Kentucky head coach Mark Pope has made it clear that he believes Alex Wilkins has something special, and the upcoming season will give the Wildcats’ newest guard a chance to prove it against the best competition in the country.
Wilkins arrives in Lexington after an impressive season at Furman, where he established himself as one of the Southern Conference’s most productive players. Now, he is ready to take his game to an entirely different level in the SEC.
The transfer averaged 17.8 points and 4.7 assists per game while starting all 35 games he played last season. He also earned Second-Team All-SoCon honors and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the SoCon Tournament after helping Furman win the conference championship and reach the NCAA Tournament.
That success has given Wilkins plenty of confidence heading into his first season at Kentucky.
“I’ve been playing against SEC guys all summer… my skillset is there,” Wilkins said. “I can play with the best of them, it hasn’t really been a skill thing, just focus on little points and details.”
The biggest question is whether that production will translate against SEC competition.
Wilkins appears confident that it will.
“I came from Furman, grew a ton, and now I’m growing even more here. My ceiling is far from being reached,” he said.
Pope has already shown how highly he thinks of Wilkins. Earlier this summer, the Kentucky coach compared his game to former Wildcat star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, one of the NBA’s biggest stars.
For Wilkins, though, the comparison is less important than what he does once the games begin.
He will have plenty of talented teammates around him, including Zoom Diallo, Milan Momcilovic and Malachi Moreno. The combination of Wilkins’ scoring ability and Kentucky’s collection of offensive weapons could make the Wildcats a difficult team to defend.
There is also a personal element to Wilkins’ Kentucky journey. He spoke emotionally about receiving his Kentucky jersey and understanding what it means to play for one of college basketball’s most recognizable programs.
“When I got this jersey I almost cried… being here has been a true blessing,” Wilkins said.
Now, the excitement surrounding Wilkins will turn into expectations.
The SEC will provide a significant test, but the Kentucky transfer believes he has already shown that his skill set can compete at this level. If he can adjust to the physicality and intensity of conference play while maintaining the confidence that made him successful at Furman, Wilkins could quickly become one of the most important pieces of Pope’s roster.
Pope’s comparison to Gilgeous-Alexander may have raised eyebrows when he first made it.
Soon, the SEC could find out whether the Kentucky coach saw something the rest of the country had yet to notice.
