< Previous40 @KentuckyMBB 2020-21 Southeastern Conference Winter Academ- ic Honor Roll member ... Appeared in two games in 2020-21 … Logged two minutes and recorded his first career steal in the win vs. South Carolina … Played a minute in the season-opening win vs. Morehead State. 2019-20 Appeared in four games during his freshman campaign … Made his collegiate debut in the win over Eastern Kentucky. High School One of the best prospects from the state of Kentucky ... Capped his career at George Rogers Clark with 1,371 points and 776 re- bounds ... Two-year captain ... Named an All-10th Region First Team selection follow- ing a senior season where he averaged 15.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game ... Aver- aged double-digit scoring over his final three seasons of high school basketball ... Logged 13 double-doubles his senior season ... A three-time All-District Team selection and a three-time All-District Tournament Team pick ... Team claimed two District 40 titles ... 10th Region runners-up in 2019. Personal Born July 15 in Lexington, Kentucky ... Par- ents are Lynn and Melissa Canada … Has three siblings, Kaleb, Kyle and Kristyn ... Major is communication ... 4.0 student in high school ... Member of the National Hon- or Society and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes ... Also participated in Big Brothers, Big Sisters ... Father has been his biggest in- fluence ... Chose No. 14 because it’s always been his favorite number ... His definition of a true hero is someone who you can rely on and follow. BRENNAN CANADA 6-6 n 198 n Jr. n Mount Sterling, Ky. #14 n F Follow BRENNAN on Social Media n @brennanc14 on Twitter n @brennanc14 on Instagram Click Here for More Information on Brennan@UKSportsNetwork 41 HIGH SCHOOL A consensus five-star prospect ... Averaged 35.2 points, 14.4 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 6.2 blocks per game for Atlanta High School his senior season ... Led his team to a 19-5 record ... Named the Texas Gatorade Player of the Year ... A Naismith All-America Third Team selection and was also named to the MaxPreps All-America First Team ... Con- sensus top-20 prospect in the class of 2021 ... Ranked the No. 13 overall player by 247Sports ... Named to the McDonald’s All America Game, the Jordan Brand Classic ros- ter and the Allen Iverson Roundball Classic ... Earned Sports Illustrated All-America Third Team honors ... Texas 3A All-State member ... MaxPreps Texas Player of the Year ... Three- time District Most Valuable Player in high school ... Led his team to three undefeated district seasons ... Three times Atlanta High School was the bi-district champions and three-time won the area championship ... Won the AAU Peach Jam title ... Also compet- ed in track as a high jumper his senior season where he won the district and regional title ... Played football as a freshman ... Honor-roll student. PERSONAL Born Oct. 28 in Atlanta, Texas ... Parents are Benjamin Jr. and Kimberly Collins … Has four siblings, Dailen, Makayla and Diamond Collins and Jamin Powell ... Away from the court he enjoys riding horses ... Lists his par- ents as his life’s greatest influence ... Major is agricultural economics ... Has to listen to music before every game ... Soul food is his favorite meal ... Favorite basketball player is Kevin Durant ... First dunked at age 14 in a summer league game ... Chose Kentucky over Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Baylor, Houston, Texas A&M, LSU, Alabama and Oklahoma State. DAIMION COLLINS 6-9 n 202 n Fr. n Atlanta, Texas #4 n F Follow DAIMION on Social Media n @CollinsDaimion on Twitter n @daimionfrmetx on Instagram Click Here for More Information on Daimion42 @KentuckyMBB 2020-21 (at Iowa) Named All-Big Ten Honorable Mention by the league’s media ... Earned the Iowa Men’s Basketball Big Ten Sportsmanship Award ... Started all 27 games he appeared in ... Missed four games due to injury ... Posted six double-figure scoring efforts ... Made three or more 3s in six games ... Shot 47.4% from 3, which ranked as the second-best clip by a sophomore in program history ... Poured in a career-high 23 points with five 3s at Minnesota ... Recorded 21 points and a ca- reer-high-tying five 3-pointers in a win over North Carolina. 