Anonymous coaches share thoughts on UK’s pro prospects; one slams Ashton Hagans

In a survey of over 60 collegiate basketball coaches, what would they all think of Kentucky’s pro prospects?

Sam Vecenie of The Athletic did just that, and some of the comments made about the Wildcats’ newly departed players are rather unflattering, to say the least.

Here are some small excerpts about what coaches had to say.

One coach calls Ashton Hagans “a trash player”:

“Don’t even get me started on Hagans. I think he’s trash (as a player). I just don’t think he’s very good. I think he thinks he’s a lot better than what he is. Defensively, everyone talks about him. And on film, he for sure disrupts. He has quick hands, he’s strong, he fights through dribble hand-offs, he puts a body on you. But like, it’s kind of overstated. I think he’s a selfish defender. He wants deflections and steals. And that has nothing to do with being a good defensive player. I think he’s a selfish defensive player.

“And offensively, he’s limited. I didn’t see that much athleticism and speed. We were begging him to shoot. I don’t know if he’s going to make it. What does he do? What does he do well? He got in trouble with turnovers this year. He was turning that thing over like crazy. He did not scare me at all. Preparing for them, he was the least of my worries. I think Saben Lee at Vanderbilt is way better than Ashton Hagans.”

Vecenie shared some more excerpts of what coaches thought of Tyrese Maxey and EJ Montgomery, which you can read down below. Tyrese Maxey is clearly an interesting prospect, with one coach thinking he is overrated, and the other saying he “has a lot of balls.”

EJ Montgomery, however, did not get a lot of great reviews, with one coach saying “when he was on the floor, we felt good.”

Tough critics on Kentucky’s 2020 NBA draft class, or sour grapes from coaches that the Cats beat last season? After all, these so-called ‘overrated players’ did go 25-6 last season, so they clearly did something well with the group of players these coaches aren’t high on.