Immanuel Quickley’s rise from a casual bench player to SEC Player of the Year felt like it happened overnight.
The sophomore guard showed signs of potential during his freshman campaign, but they came in unpredictable waves. Even in the early stages of his second season as a Wildcat, it was Junior Nick Richards that (rightfully) stole the spotlight. It wasn’t until this past January that Quickley’s star went supernova.
From the win over Louisville back on Dec. 28 of 2019 up until the season was canceled on March 12, Quickley’s NBA draft stock rose from “definitely coming back for a junior season” to “potential first-round pick in the upcoming NBA Draft”.