2019-20 (at Iowa) Named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team ... Earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week hon- ors on Jan. 20 ... Saw action in 25 games ... One of only three players nationally and the only player from a major conference dating back to 1993 with 65 or more assists, 32 or fewer turnovers and 46% shooting clip or better from 3-point range .... Averaged 10.2 points and 2.8 assists per game ... Topped the Big Ten with a 46.1% clip (47 of 102) from 3-point range ... Scored in double figures in 13 games ... Averaged 13 points per game on 60% shooting at the Las Vegas Invitational ... Named to the Las Vegas Invitational All-Tour- nament Team. 2018-19 (at Iowa) Did not compete in any games as a freshman. HIGH SCHOOL Named the 2018 Kentucky Gatorade Play- er of the Year, 2018 Prep Hoops Kentucky Player of the Year, Bluegrass Preps Kentucky Player of the Year, Cincinnati Enquirer/North- ern Kentucky Player of the Year, Greater Cin- cinnati/Northern Kentucky Basketball Hall of Fame Player of the Year ... Led Covington Catholic to a state title and a 35-4 record his senior season ... Averaged 27.8 points with two 32-point games during the run ... Tabbed the Whitaker Bank Kentucky Sweet 16 Most Valuable Player ... Ninth all-time in Kentucky Sweet 16 scoring. PERSONAL Born July 10 in Cincinnati … Parents are Chuck and Laura Fredrick … Has a sister, Ju- lia ... Chose Kentucky over North Carolina, Kansas and Gonzaga ... Major is commu- nity and leadership development ... Plays video games or cards, hangs with friends or watches Netflix away from the court ... Fa- vorite food is Skyline ... Off the court talents includes board games and puzzles ... Prays before every game. CJ FREDRICK 6-3 n 190 n RJr. n Cincinnati #1 n G Follow CJ on Social Media n @cj_fredrick on Twitter n @cj_fredrick5 on Instagram Click Here for More Information on CJ@UKSportsNetwork 43 2020-21 (at Davidson) Became the sixth player in program history to score 2,000 or more points in his final game as a Wildcat ... Named an All-Atlantic 10 First Team performer ... Averaged 17.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while start- ing in all 22 games ... Scored in double figures in 19 games and made three or more 3s in 11 outings. 2019-20 (at Davidson) Named to the All-Atlantic 10 Second Team ... Averaged 17.2 points per game, which ranked fifth in the league ... Scored in double figures in a team-high 25 games ... Averaged 18.0 points per game against league foes ... Sunk three or more 3s in 11 games ... Over his fi- nal 11 games, averaged 20.6 points per game while shooting 51.7% from the floor. 2018-19 (at Davidson) Selected to the Atlantic 10 First Team ... NABC All-District Team honoree ... Three-time At- lantic 10 Player of the Week ... Ranked third in the league with 17.3 points per game ... Topped double digits in 22 games, including 13 20-point efforts ... Sunk five or more 3s in five outings ... Capped the season with a season-high 31 points to go along with seven rebounds and four assists against Lipscomb in the NIT. 2017-18 (at Davidson) Named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year ... Made the Atlantic 10 All-Tournament Team ... Five-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week hon- ors ... Started in 32 of the 33 contests he ap- peared ... Just the second freshman in school history to begin his career with consecutive 20-point outings (John Gerdy) ... Second on the team and led the Atlantic 10 for freshmen with 18.0 points per game. HIGH SCHOOL Earned All-New England Preparatory School Athletic Council First Team honors as a se- nior at Northfield Mount Hermon in Gill, Massachusetts ... Also captured All-State First Team, ESPN Boston All-State First Team, Bos- ton Globe All-Scholastic and Boston Herald Dream Team accolades . PERSONAL Born Sept. 11 in Barnstable, Massachusetts ... Earned a degree in sociology at Davdison ... Pursuing an undergraduate certificate in busi- ness and economics ... Parents are Rob and Danielle Grady … Has two siblings, Liam and Kayla ... Chose Kentucky over Virginia, Duke and North Carolina. KELLAN GRADY 6-5 n 205 n Gr. n Boston #31 n G Follow KELLAN on Social Media n @KellanGrady31 on Twitter n @kellangrady31 on Instagram Click Here for More Information on Kellan44 @KentuckyMBB HIGH SCHOOL A versatile combo-forward ... Considered a four-star prospect and consensus top-50 recruit ... Ranked as high as No. 33 overall by ESPN’s recruiting services ... Averaged 24.4 points, 12.