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The Kentucky Wildcats under coach Cal haven’t had a very good track record when it comes to keeping West Coast kids in Lexington.
On Friday, Johnny Juzang officially announced he would be entering the transfer portal. He joins Kyle Wiltjer (2013), Marcus Lee (2016), and Jemarl Baker (2019) in the group of West Coast kids leaving Lexington during the Calipari era.
Terrence Jones is the only recruit that coach Cal has had from the West Coast that decided not to transfer from the program, staying two seasons before leaving for the NBA Draft.
Looking ahead to the 2020 recruiting class, Kentucky is bringing in yet another guard from the West Coast in five-star point guard Devin Askew who is from Santa Ana (CA).
It is hard to look at the history of West Coast kids in Lexington and wonder if Askew will be the next to transfer out.
However, in an exclusive interview with Kentucky Sports Radio, Askew noted that he is “different” than the other recruits.
“I’m different. I’m way different,” the Kentucky signee said. “I live on the West Coast, but I don’t play like a West Coast player at all. Nope. I play like an East Coast kid. I like to be physical, that’s just my game.”
Askew understands that those players were just doing what was best for them, but he continues that he is just “different”.
“Even though those are all great players, all the players you named are great players and they all had fun while they were at Kentucky, they just wanted to do something that was better for them. But I’m different.”
Knowing that West Coast players tend to struggle at Kentucky and then transfer out, Askew’s father agreed that his son is “different”. He went on to say that they are not worried about who has went to Kentucky from the West Coast and then decided to transfer.
Like most people, Askew loves being at home with his family. However, Askew has always wanted to leave California for college ball and knows that going to Kentucky is a business decision and was the best choice for his future.
Every player goes through adversity during the course of a long season. Askew knows that he will face some along the way, but he is ready to stick with it in Lexington and work to become a better player.
“I know I’m going to fight through adversity,” Askew said. “If I don’t get out after one year [to the NBA], I’m staying at Kentucky. I’m going to grind it out for sure.”
Kentucky is already bringing in the #1 recruiting class next season with more pieces likely to be added in the future. Askew is going to be a key contributor for the Cats next season and hopefully he truly is “different.”
Be sure to read the entire interview at KSR.
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