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The 2016-17 college basketball season will be the Year of the Freshmen, featuring what could be the best class weve ever seen. Over the next two weeks we will get familiar with the best of the best, examining who they are and where each of the top 10 prospects in the 2016 ESPN 100 came from.Read more: No. 10 Dukes Frank Jackson | No. 9 Kentuckys Malik Monk No. 8 Michigan States Miles Bridges | No. 7 Washingtons Markelle Fultz No. 6 Kentuckys DeAaron Fox | No. 5 Kentuckys Bam Adebayo No. 4 UCLAs Lonzo Ball | No. 3 Dukes Jayson Tatum No. 2 Kansas Josh Jackson | No. 1 Dukes Harry GilesLEXINGTON, Ky. --?Edrice Bam Adebayos reputation matters. Hes a star now.Thats why the new, 6-foot-10, 260-pound Kentucky Wildcats big man seems sheepish when asked to reveal his favorite song by the pop star he admires. Theres nothing tough about Katy Perry.Hmmm, thats a tough one, said Adebayo, as he considered his favorite Perry songs. Last Friday Night. ... I just heard a song, and I just liked Katy Perry ever since. I became a little fan of Katy Perry. Im not that die-hard, but its like, when youre in a good mood because her music is always [upbeat]. I got it on shuffle.The freshmans surprising affinity for the California pop star isnt the only quirk of his ebullient personality. And it all starts with his name.One crushing handshake from Adebayo proves his nickname fits. His mother, Marilyn Blount, called him Bam after a 1-year-old Adebayo flipped a coffee table while watching The Flintstones.His talent and brawn carried him to the top of the recruiting rankings and NBA draft boards. His eclectic nature, however, made him the gravitational force who has already captured the heart of Big Blue Nation as the teams new big man and even bigger personality.?They were all open arms with everybody, Adebayo said of his attraction to Kentucky. If you come in here, youre coming here to get business done. Its not just to joke around. ... I love to joke.After his teammates made an appearance at John Caliparis charity softball game in August, where fans sought selfies with him, Adebayo smiled and stared at former Kentucky star?Nerlens Noel.Noel saw him and froze, too.Adebayo leaned and held his arms out, still grinning. Noel did the same before the two embraced like old friends in the middle of the ballpark.?Whats up, man?! Noel yelled.The gregarious big man attracts attention, not only because of his size but because of his lighthearted demeanor. Basketball is serious for Adebayo. Life outside of basketball? Not so much.It wasnt always that way. He was a shy kid in his hometown of Little Washington, North Carolina. Adebayo shrunk in crowds and preferred to say less. Hed joke with his mom and close friends. The rest of the world rarely saw that side of the imposing center, though.Then, he decided to change and open up to outsiders as he traveled the country as an emerging talent on the national AAU scene. Maybe hed use his basketball gifts to come out of his shell.As I started getting better and I had to go places and meet new people, there were times where you just couldnt keep to yourself, he said. You had to speak to people.By the time he left Northside High School in Pinetown, North Carolina, before his senior season to enroll at High Point Christian Academy in High Point, North Carolina, 200 miles from his hometown to face better competition, the mamas boy had enlarged his social circle by talking up anyone he met. He used the same tactic to make new friends at High Point.Hes not a tough guy to spot out when you get there, said Ben Robertson, Adebayos high school teammate at High Point and a freshman guard at Bucknell. He handled it really well. He knew everybodys name.Adebayo led his team to the state title game during his senior season. He excelled off the court, too. The honor-roll student and McDonalds All American who averaged 18.9 points and 13 rebounds per game as a senior at High Point also joined the schools poetry club that year.And he urged his teammates to accept his wide-ranging musical palette.Theyd all spend hours together listening to Adebayos diverse playlists and wisecracks about everyone in the room.Hes a happy guy, Robertson said.He brought his easygoing ways to Lexington, where he will crack jokes off the floor and embarrasses opponents when hes on the court.He enters the season as the No. 5 freshman in college basketballs incoming class, per RecruitingNation. The young man who dunked for the first time in sixth grade is a projected lottery pick on nearly every mock draft board.He made 65 percent of his shots inside the arc as a senior. He can post up like a traditional big man. He can also put the ball on the floor and play in space.A motor, somebody who just doesnt give up on plays, Adebayo said of his playing style. Its just always been me. Ive just