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.5 blocks per game as a senior ... Named the MaxPreps Illinois Player of the Year ... Also tabbed to the Chicago Land Prep Hoops All-State First Team ... Two-time Chi- cago League Player of the Year ... Named to the Jordan Brand Classic roster ... Also earned selection to the Allen Iverson Roundball Classic ... Most valuable player of the Cath- olic League and Fenwick won the Catholic League championship. PERSONAL Born Sept. 7 in Downers Grove, Illinois ... Parents are Karen and Clyde Hopkins ... Has two sisters, Brianna and Jasmine ... Nick- name is B-Hop ... Major is communication ... Father played basketball at Tennessee Tech ... Participated in several community service events with his basketball team such as giving gifts and gift wrapping at Christmastime and packing meals for the less fortunate around Thanksgiving ... Away from the court, likes to play video games, hang out with his team- mates and play pool or ping-pong ... Lists his most memorable moment as a basketball player as committing to Kentucky ... Favorite food is barbeque boneless wings ... Listens to Lil Durk, Lil Baby and Moneybagg Yo ... Notes his dad is his life’s greatest influence because he’s the reason why he’s the basketball player and man he is today ... Chose No. 23 because of Michael Jordan and LeBron James ... Lists Malik Monk as his favorite former Wildcat ... Favorite movie is Like Mike. BRYCE HOPKINS 6-6 n 220 n Fr. n Oak Park, Ill. #23 n F Follow Bryce on Social Media n @BryceHopkins on Twitter n @brycehopkins Instagram Click Here for More Information on Bryce@UKSportsNetwork 45 2020-21 Southeastern Conference First-Year Academic Honor Roll member ... Declared for the 2021 NBA Draft but decided to return to school and take advantage of the COVID-19 extra season of eligibility, his sixth year in college … One of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award, which recognizes student-athletes who display excellence in the community, in the classroom, with their character and in competition … One of three team captains … Added valuable leadership both on and off the court on a young and inexperienced team … Led the team in scoring with 11.5 points per game … Tied for the team lead with 17 double-figure scoring games … Led UK with 56 3-pointers on 37.8% shooting, including 29 of 64 over the last eight games … Finished with 77 assists, the top mark on the team … Emerged as Kentucky’s top scoring threat and go-to option late in games over the second half of the season … Team-high-tying two games with 20 or more points … Finished strong to close the season, averaging 16.7 points over the last six games with 24 com- bined 3-pointers on 47.1% shooting … Hit multiple 3-pointers in 11 of the last 12 games … Moving to the primary point guard spot for the last three games, dished out a com- bined 23 assists, the best three-game stretch of his career … Began his UK career with 10 points and three assists in the rout of More- head State, his first game since March 2019 at Creighton after missing the 2019-20 season with an injury. 2019-20 (at Creighton) Redshirted for Creighton’s Big East champion team that finished 24-7 after battling ankle in- juries throughout the season ... In a preseason exhibition tour in Australia, averaged 13.3 points with a team-high 13 assists. 2018-19 (at Creighton) Started all 35 games in the backcourt, aver- aging 9.7 points, 3.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 28.8 minutes per game ... Ranked second on the team with 40 steals, third with 60 free throws made and fourth with 43 3-pointers made ... Developed a defensive stopper’s mentality while splitting time between point guard and off-guard roles ... Team’s active leader in career assists with 259 ... Poured in a career-high 21 points and made 5 of 8 trif- ectas vs. No. 21 Marquette. Personal Born June 30 in Gastonia, North Carolina ... Pursuing a graduate degree in kinesiology and health promotion ... Parents are Sean and Sandy Mintz … Has a three siblings, Da’Se- an, Damare and Danali. DAVION MINTZ 6-3 n 195 n Gr. n Charlotte, N.C. #10 n G Follow DAVION on Social Media n @deemintz1 on Twitter n @davion on Instagram Click Here for More Information on Davion46 @KentuckyMBB 2020-21 Southeastern Conference Winter Academic Honor Roll member ... Graduated in August with a degree in communication ... Appeared in two games in 2020-21 after missing the first two seasons at UK rehabilitating from a knee injury suffered in high school …. Got onto the stats sheet with his first career points and two rebounds in three minutes of action in the regular-season finale vs. South Caroli- na … Played in his first basketball game and made his UK debut vs. Morehead State in the season opener. 2019-20 SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll member ... Dean’s List fall 2019, spring 2020 ... Did not play as he continued to rehab from a knee in- jury he suffered at the end of his high school career … Began practicing with the team in January. 2018-19 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll member ... Dean’s List spring 2019 ... Used his first season as a redshirt year to recover from a knee injury he suffered at the end of his high school career. High School A highly-productive player out of Lexington Catholic High School ... 