Notes: Cats could add big man Humphries

John Calipari admits he hopes to add a player or two to his roster, but he isn't saying who.

Speaking at his annual youth camp at the Joe Craft Center on Saturday, Calipari couldn't comment on the CBS Sports report of Australian prep player Isaac Humphries planning to reclassify and enroll at Kentucky for this coming season.

Humphries, a 7-foot center who averaged 18.9 points and 11.6 rebounds in the FIBA under-17 championships, is ranked 35th in the class of 2016 by Rivals.

He would become the fourth international player on the Cats' roster this season -- joining Jamal Murray and Mychal Mulder from Canada, and Skal Labissiere from Haiti -- and fifth international commitment, counting 2016 pledge Tai Wynyard from New Zealand.

Calipari said he hasn't purposely turned his sights beyond the borders of America in search of talent. He is looking for players that fit the mold.

"You're recruiting guys who don't want to run from this; this is what they want," Calipari said. "And whether they're from Lexington, Ky., or from Toronto, Canada, or from Australia, New Zealand, who wants this? Because guys that play here will tell you: You gotta want this. You can't run from it. You gotta run at it. And those are the guys that come here and have success, so it's not been by design but, again, the guys we have, I don't care where they're from; they're pretty good players."

Murray In Town

Jamal Murray isn't on campus full time quite yet, Calipari said, but he made the trip to Lexington this weekend. In pickup games, he's already turning heads.

"He's talented," said former Cat Karl-Anthony Towns, who is also in town for Calipari's camp. "We saw him in Pan-Am. I mean, we don't have to explain what he can do on the court and what impact he can make. Super-talented, very smooth player, smooth operator."

Murray averaged 16 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists in five games, leading Canada to the silver medal in the Pan-Am games.

Calipari said Murray has "a chance to be special."

As for the likelihood of Murray managing to play for Canada during Olympic qualifying and meet his class obligations at UK, Calipari isn't sure it can be done.

"Well I'd like him to do both; I just don't know if it's going to be possible," Calipari said. "It wasn't possible for Karl. It's just the way the rules are, and they don't -- this is the rule. So if there's any way he can do both I'd really like him to but it's going to be a hard deal."

Old Man on Campus

Despite the new faces on campus, Calipari said it's the familiar one that will be the key to the upcoming season: Alex Poythress.

"Well, the biggest thing for this team is Alex," Calipari said, "and I told Alex, I said, 'I'm not settling for anything, Alex. You're gonna play like you did in the Bahamas. That's who you're gonna be, and I'm not settling for anything other than that.'"

Poythress is working his way back from a torn ACL he suffered in December. Calipari said the forward is in good shape and recently started sprinting, another step in rehabbing his surgically repaired knee.

Calipari doesn't want Poythress to rush back but didn't understate the impact he can have on the team.

"I told him, 'You got to stay out,' but I can't wait until he's in there with the team because you've got a beast now. Again, when he came in three years ago the league was in a way that I had to prepare him as a three-man because that's what he was going to be in the NBA. Unless I was going to cheat him, I had to do that. It's been a process. Now the league has changed. Now the fours all look like him in the NBA, so now he can be the position he's most comfortable playing and be right for him -- right for us obviously, but right for him. So, I think what you're going to find when he starts coming back and he can do what he does -- I mean his body, his shoulders, and he's starting to sprint. It's going to be interesting."

Lee 2.0

Poythress isn't the only veteran presence Kentucky needs to contribute in the post. Marcus Lee will likely come off the bench again this season, but Towns said the Lee he has seen in pickup games lately has impress him.

"I've seen Marcus play for two years, coming in for practices and stuff after declaring and everything, being here and playing with him for a whole year," Towns said. "It's the best version of Marcus Lee I've ever seen him play.

"He's confident. He's running the floor at a tremendous pace. He's jumping for everything. He's getting some of the swagger back you probably saw him in high school have. It's amazing to see. He's dribbling the ball from the 3-point line into the basket. He's making layups. He's making guard moves. I mean, he put a lot of work in. He deserves all the credit he's getting now, because it's the best version of Marcus Lee I've ever seen. Put his upgraded talent with this great team, the sky's the limit."