never liked giving up on anything. Its a bunch of us. We got our dogs on the team. Just like, the other dude in front of you, its personal. You take everything personal when youre on the court.Added Kentucky guard?Malik Monk: Hes a dog, too. Its crazy. Having the presence of Bam down there, knowing if you get beat off the dribble somebody is back there to block it or if you get stuck in the air on offense, you can just throw it up, hell catch it. Then if hes posting up, [opponents] cant help down because if you help down, hes gonna kick it out and weve got shooters. He just spaces the floor way more.Kentucky lacked that big-bodied athlete last season. Calipari had?Karl-Anthony Towns in 2015 and Julius Randle?in 2014. Without a mobile, physical center to stop him, Indianas Thomas Bryant scored 19 points (6-for-6 inside the arc) during Indianas second-round victory over Kentucky in the NCAA tournament.That shouldnt be a problem this season with Adebayo on the roster. The freshman says he admires Randles aggression and passion and hopes to emulate some of the outstanding bigs Kentucky has produced under Calipari.[The Kentucky coaches]?really want to see kids succeed, Adebayo said. You cant go wrong with how they do things here. You look on the wall and its a lot of [players] that fulfilled their dreams and Im just trying to be the next.Adebayo nursed an ankle injury throughout the summer and only recently returned to practice at full speed. Hes still getting in shape, Calipari said. But he scored 13 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked a shots in last weeks exhibition win over Clarion.Bam is a beast, Calipari said.And a jokester.Earlier this year, Adebayo roamed Kentuckys basketball offices.Calipari spotted his young big man as he passed by his office at the Joe Craft Center.Then theres this kid Bam, Calipari joked. Hes just awful. He cant play.Adebayo entered the coachs office wearing his wide smirk.Whyd I get recruited if I cant play? Adebayo playfully asked.Calipari continued, I dont know if he can play basketball but man hes got a great smile.A few years ago, Adebayo rarely revealed that humorous, jovial side. Now, hes the strongman in the paint who could lead Kentucky to its second national title under Calipari. And by the end of the season, he might be the most popular player on campus.You just gotta hang around people that are really outgoing, Adebayo said, and youll end up, before you know it, youll be an outgoing person.Or, as Katy Perry might say, a firework. Dan Marino Youth Jersey . Toronto has dropped games to Indiana and Miami since a five-game winning streak and closed out a three-game road trip at 1-2. Mark Clayton Jersey . Datsyuk will miss Tuesdays game against New Jersey and could be sidelined longer, while Cleary will likely miss at least the next three games. Its been an injury-plagued season for Datsyuk, who has suited up for just 39 games. http://www.dolphinsrookiestore.com/Dolphins-Mark-Duper-Jersey/ . -- The St. Johns IceCaps weathered a wild first period with the help of goaltender Jussi Olkinuora, before finding offensive inroads in the second. Jason Taylor Dolphins Jersey . -- Eastern Kentucky thrives off creating havoc for others. 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Flanker Guy Mercer has been named Baths club captain for the new Aviva Premiership season, with England fly-half George Ford appointed his understudy.England playmaker Ford has assumed the vice-captaincy role, reaffirming his importance to the Blue, Black and Whites.Ford was said to have been heavily unsettled by father Mikes departure from the clubs coaching staff at the tail-end of last term but Baths new rugby director, Todd Blackadder, has handed the 23-year-old the pivotal role, underlining the England fly-halfs renewed focus at the Recreation Ground.Blackadder said of new skipper Mercer: Guy is a terrific player who knows Bath Rugby inside and out, which is an invaluable resource in a captain.He works tremendously hard both on and off the pitch and its that work ethic, combined with his personality, which has earned him the respect of his team and the supporters.ddddddddddddWere fortunate to have a strong core of leaders within the squad who will also play their part in what will be a big season for us, which is very pleasing from a coachs perspective.Former King Edwards School pupil Mercer graduated through the Bath academy and has racked up more than 100 club appearances since 2011.This is a huge honour for me, Mercer said. I grew up watching Bath, so to play for them was always a huge ambition of mine, and now to have been asked to lead the players makes me incredibly proud.Im really excited to be part of building the culture here at the club, and moving forward as a group. Theres a lot to look forward to, and the players cant wait to get the season started. ' ' '