Transfers who left Kentucky basketball under John Calipari, ranked

For my column, I wrote about Bryce Hopkins, the Kentucky transfer who will lead Providence against his former team in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament on Friday night.

That led me to research and rank the 15 players who left UK under John Calipari and went on to play for other college programs.

1. Johnny Juzang

After averaging 2.9 points per game in 28 games as a freshman at UK in 2019-20, the 6-foot-6 guard returned home to UCLA, where he helped the Bruins to the Final Four in 2021. Juzang averaged 16.0 points per game that season and scored 28 points in UCLA’s 51-49 East Region title game win over Michigan, then 29 points in the 93-90 overtime loss to Gonzaga in the Final Four.

After averaging 15.6 points per game last season for UCLA, Juzang made the jump to the NBA. Undrafted, he’s now with the Utah Jazz.

2. Kyle Wiltjer

The 6-foot-10 forward from Portland played two seasons at Kentucky, averaging 5.0 points per game off the bench for the 2011-12 title team, then 10.2 in 2012-13. He started 10 games that season before transferring to Gonzaga. After sitting out 2013-14 under the old transfer rules, Wiltjer averaged 16.8 points as a junior and 20.4 points as a senior for the Zags. He helped Gonzaga to the 2015 South Region finals where Gonzaga lost to Duke. Wiltjer now plays in the Chinese Basketball Association.

3. Bryce Hopkins

The 6-6 forward from Oak Park, Illinois, might move up to No. 2 by the end of his college career. Hopkins averaged just 2.1 points and 6.5 minutes last season at UK. This season at Providence, Hopkins was a first-team All-Big East selection after averaging 16.1 points and 8.5 rebounds for the 21-11 Friars. He’s among five finalists for the Karl Malone Award, given to the nation’s top power forward.

4. Charles Matthews

The 6-6 guard from Chicago averaged just 1.7 points and 10.3 minutes per game for Calipari in 2015-16. He departed to join John Beilein at Michigan where he averaged 13.0 points in 2017-18 and 12.2 in 2018-19. He started all 75 of his games as a Wolverine, including the 2018 NCAA title game in which Michigan lost to Villanova. Matthews is currently playing in the G-League.

5. Keion Brooks

After developing into a team leader in three seasons at Kentucky, Brooks left as a graduate transfer for Washington. The 6-7 forward from Fort Wayne, Indiana, averaged 4.5, 10.3 and 10.8 points per game as a Wildcat. He averaged 17.7 points and 6.7 rebounds this season for the Huskies, who went 16-16 overall and 8-12 in the Pac-12.

6. Ryan Harrow

Harrow’s one season at Kentucky was not a happy one. After averaging 9.3 points per game at North Carolina State in 2010-11, the 6-2 point guard from Marietta, Georgia, transferred to Kentucky. He averaged 9.9 points per game for the 2012-13 Wildcats, who ended up in the NIT. After that, Harrow returned home to Georgia State, where he averaged 17.8 points as a junior and 18.3 as a senior. His senior year, the Panthers knocked off Baylor in the NCAA Tournament before losing to Xavier. Harrow is currently playing in France.

7. Quade Green

The 6-foot-point guard from Philadelphia averaged 9.3 points and 2.7 assists per game for the Wildcats in 2017-18. He left the program in February 2019 after playing just nine games that season, none of them as a starter. Green ended up at Washington where he averaged 11.6 points and 5.3 assists per game in 2019-20 after becoming eligible at mid-season. He averaged 15.4 points as a senior in 2020-21. He most recently played for Oklahoma City in the G League.

8. Marcus Lee

The 6-9 forward from Antioch, California, played three seasons at Kentucky. He averaged 2.4 points and started four games as a freshman on the 2013-14 team, then 2.6 points as a sophomore and 6.4 as a junior. For his senior season, Lee transferred to California where he averaged 11.4 points and 7.2 rebounds for the Golden Bears. Lee has played professionally in Greece, Italy, Turkey and Australia.

9. Jemarl Baker

The 6-5 guard from Menifee, California, sat out the 2017-18 season after knee surgery then averaged just 2.3 points per game in 2018-19 at Kentucky. He transferred to Arizona, where he averaged 5.7 points in 2019-20 and 12.0 in just 12 games the following season. From there, Baker moved on to Fresno State, where he averaged 8.6 points in 2021-22 and 12.5 this season. Baker scored 43 points in the Bulldogs’ win over Chicago State on March 4. Fresno finished the year 11-20.

10. Devin Askew

It took Askew a while, but the 6-3 guard from Sacramento, California, appears to have his found his niche with his third college program. Askew started 20 of 25 games in 2020-21, but averaged just 6.4 points per game at UK. He transferred to Texas, where he averaged just 14.9 minutes and 2.1 points per game. After one year in Austin, he moved close to home, to the University of California where he averaged 15.5 points and 3.0 assists in 13 games for the Golden Bears. He missed the rest of the season with a sports hernia injury.

11. Dontaie Allen

The 6-6 sharpshooter from Pendleton County played in 41 games as a Wildcat, averaging 5.4 points per game in 2020-21 and 2.2 in 2021-22. After transferring to Western Kentucky, Allen started 11 of 26 games and averaged 9.3 points per game this season. During one February stretch, he scored 20-or-more points in three of four WKU games.

12. Cam’ron Fletcher

A 6-6 forward from St. Louis, Fletcher played in just nine games, averaging 1.7 points per game, during the 2020-21 season for the Cats. He transferred to Florida State where he averaged 6.8 points per game last year. This season, he started nine of 10 games for the Seminoles, averaging 10.8 points per game before injuring his knee in early December. He missed the rest of the campaign.

13. Darnell Dodson

A member of Calipari’s first team at Kentucky, Dodson started seven of 35 games while averaging 6.0 points per game. The 6-7 swingman from Greenbelt, Maryland, transferred to Southern Miss. He played just one season in Hattiesburg, averaging 11.2 points per game in 2011-12. Dodson most recently played in Argentina.

14. Stacey Poole

The 6-4 swingman from Jacksonville played one season at Kentucky, averaging 0.3 points in 16 games during the 2010-11 campaign. He left for Georgia Tech, where he played in 41 games, all off the bench, over two seasons. Poole averaged 1.5 points per game in 2012-13 and 3.4 per game in 2013-14.

On paper, I like Kentucky basketball’s NCAA tourney draw. On the court, not so much.

Kentucky’s CJ Fredrick playing through the pain. Again. ‘He’s got the love of basketball.’

John Calipari will have at least one vacancy to fill on his Kentucky staff this offseason

Five NCAA Tournament storylines that will have an effect on Kentucky basketball