Alex Poythress

Classroom

Alex Poythress graduated in just three years with a Business – Marketing degree. He earned a 3.517 undergraduate GPA and is now pursuing a master’s of science in kinesiology and health promotion with an emphasis on sport leadership. He has appeared on the SEC Academic Honor Roll during every year of college. He is also a two-time Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar, and has been named to the Athletic Director’s honor roll three times, which honors the student-athlete with the highest GPA of his team. Poythress desires to play professional basketball immediately following his collegiate career but has aspirations to work in business for a company that deals with sports in some way following his playing days.

Character

Poythress came to Kentucky as a McDonald’s All-American and was a top-15 recruit in the country. In the summer prior to his junior season at UK’s foreign trip in the Bahamas it looked as if Poythress was on the verge of a breakout season for Kentucky’s historic 2014-15 team. However, just eight games into the season, Poythress tore the ACL in his left knee in a practice. He missed the final 29 games of that season as UK rolled to a 38-0 record to begin the year and a second-straight Final Four appearance. Poythress was a mainstay on the bench, cheering his teammates to every victory. He forcefully remained a part of the team including attending all practices, all the while vigorously rehabbing on his own. In the same calendar year, he took extra classes to be able to graduate in just three years. He rehabbed his way to be back on the court for the team’s first practice in October of 2015, just nine months following surgery. He has been a captain and team leader since his sophomore season.

Community

Since his arrival on campus, Poythress has been a steady presence within the community. He’s contributed to various activities such as the God’s Pantry Food Drive and Samaritan’s Feet. He is often a volunteer for stops at local children’s hospitals as well as appearances at local elementary schools. Poythress has played kickball with elementary students, read to them at various times and has even made guest appearances at camps in his hometown of Clarksville, Tenn. Along with his teammates, he has been involved in a Hurricane Sandy telethon, a clothing drive for the needy, various meet-and-greets during the holidays as well as a presence at the annual pizza delivery during Big Blue Madness campouts. Furthermore, Poythress is a mainstay within the UK Basketball Camps throughout the summer serving as a camp counselor for kids of all ages as well as for the John Calipari Fantasy Camp.

Competition

Poythress had appeared in 81 career games with 39 starts through his first three seasons. His career averages included 8.0 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, and prior to his senior season, he was 351 points shy of joining UK’s 1,000-point club. UK is 88-25 overall during Poythress’ three seasons, which includes a pair of Final Four trips. During the memorable 2014 NCAA Tournament run, Poythress had some of his most complete outings. He scored eight points and pulled down seven rebounds in 29 minutes of action to push UK past Wisconsin in the Final Four. He delivered eight points to help UK move past Michigan in the Elite Eight. Poythress scored six points in the final five minutes of the game to help UK secure a comeback win over Louisville in the Sweet 16 to begin the memorable push. A 2013 All-SEC Freshman Team selection, Poythress has topped the 10+ point plateau in 23 career games.