http://www.courier-journal.com/stor...ks-fox-following-calipari-pg-legacy/91538748/
LEXINGTON, Ky. – As Kentucky basketball players played a series of games with Picadome Elementary students in September, one Wildcat might have been confused for one of the students.
Whenever UK players were asked to volunteer for a game, freshman De’Aaron Fox was front and center.
“I still have that kid inside of me,” Fox said.
The Wildcats’ resident child at heart will attempt to bring that same youthful glee to the court as the team’s point guard as a freshman.
Playing point guard for John Calipari brings its own level of pressure. Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, John Wall, Brandon Knight and others all thrived in the role before going on to NBA careers.
But Fox may face one of the most difficult follow-up acts in replacing former Wildcat Tyler Ulis, who set a program record with 246 assists last season.
“I haven’t figured out is he going to have the ball as much as Tyler,” Calipari said. “...Now, let me say this, as I watch him he’s going to have the ball. But Tyler had it would you say 97 percent of the time? And he probably needed 98 percent? Yeah, OK, but this is totally different.”
Fox was ranked as the No. 2 point guard in the high school class of 2016 by the 247Sports Composite, which averages the ratings of the four major recruiting services. NBADraft.net currently projects him as the No. 8 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft and ranks him as the Wildcats’ best NBA prospect.
The latest Calipari point guard is well aware of his coach’s history developing future NBA prospects at his position.
“You don’t really want to go to a school that like only produces bigs, or bigs are only talked about,” Fox said. “So, I know the guards that he’s had. Guys have really taught me and just told me what to expect when I’m being coached by Cal.”
Fox first became of aware of Calipari’s point guard legacy when watching Wall at UK.
It’s Wall’s example that Calipari thinks could be important for Fox this season.
“There are times he can look as fast as John Wall,” Calipari said. “John Wall knew that was his No. 1 weapon and he used it all the time, probably too much. De’Aaron hasn’t figured out that should be his No. 1 weapon. It’s a weapon he’ll use every once in a while, but it’s really hard to run that fast all the time.”
As a recruit, Fox wowed pundits with his speed.
“He’s going to push the tempo,” Rivals.com analyst Eric Bossi told the Courier-Journal. “He’s going to try to get to the rim, and he’s going to try to make things happen.”
That speed should be an asset however he is used this season, but playing alongside sophomore Isaiah Briscoe and freshman Malik Monk in the UK backcourt, Fox may spend time without the ball in his hands at times.
Bossi pointed to Fox’s jump shot as an area that could use more consistency, but Fox is also expected to be a weapon for the Wildcats on defense.
“He’s going to have the ball,” Calipari said. “He’s going to be in pick-and-rolls. He’s going to be in play-making decisions.”
With Briscoe shouldering much of the leadership burden, Fox should face an easier adjustment than some of Calipari’s previous point guards who were counted on to immediately lead the team as freshmen.
His youthful exuberance has already endeared him to teammates and is likely to translate to his playing style as well.
“He’s always playing,” senior guard Mychal Mulder said. “My room is by the elevator, so every time he’s got to go he’s got to stop in my room and mess with me a little bit if I’m sleeping or whatever…I just leave it open now because I don’t feel like getting up and opening it when he knocks.”
That attitude could also be key in him handling the pressure as the next “Calipari point guard.”
“It’s not hard for me to stay level-headed,” Fox said. “Most of the time I like being alone anyway. I’m not really shying away from the attention, but I’m not going go outside and just yell at it and be like, ‘I’m right here.'"
Getting to know De’Aaron Fox
Height: 6-3
Weight: 187
Class: Freshman
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Fun fact: Fox can play piano and juggle. His favorite TV show is Dragon Ball Z, a Japanese anime show that first aired in the United States in 1996, one year before Fox was born. “It’s been around since before I was born, 90s,” Fox said. “It’s entertaining. It’s a new series out right now – it’s not even in English. I’ve been watching it in Japanese with captions. I’m a fan of it.”
What Olympic sport he’d play other than basketball: “It wouldn’t be track or swimming, because I know I’m not going to win,” Fox said. “Usain (Bolt) or Michael Pehlps is going to win that. It would probably be handball. That was a new sport I actually watched this year. I was like, what’s going on? But it looked really fun.”
