Kentucky Wildcats sophomore Jacob Toppin has confirmed via Instagram that he will return to Lexington for another season.

While expected to happen, Toppin’s return will be a major boost to a Kentucky program that’s struggled to keep multi-year players in Lexington. He will be a third-year player for the 2021-22 college basketball season.

After transferring in from Rhode Island, his numbers were almost completely identical in a Kentucky uniform. Granted, his time spent with Kentucky was throughout a global pandemic, and he still had some very promising moments as a sophomore.

Big Blue Nation should expect to see a big jump from Year 1 to Year 2 in Kentucky blue.

2020-2021 Stats

• 5.2 points per game
• 3.5 rebounds per game
• 0.7 assists per game
• 44.4 field goal percentage

Toppin, who sprung on to the scene late in the season, began to provide consistent minutes for the Wildcats. He started two games for head coach John Calipari, earning an extended role by making hustle plays and his ability to guard all five positions on the court.

Every winning team has a few “glue” guys. Toppin fits that mold and does the job well for Kentucky. While he didn’t exactly score at a high level or have the best ball-handling efficiency right now, those are both parts of his game that can be crafted with another offseason in Lexington.

Toppin has the right mindset and discipline to improve. He’ll just need to stay committed to the plan John Calipari has for the little brother of New York Knicks forward Obi Toppin.

What are you expecting for Toppin next season? Let us know in the comments section.

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