Jon Hood doesn’t mind standing in the shadows. He’s just glad to be part of one of Kentucky’s top recruiting classes in more than a decade.

Hood didn’t arrive with the same fanfare as John Wall, Eric Bledsoe and DeMarcus Cousins, but admitted that he’s excited to be part of an elite class and has been impressed with each player from top to bottom.

“Everybody has impressed me,” he said. “Everybody brings something new to the table – something different and that’s something only they can do. They have their specialties and that’s what they do. Nobody can change that.”

Hood and teammate Darnell Dobson are considered by many as the two best long-range shooters on the team. Hood doesn’t know what his role on the team will be, but is willing to do whatever it takes to win.

“Whatever coach (John Calipari) wants, that’s what I’ll do,” he said. “If I need to be a rebounder, a defensive player, shooter, passer or whatever, that’s something I want – I want to win, so whatever it takes to win. We really want to get coach Cal over the top and be successful like he has been in the past.”

Hood likes Calipari’s “Dribble, Drive and Motion” offense. Hood also was a fan of former coach Billy Gillispie’s scheme, but has gotten used to Calipari’s unique approach.

“I like it,” he said. “It’s unorthodox and it’s fun. It’s a complicated, but it works. I really like it, it’s a lot of movement – I like that, a lot of movement and a lot of freedom. We get open shots and that’s something I haven’t had in three years and that’s something I really like.”

Even though the Wildcats are back on the national scene with the arrival of Calipari and the team’s recruiting class is comparable to Michigan’s Fab Five squad that shook the college basketball world 18 years ago, Hood said the team can’t get complacent.

“That’s what it seems like on paper,” he said. “We’ve still got to put in blood, sweet, tears and whatever you want to call it and I just can’t wait to start.”

About John Hood: Hood is a graduate of Madisonville-North Hopkins, is the state’s Mr. Basketball and is known as a sharp-shooting guard. As a senior, Hood averaged 29.4 points, 12.9 rebounds as a senior. In addition, the 6-foot-6 guard pulled down an average of 3.3 assists and 3.1 blocked shots per outing and had 18 double-doubles in 22 games.