Kentucky ready to roll out would-be U19 Worlds stars

REGENSBURG (David Hein's Eye on the Future) - International basketball fans will get a look at the some of the superstar talent they missed at the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship when the University of Kentucky tips off its NCAA season on Friday at home against Marist.

Kentucky head coach John Calipari has a stacked roster which makes the Wildcats the pre-season number two ranked team in the U.S. behind North Carolina. But a quintet of Calipari’s players elected attending summer school classes instead of leading their respective nations at the U19 worlds – robbing a glimpse of the future for FIBA fans.

The superstar freshman trio of Americans Anthony Davis, Marcus Teague and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist – along with super sophomore Terence Jones – all announced in the media that they would rather take classes in Lexington than represent the Stars and Stripes in Latvia last June and July. In addition, Canadian freshman Kyle Wiltjer – the fourth member of Kentucky’s embarrassingly strong haul of freshmen for the season – also did not show up at the U19s.

So, what did the on-lookers in Latvia lose out on?

The 6-foot-9 forward Jones comes into the 2011-12 season as a First Team All American. The 19-year-old from Portland, Oregon appears destined for the NBA – though some question if he can play as a power forward.

Davis, an 18-year-old 6-foot-10 power forward/center from Chicago, is a Second Team All American coming into his first college season. He’s a very athletic and physical big man who is the odds-on favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.

The 18-year-old 6-foot-7 Gilchrist is a versatile and exciting forward who does a number of things that will make a team win. Gilchrist, a Somerdale, New Jersey native, may start on the bench for Calipari, but he will very likely be on the floor at the end of the games.

Teague, an 18-year-old 6-foot-2 point guard is the younger brother of Atlanta Hawks Jeff Teague. Marquis Teague, from Indianapolis, Indiana is a lightning quick playmaker who will have plenty of fun dishing out to all the weapons alongside him.

Wiltjer is a 19-year-old 6-foot-9 power forward from Portland, Oregon who has dual U.S. and Canadian citizenship. Wiltjer is a tantalizing inside-outside mix of a big man who can block shots, has strong moves inside and can shoot from the outside while also a good feel for the pass.

With all of those players – not to mention senior Darius Miller (who FIBA fans will remember from the U19 worlds in 2009) – it’s even scarier to think that Turkish superstar Enes Kanter could have been with Kentucky as well if he decided against going for the NBA Draft last summer after not playing in Lexington due to an NCAA suspension last season.

While international fans missed those five Kentucky stars last summer, they have seen three of them in the past.

Jones and Davis would have made their international debuts, but Teague and Gilchrist both won the gold medal at the 2010 FIBA U17 World Championship and Wiltjer played at the 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Championship.

The quintet may have elected against playing in Latvia, but international hoops fans should not worry. With the quality of those players, it is more than likely that they will represent their national colors again.

Until then, fans will just have to watch Kentucky Wildcats action.

David Hein
FIBA