How will Ashton Hagans be remembered as a Kentucky player and what does his decision to leave Lexington mean for the point guard position on next year's team?
Those are the questions Cats Illustrated writers are tackling in today's roundtable.
David Sisk: Ashton Hagans’ legacy at Kentucky will be a mixed bag. That certainly isn’t the first time it has happened and won’t be the last. Hagans was a fierce defender and competitor. He stuffed the stat sheet at times with points, but always with assists, rebounds, and steals. We have seen games in which he totally set the tone of the game with his on-ball harassment. The 2018-19 North Carolina game comes to mind. But by the time the 2019 March Madness rolled around, he has drawn the ire of Big Blue Nation with his turnovers and lack of outside shooting. He followed that same roller coaster this season. But his on-court actions in Rupp Arena versus Tennessee, an immature post on Instagram, and subsequent suspension at Florida may get a big chunk of his bio at Kentucky when the last word is written. Whichever other Wildcats leave this spring, none of the group will have the red flags that Hagans has accumulated.
Devin Askew is the current option in the 2020 class at point guard. It doesn’t appear there will be another one coming out of high school. The grad transfer route is definitely one to watch, but the biggie may be this summer if the NCAA allows a one-time transfer without sitting out.
Jeff Drummond: I think I’ll always think about defense whenever Ashton Hagans’ name comes up in the future. He almost single-handedly dismantled North Carolina during his freshman season, one of the better performances by a guard on that end of the floor that we have witnessed at Kentucky. Opposing guards, especially those in the SEC who had to face him a lot, will be thrilled to see Hagans moving on. Now the focus turns to who will run the point for Calipari next season. Ideally, it would be Immanuel Quickley returning for another season and honing those skills before making the jump to the next level, where he’ll have to play that position in order to have a career. If IQ moves on, there are some real question marks. A grad transfer may be needed, either way.
Travis Graf: Ashton Hagans will be remembered as one of Kentucky’s most elite perimeter defensive players in recent memory. He was a player who was a first team ALL-SEC performer from November through January, but would hit a wall half way through conference play both years, having a personal lull in production. This was especially true in 2020, where Hagans looked like one of Calipari’s best distributors ever 20 games into the season. In 2021, Kentucky will most likely add a transfer point guard if Immanuel Quickley decides to opt for the league as well. That transfer (or Quickley) will run point alongside Devin Askew and Terrence Clarke. Multiple guys will initiate the offense next season.
