By Jordan Ondrof

[email protected]

After a devastating ACL injury ended his junior year early, Alex Poythress is back and ready to take on his senior season.

As a player who potentially could have entered the NBA draft after his freshman year, few expected him to stick around for all four years.

But he is here and is reveling in his newly found leadership role.

“I definitely feel like our team kind of looks at Alex (Poythress) and I for questions and answers,” junior Marcus Lee said. “Whenever something happens, they just look towards us. It’s kind of a great thing. It puts us on our toes and makes sure we are always doing the right thing.”

Despite the motto, “Roar for 22,” Poythress has a quiet demeanor off the court, but is still determined to step up as a leader.

“It’s good. Being one of the leaders of this team, I have to step up,” Poythress said. “Myself, Tyler (Ulis), and Marcus (Lee), we have to lead the team by example and by voice, so we just need to lead the team and come in prepared for games.”

The forward had surgery to repair his ACL last season but according to head coach John Calipari, he is still not at full speed.

“He’s about 75 percent. We need him to be something, like he’s got to be a beast,” Calipari said. “Again, I think with Tyler what we did those two days, every scout said the same thing: ‘Wow, he’s got a chance.’ Now he’s got to get healthy, he’s got to get more confident in his body. It’s not just confidence in, ‘I can make a shot,’ it’s that he’s confident that I can come down hard and I’m going to be fine.”

Poythress has a big weight on his shoulders, being one of the lone veterans on a team of mostly freshman after seven of his teammates left for the NBA.

After watching three years skate by, many teammates leaving and championships slipping through his fingers, Poythress is ready to make the most of his unexpected senior year.

Finishing his business marketing degree in only three years and now working toward his masters in sports leadership, Poythress is a proven worker on and off the court. He plans to take his game to the next level by downplaying his weaknesses.

“Playing to my strengths is really what is going to get me to the next level,” Poythress said. “Playing to my strengths and staying away from the weaknesses, and just highlighting what I can do.”

The McDonald’s All-American has been named to the Naismith preseason watchlist along with teammate Tyler Ulis.

After his injury last season and all of the rehab he has been forced to endore, Alex is ready to be great again.