Houston, We Have a Problem
Former Cats, John Wall and Demarcus Cousins, reunited in Houston
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3925 days. This is how long us Wildcats fans have waited for John Wall and Demarcus Cousins to team up again in the NBA since their last game together at Kentucky.
Game Changer's at UK
As the pioneers of the "one and done" era of basketball at Kentucky, Wall and Cousins had a freshman season that transformed college basketball. With Demarcus Cousins ranked #4 on ESPN's 2009 Top 100 and John Wall at #5, Big Blue Nation had a lot to be excited about in Lexington, and the two delivered. In their lone 2009-2010 season at Kentucky, the seemingly unstoppable duo put up veteran numbers. With Wall's blistering pace and need to attack the rim, he averaged 16.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.8 steals in his freshman campaign. Every superhero needs a sidekick, but Wall got another superhero. Demarcus Cousins was a force in the paint and on the glass, averaging 15.1 points, 9.8 boards, 1.0 assist, and 1.8 blocks per game. The two were almost untouchable as they led the Cats to a 35-3 regular season record, before losing to the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Elite Eight of the 2010 March Madness tournament.
They're Back
Here we are, nearly 11 years later. After Wall's successful stint with the Washington Wizards, and Cousins' runs with the Kings, Pelicans, Warriors, and Lakers, the two have found each other again in the Houston Rockets organization. After tearing his ACL and missing the whole season with the Los Angeles Lakers, Cousins signed a 1-year deal with the Rockets. The two former Wildcats were reunited when the Washington Wizards sent Wall (who sat out the season as well following Achilles surgery) to Houston in exchange for Russell Westbrook. Hopefully the duo will show nostalgic flashbacks from their time at UK when they open the regular season on Dec. 23rd against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Of all of the Kentucky Wildcats in the NBA, and there are a lot of them, I am most excited to see this Wall-Boogie duo. I'm sure Kentucky Head Coach John Calipari would love to have these two back in Lexington this year... I think they have the potential to take the Western conference by storm, just like they did in their season at Kentucky.