With 12 scholarship players on the roster and depth across board, the Kentucky basketball roster looks strong as things stand going into 2021-22. When No. 1 overall high school prospect Jalen Duren – a serious reclassification candidate – and second-team All-American Kofi Cockburn emerged as potential options this summer, though, John Calipari’s hand was forced to explore both possibilities.
On one hand, you get a 6-foot-10, 245-pound college- and pro-ready prospect who is expected to be a top-three draft selection in 2022 in Duren. On the other, you get a 7-foot, 285-pound monster in the paint in Cockburn, a proven commodity and arguably the top big man in all of college basketball going into next season.