LEXINGTON, Ky. – As Kentucky basketball players played a series of games with Picadome Elementary students in September, one Wildcat might have been confused for one of the students.
Whenever UK players were asked to volunteer for a game, freshman De’Aaron Fox was front and center.
“I still have that kid inside of me,” Fox said.
The Wildcats’ resident child at heart will attempt to bring that same youthful glee to the court as the team’s point guard as a freshman.
Playing point guard for John Calipari brings its own level of pressure. Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, John Wall, Brandon Knight and others all thrived in the role before going on to NBA careers.
But Fox may face one of the most difficult follow-up acts in replacing former Wildcat Tyler Ulis, who set a program record with 246 assists last season.
“I haven’t figured out is he going to have the ball as much as Tyler,” Calipari said. “...Now, let me say this, as I watch him he’s going to have the ball. But Tyler had it would you say 97 percent of the time? And he probably needed 98 percent? Yeah, OK, but this is totally different.”
Fox was ranked as the No. 2 point guard in the high school class of 2016 by the 247Sports Composite, which averages the ratings of the four major recruiting services. NBADraft.net currently projects him as the No. 8 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft and ranks him as the Wildcats’ best NBA prospect.
The latest Calipari point guard is well aware of his coach’s history developing future NBA prospects at his position.
“You don’t really want to go to a school that like only produces bigs, or bigs are only talked about,” Fox said. “So, I know the guards that he’s had. Guys have really taught me and just told me what to expect when I’m being coached by Cal.”
Fox first became of aware of Calipari’s point guard legacy when watching Wall at UK.
It’s Wall’s example that Calipari thinks could be important for Fox this season.
“There are times he can look as fast as John Wall,” Calipari said. “John Wall knew that was his No. 1 weapon and he used it all the time, probably too much. De’Aaron hasn’t figured out that should be his No. 1 weapon. It’s a weapon he’ll use every once in a while, but it’s really hard to run that fast all the time.”
As a recruit, Fox wowed pundits with his speed.
“He’s going to push the tempo,” Rivals.com analyst Eric Bossi told the Courier-Journal. “He’s going to try to get to the rim, and he’s going to try to make things happen.”
That speed should be an asset however he is used this season, but playing alongside sophomore Isaiah Briscoe and freshman Malik Monk in the UK backcourt, Fox may spend time without the ball in his hands at times.
Bossi pointed to Fox’s jump shot as an area that could use more consistency, but Fox is also expected to be a weapon for the Wildcats on defense.
“He’s going to have the ball,” Calipari said. “He’s going to be in pick-and-rolls. He’s going to be in play-making decisions.”
With Briscoe shouldering much of the leadership burden, Fox should face an easier adjustment than some of Calipari’s previous point guards who were counted on to immediately lead the team as freshmen.
His youthful exuberance has already endeared him to teammates and is likely to translate to his playing style as well.
“He’s always playing,” senior guard Mychal Mulder said. “My room is by the elevator, so every time he’s got to go he’s got to stop in my room and mess with me a little bit if I’m sleeping or whatever…I just leave it open now because I don’t feel like getting up and opening it when he knocks.”
That attitude could also be key in him handling the pressure as the next “Calipari point guard.”
“It’s not hard for me to stay level-headed,” Fox said. “Most of the time I like being alone anyway. I’m not really shying away from the attention, but I’m not going go outside and just yell at it and be like, ‘I’m right here.'"
Getting to know De’Aaron Fox
Height: 6-3
Weight: 187
Class: Freshman
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Fun fact: Fox can play piano and juggle. His favorite TV show is Dragon Ball Z, a Japanese anime show that first aired in the United States in 1996, one year before Fox was born. “It’s been around since before I was born, 90s,” Fox said. “It’s entertaining. It’s a new series out right now – it’s not even in English. I’ve been watching it in Japanese with captions. I’m a fan of it.”
What Olympic sport he’d play other than basketball: “It wouldn’t be track or swimming, because I know I’m not going to win,” Fox said. “Usain (Bolt) or Michael Pehlps is going to win that. It would probably be handball. That was a new sport I actually watched this year. I was like, what’s going on? But it looked really fun.”
