His skills are adored on a national scale, and his moves can make defenders stand in awe.  He is also turning the University of Kentucky into a basketball powerhouse again.  Basketball superstar John Wall has done a lot in his freshman year so far.  Too bad he probably won’t be in Lexington next year.  With Wall’s skill, it would be foolish to wait for the big stage.  Had the NBA not adopted the eligibility rule in 2006, Wall would without a doubt be playing for cash in the pros. 

But the NBA did adopt the rule, which says players cannot enter the draft after graduating high school.  So John Wall is in college right now, living the life of a typical freshman, but Wall is far from typical.  John maintained a 4.0 grade point average during the summer and is Kentucky’s leading scorer, averaging just over 17 points a game. 

There is a lot more to this kid than his GPA and points per game.  Wall is a class act off the court, and displays the gentleman within him all the time.  John always uses “sir” or “ma’am” in his replies. Wall never lets his pants sag and has had his head shaved clean since he was 14.  John is trying so hard to stay completely focused on school and basketball that he has cut dating girls out of his life.  His tattoo count is at a firm zero, and that number probably will not change any time soon.

Wall commented on tattoos saying, “I’m not trying to put down the people that have them, but for me right now, it’s all about the image.  You can’t walk around looking like a thug.  There are kids out there looking up to me.  I’ve got to set a good example.”

Wall’s picture perfect résumé didn’t start out too clean.  John’s father died when he was only nine, which left him extremely alone and crestfallen.  The death of his dad continued to haunt John until his sophomore year in high school.  Wall was cut from the basketball team because of his terrible attitude.  This woke John up, and forced him to move on and trust people again, which caused him to transfer to Word of God Christian Academy in North Carolina. 

At Word of God, Wall was recruited and eventually ranked the number one player in the country by ESPN.  This high ranking drove Wall to Coach John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats.  Calipari’s ability to produce NBA guards (Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans) probably gave John that extra bump toward Kentucky.

“I came to Kentucky for two reasons: to get better and to win,” Wall says.

Regardless of why John came to UK, he has a huge part in the undefeated Wildcats’ success.  If Wall stays another season in Kentucky, or enters the NBA draft, fans in Lexington need to cherish this young man’s presence before it’s gone.

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