1,000-point scorer for the Knights ... Averaged 19.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game as a senior ... Three- year starter and scored 1,282 career points, which ranks 14th all-time in program his- tory ... Also collected 934 career rebounds and finished his career as the school’s fourth all-time career leader in rebounds ... A knee injury in February of his senior season prema- turely ended his career. Personal Born March 23 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey ... First name is Alexander but goes by Zan ... Parents are Kenny and Michelle Payne … Fa- ther, Kenny, was a former UK assistant from 2011-20 and current assistant with the New York Knicks ... Has a sister, Alexis ... Gradu- ated with an undergraduate degree in com- munication in August of 2021 ... Is now pur- suing an undergraduate certificate in business and economics ... Father played basketball at Louisville ... Enjoys playing Fortnite when he’s not on the court ... Lists a definition of a true hero as someone who always does the right thing ... His dad has had the greatest in- fluence on his life. ZAN PAYNE 6-4 n 215 n RJr. n Lexington, Ky. #20 n G/F Follow ZAN on Social Media n @young_payne2321 on Twitter n @alexander.payne23 on Instagram Click Here for More Information on Zan@UKSportsNetwork 47 2020-21 Southeastern Conference First-Year Academ- ic Honor Roll member ... Appeared in 24 of 25 games with two starts … Originally slated to redshirt in 2020-21, became a key play- er off the bench for the Wildcats, impacting the game in key spurts in the scoring column and on the boards … Averaged 5.1 points and 3.7 rebounds on the season … Four games in double-figure scoring … Made a greater impact as the season progressed, averaging 7.7 points and 4.4 rebounds in 23.0 minutes over the final seven regular-season games … Came up with a career-high three steals in addition to five boards at Ole Miss … Scored 11 points in 21 minutes in the home loss to Florida … Recorded a career-high 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting in 23 minutes at Vander- bilt … Totaled five points and a season-high seven rebounds in the home victory vs. Au- burn … Solid game vs. Arkansas with nine points and six rebounds … Provided a spark in the loss at Auburn with 10 points and six rebounds … Six rebounds to go along with five points in the home loss to Alabama … Posted six points and six boards in the home win vs. Vanderbilt … Went for 10 points and six rebounds in the narrow loss at rival Louis- ville … Posted six points and three rebounds vs. No. 7/5 Kansas. 2019-20 (at Rhode Island) Freshman: Appeared in all 30 games, mak- ing three starts ... Immediate contributor for a Rhode Island team that went 21-9 on the season and finished 13-5 in the Atlantic 10 ... Averaged 5.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game ... Scored in double figures five times ... Showed an ability to stretch the floor with 13 3-pointers. HIGH SCHOOL Averaged 15.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game for Woodstock Academy his senior sea- son ... Unranked prospect who received his first offer six months before signing a national letter of intent ... Was an All-Section honoree ... Also played football and volleyball ... Hon- or-roll student. PERSONAL Born May 8 in Brooklyn, New York … Par- ents are Roni and Obadiah Toppin … Has a brother, Obi, who was the consensus Na- tional Player of the Year in 2020 for Dayton and plays for the New York Knicks ... Major is communication ... Chose Kentucky over Ore- gon and Iowa State. JACOB TOPPIN 6-9 n 200 n Jr. n Brooklyn, N.Y. # 0 n F Follow JACOB on Social Media n @jtoppin0 on Twitter n @jtoppin_0 on Instagram n @jtopppin_21 on TikTok n @jtopppin_21 on SnapChat n jtoppin9 on Twitch Click Here for More Information on Jacob48 @KentuckyMBB 2020-21 Transferred to Kentucky midseason … Ineligi- ble to play the rest of the season due to NCAA transfer rules but practiced with the team be- ginning in February … Appeared in 10 games at West Virginia and averaged 8.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game … Recorded a pair of double-doubles … Registered 12 points and 15 boards against Northeastern in his final game at West Virginia … Recorded 14 points and nine rebounds vs. top-ranked Gonzaga. 