Kentucky announced on March 29, 2021 that former Davidson star Kellan Grady would be transferring to UK.
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Kentucky needed some backcourt help for next season, and the Wildcats couldn’t have done much better than Kellan Grady, a four-year college star who has proven ability as a scorer and should be one of UK’s top offensive weapons for the 2021-22 campaign.
Grady announced his commitment to the Cats as a transfer in late March, and he’s on pace to graduate from Davidson in May and be eligible to play for Kentucky right away next season.
KELLAN GRADY
- Shooting guard | Boston, Mass.
- 6-foot-5, 205 pounds
- Previously played for Davidson
- Averaged 17.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg as college senior
- No. 95 overall recruit in 2017 class
Grady — the No. 69 overall recruit in the 2017 class, according to 247Sports’ own rankings — burst onto the college scene immediately as a freshman, averaging 18.0 points per game to help lead the Wildcats to an appearance in the NCAA Tournament (where they lost in the first round to Kentucky).
Over the course of his college career, Grady’s numbers have not fallen off. He’s averaged at least 17 points per game in each of his four seasons, finishing up his career at Davidson with 2,002 points, good enough for sixth on the school’s all-time scoring list. (NBA star Stephen Curry is No. 1 on that list).
Kentucky struggled with making outside shots at a high volume this past season, and Grady should be an instant-impact player in that area. The 6-foot-5 guard made 58 three-pointers in 22 games as a senior, hitting shots from behind the perimeter at a 38.2 percent clip.
UK’s top three-point shooter in the 2020-21 season was Davion Mintz, who made 56 threes in 25 games and shot 37.8 percent from deep. Dontaie Allen was next best for the Cats with 31 threes in 22 games, shooting 39.7 percent from outside.
Grady is also a capable defender who rarely finds himself in foul trouble. He averaged just 1.1 foul per game last season despite playing 34.4 minutes per game, he’s never averaged more than 2.1 fouls per game in any season (that number came during his freshman year) and he’s fouled out just once in 115 college games, despite averaging more than 35 minutes per game for his career.
UK’s backcourt for next season is still not settled, but Grady’s veteran presence should be a welcome addition for a team that will have plenty of youth, with point guard recruit Nolan Hickman coming in and freshman guards Allen and Devin Askew expected to return for another season.
Quotable
“I’m very excited to be a Wildcat again and play for Coach Calipari at the University of Kentucky. It is a tremendous opportunity to compete at the highest level and pursue my dreams. I’m grateful for the opportunity and eager to get to work.” — Kellan Grady
What Calipari says
“Kellan has established himself as one of the best players in the country. His size, his skills, his scoring ability and his playmaking ability speak volumes to the player that he is. Kellan played in a great program under a terrific coach, Bob McKillop. He is a four-year starter whose toughness and fight will add to our team. His game-to-game consistency — his scoring, his ability to share the ball and his defense — is part of what makes him special, and we are ecstatic to have him join a team that was close last season but needed what he gives us to get over to the top.”
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