Calipari Has Big Hopes For Ryan Harrow

With Marquis Teague heading to the NBA after one season at UK, John Calipari will turn to Ryan Harrow as his sixth straight first-year point guard, and fourth straight at Kentucky. But this one will be a little different. Harrow will be the first UK point guard with previous college experience to start under Calipari.

Harrow was a highly touted recruit out of high school, rated a five-star prospect in the class of 2010 by both Rivals.com and Scout.com. 

Harrow was supposed to be one of the key components of a recruiting class that would return N.C. State to the top of the ACC. Things didn’t go as planned, resulting in a losing season and the firing of head coach Sidney Lowe.

After a stellar start to his college career — including a double-double in just his second game — Harrow’s production tapered off in ACC play. He missed two conference games due to an illness, and scored more than 10 points only once in the Wolfpack’s final 13 games of the season.

UK fans are hoping a change of scenery, and a full year of practice under Calipari, will help Harrow live up to his potential.

Harrow’s quickness has been compared to former Wildcat John Wall, and he possesses exceptional ball-handling abilities and a knack for scoring in several different ways. He was billed as an above-average outside shooter in high school, though he didn’t show it at N.C. State. Harrow was 12-for-54 (22.2 percent) from three-point range in his only season there.

But his ability to penetrate, open up defenses for his teammates, and hit mid-range shots on the move should prove a natural fit for Calipari’s dribble-drive offense. Harrow will also be entering his third season since high school, making him a veteran compared to what will be a freshman-dominated roster at Kentucky next season.

Harrow will be considered a sophomore for the 2012-13 season.

He should be in the best position of any point guard I coached in that he’s got a year to be tutored without the pressure of having to play. - UK coach John Calipari (Nov. 2011)