You know the flat top, you know the shot blocking, and you know the UK logo shaved into his head. But
there's more to the guy that will be anchoring the paint for Kentucky next season, and Hoops World sat down with Nerlens Noel to find out some of it. Alex Kennedy profiled Noel in
an article entitled "Nerlens Noel: The Next Great Big Man?" and gave us a look into his background as a player and a person. To get you going, here's a little bit on how he settled on Kentucky and the role Anthony Davis played in his decision:
“Georgetown and Syracuse were great schools, but I thought Kentucky would be the best fit for me,” Noel said. “It was the Anthony Davis factor. Me and Anthony Davis are very similar players and, after seeing how successful he was there and what Coach Calipari was able to do for him, it was hard to say no to that. He won National Player of the Year and a national championship. He’ll probably be the number one pick. It was hard to say no after seeing all of that.”
The two big men have become friends in the last year. While Noel has big shoes to fill, especially after Davis delivered a national title, he’s looking forward to the challenge.
“I’m not dodging the pressure,” Noel said. “If I tried to dodge it, I wouldn’t feel good about myself. This opportunity gives me a chance to establish myself as a great player rather than just a good player. It’s a lot of pressure but that’s something I live for. The main focus for me is to go in there and get better. I want to do the best I can and bring another championship to Kentucky.”
There's a lot more to learn about Noel in the profile, so it's definitely worth checking out to get you by on a slow summer day.
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