After briefly suggesting he had a decision to make, Kentucky point guard Ashton Hagans quickly ended speculation about what he will be doing over the next year.
He's returning to Lexington for a second year with the Wildcats.
The Cats Illustrated staff discusses what it means and what fans should expect from a sophomore Hagans.
Jeff Drummond: I think Ashton Hagans made an excellent decision, similar to the one PJ Washington made a year ago after getting honest feedback from NBA scouts and John Calipari. It's a fairly important one in the grand scheme of things for UK next season. It gives the Cats an experienced point guard running the show on both ends of the floor. Signee Tyrese Maxey has some combo guard skills and could have played a "lead guard" role, if needed, but this should allow him to play to his natural strengths as a big-time scorer. The other major benefit is Calipari can feel good about the foundation of his defense with Hagans on the ball from the start. It usually takes a month or two for the Cats to get their D up to speed because they're always teaching for half the season. For that reason, I look for UK to be really good on that end from Game 1.
Warren Taylor: Point guards have rarely returned to Kentucky for a second season under John Calipari. Just three have: Andrew Harrison, Tyler Ulis and Quade Green. Ulis and Harrison each had good sophomore seasons while Green decided to transfer to Washington. Ashton Hagans will fall more into the Harrison/Ulis category. After the Auburn loss two weeks, the Georgia native sounded off that he knew he could have played better. I think the loss will motivate him to become a better decision maker. The result is that Kentucky will have a steady hand to run the offense during the 2019-20 season, a proven defender and someone they can trust to make free throws during tight games. All of which are essential needs are a team with national championship aspirations.
Travis Graf: Ashton Hagans’ return improves the outlook for the 2019-2020 Cats. Kentucky will have a veteran point guard for their standards and that will give John Calipari the ability to coach up other positions filled with young guys and focus a little less on the point guard spot. As a freshman, Hagans showed glimpses of what he could become, it just never came to fruition in year one. Hagans can be one of the better point guards in the country next season if he plays like he did in December and January rather than the February and March version of himself. Nonetheless, Hagans should be more confident in year two and will show improvements in decision making, shooting and finishing in the paint. If he studies film of himself during the offseason, there’s no doubt in my mind that he can make a noticeable leap from freshman to sophomore year just as PJ Washington did.
Justin Rowland: This is very good news for Kentucky. There are certainly questions that Hagans has to answer. If his shot doesn't improve then he will once again be limited in some respects. If his shot fails to improve and his decision making isn't better, he may be out of a starting job by the end of the season. But chances are he will improve in one or both of those areas. If he can have the kind of second-year breakthrough that PJ Washington had, it would propel Kentucky to national championship contention. Everyone remembers how dominant and impactful Hagans was on the defensive end of the court for a stretch in the season. If he can be that player for most of the year and show offensive improvement then point guard goes from not a strength to potentially a very important strength. Hagans will return mentally tougher after a humbling end to his season and an offseason that should be full of hard work and purpose. I'm not expecting him to be an All-American, but any time Kentucky basketball returns a starter who was playing about 30 minutes a game, it's a huge deal for the next team. Experience was better for UK in '18-19 than it was in many previous years under Calipari, and with Hagans, other returning players and Nate Sestina, it will once again be a strength - or at least inexperience won't be as much of a problem.
