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Summer basketball preview: Counting out Calipari?

Brad Calipari was the only member of UK's 2016 class that wasn't a five-star recruit, but that doesn't mean he won't have an impact at Kentucky.

The 6-foot, 185-pound walk-on guard will be one of Kentucky's best shooters next season. Will that result in playing time?

Senior season: Calipari quietly had a solid senior season at the MacDuffie School in Massachusetts. Calipari averaged 15.3 points, 3.6 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game, but most impressively shot 47 percent from deep playing against a tough national schedule.

Calipari was named to the Derby City Classic all-star game in Louisville where he drained three three-pointers.

Calipari committed to Kentucky in the spring but it wasn't a complete no-brainer for Calipari. He had some small DI offers and some of the top DII programs

The coach's son passed up those scholarship offers to play for his dad's program. Unlike some of his fellow freshmen, he won't be a one and done and looking at a long career at UK.

Calipari's freshman impact: It's unlikely that Calipari has a big impact this upcoming season. The Cats are loaded at the guard position with Isaiah Briscoe, De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk, but Calipari likely isn't third in line with Dominique Hawkins waiting in the wings. After that, Mychal Mulder is likely next.

It may not be the best year for Calipari to be a guard on UK's roster. Kentucky fans will likely have to wait until garbage time to see Calipari in action.

If the Cats are ever behind and desperately need threes, Calipari could get some clock, but as of today he's a liability defensively to get serious time on the court.

However, before it's all said and done, Calipari will play at UK. Valuable minutes. It won't be this year but possibly as early as next season you could see Calipari playing close to 10 minutes a game.

That number will only grow as he gets older. It's not crazy to think by his senior year he could be the first man off the bench.

He is already a great shooter but he has to become quicker and better defensively. He's solid with the ball in his hands but he will need adjust playing against some of the best defenders in the country.

Once he does that he will see the floor, but it won't be this season.


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