged 10.5 points and 9.4 rebounds this past season. He declared for the NBA Draft this spring but has already announced that he will return.
Other Kentucky Wildcats in the Calipari era ranked in the top twenty-six
Isaiah Jackson is the forty-third highest ranked player to sign with Kentucky during the John Caliapri era.
No. 1 John Wall, (2009) Skal Labissiere (2015)
No. 2. DeMarcus Cousins (2009) Anthony Davis (2011) Nerlens Noel (2012) Julius Randle (2013)
No. 3. Enes Kanter (2010)
No. 4. B.J. Boston (2020)
No. 5. Marquis Teague (2011). Andrew Harrison (2013). Karl Anthony-Towns (2014)
No. 6. Brandon Knight (2010) De"Aaron Fox. (2016)
No. 7. Aaron Harrison (2013). Bam Adebayo (2016) Terrence Clarke, (2020)
No. 8. Alex Poythress (2012)
No. 9. Dakari Johnson (2013). Jamal Murray (2015) Malik Monk (2016)
No. 10. Isaiah Briscoe. (2015). Kevin Knox (2017) Tyrese Maxey (2019)
No. 11. James Young (2013) E.J. Montgomery (2018)
No. 13. Terrence Jones (2010) Trey Lyles (2014) Wenyan Gabriel (2016) Ashton Hagans (2018)
No. 14. Archie Goodwin (2012) Jarred Vanderbilt (2017) Kahlil Whitney (2019)
No. 15. P.J. Washington (2017) Keldon Johnson (2018)
No. 17. Nick Richards (2017)
No. 19. Marcus Lee (2013)
No. 21. Doron Lamb.(2010). Tyler Ulis (2014)
No. 22. Kyle Wiltjer (2011) Quade Green (2017) Immanuel Quickley (2018)
No, 24. Sacha Killeya-Jones (2016)
No. 26. Isaiah Jackson (2020)
