WKU Basketball: How Will Taveion Hollingsworth Fit In?
If someone would have told me a few years ago that a player who would become Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball would be coming into WKU as one of…
If someone would have told me a few years ago that a player who would become Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball would be coming into WKU as one of the underrated recruits, I wouldn’t believe them. But with the loaded recruiting class coming to the Hill next season, a lot of people have kinda glared over how good this guy really is. So let’s meet Taveion Hollingsworth.
Taveion Hollingsworth is a 6'2 senior guard who played at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Lexington, KY and is listed as three-star recruit across most recruiting sites. As a senior, he averaged an eye-popping 28.3 points per game to accompany 6.8 rebounds. He became Lexington boy’s all-time leading score with a career total of 2,495 points. His outstanding high school career and senior year helped him become 2017 Mr. Kentucky Basketball, making him WKU’s first since Elizabethtown’s Steffphon Pettigrew came to the Hill ten years ago. He has gotten several other various awards but most recently won the MVP award at the Derby Festival Basketball Classic in Louisville after dropping 18 points against many other talented players.
With a resume like that, you can clearly tell he is a tremendous player. But in what ways will he help WKU next season?
While Hollingsworth has proved to be a player that can play at a high level, he is joining a Hilltopper squad that features two other new guards coming in (a JUCO All-American and a four-star freshman) as well as Lamonte Bearden, a highly talented guard that will be eligible to play next season after sitting out last year due to NCAA transfer rules. Plus guards Damari Parris and T.J. Howard will be back for their sophomore seasons. Thankfully Stansbury will have multiple talented guards but the problem of deciding on which guards will do what — see who develops most, who starts, who comes off the bench, and so on. Hollingsworth may be a freshman but his ability to score will by far be his biggest strength. He’s a great shooter who shot over 55% from the court his senior year but the biggest question is if he will be able to outshine all the other talent crowded at the guard position.
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Personally, I think Hollingsworth has great talent and will be able to produce early on for WKU. Between him, Brangers, Anderson, and Bearden, I feel like he could start if he learns quickly and produces early on. Team practices before the season starts will show what level all the players are on and will help Stansbury evaluate who is ready and who isn’t and as talented as Hollingsworth is, I don’t see why he couldn’t go into practice and produce right away.
Sure, freshmen will probably make some rookie mistakes here and there, but that’s all a part of the learning experience and with his shooting abilities and ability to drive the basketball, Hollingsworth could become an efficient player very fast. Scoring the basketball covers a multitude of sins in the modern era of the sport and if he can do that on a regular basis, expect his stock to rise.
While the guard position is probably the most crowded for WKU next season, there are several players probably already chomping at the bit to come into practice right away and compete to prove that they’re worth of being a starter. Whether Hollingsworth initially starts next season isn’t as important as how he produces for WKU early on and as easy it is for him to score, you should expect Hollingsworth to become a vital, young player for the Tops next season.