1987-88 KENTUCKY OUTLOOK
In stark contrast to a year ago, Coach Eddie Sutton will have plenty of players to call on as preparation for the 1987-88 basketball season begins at the University of Kentucky.
At one point last season, the Wildcats were reduced to just seven scholarship players, forcing Sutton to call on two walkons and assistant coach Dwane Casey in order to scrimmage. Despite the shortage of manpower, and facing a schedule rated as the most difficult in the nation, Sutton guided the Wildcats to a respectable 18-11 record, a third-place finish in the Southeastern Conference and an appearance in the NCAA tournament.
This season, Sutton will greet four starters from last year's squad, a healthy Winston Bennett and six recruits tabbed by many publications as the best recruiting crop in the country.
The only starter missing when the first whistle blows will be James Blackmon, a 6-3 guard who averaged 8.5 points and 3.1 rebounds a game last season. Returning starters include guards Rex Chapman and Ed Davender, forward Richard Madison and center Rob Lock.
Last season, Chapman became the first freshman ever to lead Kentucky in scoring, averaging 16.0 points a game. The Owensboro, Ky., native was named to virtually every "All-Freshman" team in
the country. He was named the SEC's "Freshman of the Year" and earned second-team All-SEC honors from Associated Press and United Press International.
The 6-4 Chapman scored a career-high 26 points on four different occasions and, in fact, scored in double figures in 24 of UK's 29 games. He also led the team in assists with 103.
Joining Chapman as a returning starting guard is senior Ed Davender, who was the second-leading scorer for the Wildcats with a 15.2 average. The 6-2 Brooklyn, N.Y., native earned second-team All-SEC honors from UPI as he became the 33rd player in UK's illustrious basketball history to reach the 1,000-point mark. He is currently 27th on UK's all-time scoring list with 1,120 career points. Although Davender is an outstanding scorer, his forte is defense, as evidenced by his being named the SEC's "best defensive player" in several newspaper polls.
Madison, a 6-7 senior forward, was the team's leading rebounder a year ago, pulling down 7.4 boards a game. The Memphis, Tenn., product averaged 9.1 points a contest, making 86-87 the best season of his UK career. Considered by Sutton, "the best pure athlete on the squad," Madison has the ability to earn all-star credentials if he plays consistently in 87-88.
Lock, a 6-11 senior center, was the second-leading rebounder on the squad last season with a 5.3 average. The Reedley, Calif., product averaged 7.5 points a game and was the leading shot-blocker on the squad with 31 rejects. Lock also was the best field-goal shooter on the squad, connecting on 56.5 percent of his shots from the floor.
Also returning to the squad is Winston Bennett, a 6-7 senior forward who sat out last season after undergoing pre-season knee surgery. As a junior in 1985-86, Bennett earned All-SEC honors as the Wildcats' second-leading scorer (12.7) and rebounder (7.0).
The Louisville, Ky., native is an excellent defensive player, usually drawing the assignment of guarding the opponent's best front-line player.
Other returnees include 6-6 sophomore guard Derrick Miller, who averaged 5.2 points and 1.9 rebounds last season; senior center Cedric Jenkins, who was plagued by a leg injury for much of the season and averaged 1.5 points and 2.1 rebounds; and junior center Mike Scott,
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