2019-20 (at West Virginia) Averaged 11.2 points and 9.3 rebounds per game in 31 starts as a freshman … Named to the All-Big 12 Conference Second Team … Unanimous Big 12 All-Freshman Team selection and also made the Big 12 All-New- comer Team … Selected to the NABC Dis- trict 8 First Team and the USBWA District II Team … Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team … Also earned Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll and the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll team honors … Led the Mountaineers in scoring and rebounding … Team-high 19 games in double-digit scoring and team-best 10 double-doubles … First in the Big 12 in offensive rebounds per game with 4.1 and second in overall rebounding … Registered 13 double-figure efforts on the boards … Led the nation in offensive rebounding percent- age at 19.0% … Earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week three times … Had a double-dou- ble with 16 points and 12 rebounds in a win over No. 4 Baylor to end the regular season. HIGH SCHOOL A McDonald’s All American … Posted a dou- ble-double in that game with 12 points and 10 rebounds in 18 minutes … Also named to the Nike Hoop Summit World Team … Ranked a five-star recruit and a top-25 senior … Led Kennedy Catholic High School to a 27-3 record and a 6A state title as a senior … Averaged 23.2 points per game his senior sea- son … Tallied 1,480 career points … Named the Gatorade Pennsylvania Boys Basketball Player of the Year … USA Today Pennsylvania All-State First Team selection. PERSONAL Born Nov. 27 in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo … Parents are Mbuyi and Kaya Rosalie Tshiebwe … Has five sib- lings with three brothers, Bevi, Denphin and Debaba, and two sisters, Cenina and Maggie … Major is communication ... Chose Ken- tucky over North Carolina State, Miami and Illinois … Nickname is “Big O” … Has a 7-foot-5 wingspan … Chose Kentucky over NC State, Miami (Fla.) and Illinois and origi- nally considered UK out of high school. 6-9 n 255 n Jr. n Lubumbashi, Congo #34 n F OSCAR TSHIEBWE Follow OSCAR on Social Media n @Oscartshiebwe34 on Twitter n @oscar_tshiebwe on Instagram Click Here for More Information on Oscar@UKSportsNetwork 49 2020-21 Key reserve for the Wildcats who added phys- icality and quality rebounding … Appeared in 21 games and made three starts … Scored 41 points, hauled in 63 rebounds, totaled 11 blocks, corralled six steals and dished out eight assists … Led the team in rebounds in two games and in blocks twice … Also paced the team in steals once … Produced a pair of double-figure rebounding efforts … Grabbed four rebounds in the Southeastern Conference Tournament game against Missis- sippi State … Played 29 minutes and record- ed a career-high eight points, 10 rebounds and a career-high three blocks at No. 18/17 Missouri … Totaled seven points and a pair of rebounds in the win over LSU … Scored four points, had four rebounds and logged a block, a steal and an assist in the loss at Auburn … Notched four points, a career-high 13 rebounds and a career-best four assists in the double-overtime win at Mississippi State … Posted four points, four rebounds and a blocked shot at Louisville … Breakout game came against No. 22/21 North Carolina with four points, seven rebounds and two steals in 21 minutes of action … Scored his first ca- reer point with a free throw against Georgia Tech … Had five rebounds, two blocks and a steal in his collegiate debut against More- head State. HIGH SCHOOL Led high school team to a 29-1 record his se- nior season ... Averaged 11.8 points, 7.9 re- bounds, 1.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks for a team that won its final 25 games ... Squad claimed the South Jersey, Group 2 champion- ship and the No. 1 spot in the final NJ.com Top 50 rankings ... Named the NJ.com Player of the Year and was a NJ.com All-State First Team selection ... Averaged 11.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game during the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League in 2019 ... Also performed well at the Peach Jam finals in 2019, averaging 14.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game ... Selected to the Allen Iverson Roundball Classic ... Four-star prospect ranked as high as No. 36 in the class by Rivals. PERSONAL Born Feb. 8 in Edgewater Park, New Jersey ... Parents are Monique Ripka and Stephen Ware ... Has two siblings, Shataya and Stefon ... Major is undeclared/exploratory studies in agriculture ... Chose Kentucky over Mich- igan, Ohio State, Providence and Miami ... Lists his parents as his life’s greatest influenc- es ... Chose No. 55 because it is unique ... Favorite show on Netflix is All-American ... Listens to Drake before games. LANCE WARE 6-9 n 225 n So. n Camden, N.J. #55 n F Follow LANCE on Social Media n @lanceware12 on Twitter n @lance.ware on Instagram Click Here for More Information on LanceNext >