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That whole Duke-Kentucky dynamic is heating up this weekend with Dereck Lively’s announcement coming Monday but not everyone is buying in.
In New York, former Wildcat Julius Randle and former Blue Devil RJ Barrett are now teammates and in an interview with SNY.TV’s Ian Begley, Randle had some impressive things to say about Barrett and his potential:
“RJ’s going to be a really good player. What is he, 21? I don’t know how old he is. He’s young as hell (laughs). He’s a really good player, and I can relate as far as what he’s done, and what I’ve seen from him so far in this offseason is he just keeps improving. That’s really what it’s about.
“You can tell the guys who really love the game and really dedicate themselves to their craft and he’s one of them. He’s going to keep improving. I think he’s going to have another big year and make a jump. And I’m excited, not only for him as an individual but for what he’s going to bring to our team. Because at the end of the day, that’s what it’s about. Our team success. And he’s going to look great because of that.”
He’s only finishing his second season but Barrett has already proved Randle right: he’s a worker and he never stops.
It’s interesting to us because we knew a guy who played D-II ball on the West Coast and told us that “you’d be surprised how many guys play without really loving the game.”
It’s safe to say that that’s not the case for Barrett. We’re really excited to see where he is in Year III.