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2015/16 Kentucky Wildcats Recruiting Big Board: May '13 Edition

2013-05-23T21:13:33Z

If there's one adage about recruiting that always rings true, it's this: recruiting never stops. It may seem early to start talking about top high school sophomores and freshmen: kids that are ages 14, 15 and 16, by the way. But if you want to play the game, you gotta get in early.

Talent maturation is easier to spot in basketball than in the other major sports. No, top underclassmen don't always develop into collegiate stars--read George Dohrmann's excellent Play Their Hearts Out for a great glimpse into that--but they do more often than not.

U-17 AAU teams nowadays routinely feature players younger than the rising senior class. Consequently, coaches not only know who the top tier players are, but can also see them alongside soon-to-be-collegians. For a blue blood team like the Kentucky Wildcats, this only helps recruiting efforts.

John Calipari has been notoriously stingy about accepting offers prior to kids' senior seasons, but even that hasn't stopped him from recruiting these youngsters. Three underclassmen players (one in the 2015 class, and two in the 2016 class) already possess offers, and a few more might come down the pipe as summer progresses.

While you won't see these hoopsters in college anytime soon, they're already making names for themselves on the court.

2015 Outstanding Offers

Name	Pos	School (Hometown)	Future 150 Ranking	Status [Offer Date]	Other (Early) Interest
Skal Labissiere	C/PF	Evangelical Christian (TN) (Port-au-Prince, Haiti)	5*, 5th	[O] 11/18/12	Memphis Kansas Auburn

2016 Outstanding Offers

Name	Pos	School (Hometown)	Future 150 Ranking	Status [Offer Date]	Other (Early) Interest
Harry Giles	PF	Wesleyan Christian (Winston-Salem, NC)	5*, 1st	[O] 05/03/13	UNC NC St Ohio St Duke
Jayson Tatum	SF/SG	Chaminade Prep (St. Louis, MO)	5*, 8th	[O] 04/29/13	Missouri Marquette Illinois Florida Kansas

2015/16 Offer Analysis

Big man Skal Labissiere, currently residing in Memphis by way of Haiti, popped up on Kentucky's radar last fall. He became the first player in the class to receive an "official" Kentucky offer (i.e., an offer that is committable should the player so choose). Labissiere is raw but plenty talented. Already, recruitniks believe that Labissiere has narrowed his recruitment down to "hometown" Memphis and Kentucky. The Tigers and Wildcats haven't really gone head-to-head for a prospect since the 2009 class when Coach Cal switched schools. Thus, the Labissiere recruitment may turn out to be historically interesting.

This spring, two 2016 prospects notched Kentucky offers after Calipari and staff watched them play in grassroots tournaments. The first name to arise was Jayson Tatum, a swingman from Missouri. He was soon joined by Harry Giles, widely considered the best underclassman in the nation. His #1 ranking is currently as solidified as early-identified past greats like LeBron James, Greg Oden and Andrew Wiggins. The only question there is whether Giles can hold onto that post until his senior season.

Top 2015 Prospects

Name	Pos	School (Hometown)	Future 150 Ranking	Status	Other (Early) Interest
Stephen Zimmerman	C	Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV)	5*, 3rd	Not Yet Offered	UCLA Arizona Michigan UNLV Kansas Memphis
Diamond Stone	C	Dominican (Milwaukee, WI)	5*, 4th	Not Yet Offered	Marquette Wisconsin Michigan Arizona UConn
Daniel Giddens	C	Wheeler (Marietta, GA)	5*, 8th	Not Yet Offered	Georgia GA Tech UNC Florida Maryland
Ivan Rabb	PF	Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, CA)	5*, 2nd	Not Yet Offered	California Arizona Kansas UNC UCLA UNLV
Carlton Bragg	PF	Villa Angela-St. Joseph (Cleveland, OH)	5*, 7th	Not Yet Offered	Ohio St Illinois Indiana
Elijah Thomas	PF	Prime Prep (Rockwall, TX)	4*, 14th	Not Yet Offered	Georgetown Arizona Indiana NC St Louisville
Cheick Diallo	PF	Our Savior New American (NY) (Bamako, Mali)	4*, 37th	Not Yet Offered	UConn St. John's Pittsburgh Syracuse Rutgers
Raymond Spalding	PF	Trinity (Louisville, KY)	Not Ranked	Not Yet Offered	Indiana Louisville Memphis Tennessee
Ben Simmons	SF	Montverde (FL) Academy (Melbourne, AUS)	5*, 6th	Not Yet Offered	Duke LSU Ohio St WA St St. Mary's
Kejuan Johnson	SF	Wheeler (Marietta, GA)	5*, 12th	Not Yet Offered	Florida GA Tech Memphis
Mickey Mitchell	SF	Prestonwood Christian (Plano, TX)	5*, 13th	Not Yet Offered	Ohio St Texas A&M Baylor Texas Florida Kansas
Montaque Gill-Caesar	SF	Huntington (WV) Prep (Downsview, ONT)	4*, 38th	Not Yet Offered	Baylor Ohio St Indiana West VA
Malik Newman	SG	Callaway (Jackson, MS)	5*, 1st	Not Yet Offered	Duke Miss St Mississippi Alabama Arizona
Eric Davis	SG	Arthur Hill (Saginaw, MI)	4*, 46th	Not Yet Offered	Michigan St Iowa St Massachusetts NC St Oregon
Charles Matthews	PG	St. Rita (Chicago, IL)	5*, 11th	Not Yet Offered	Illinois Arizona DePaul Wisconsin Marquette
Isaiah Briscoe	PG	St. Benedict's Prep (Union, NJ)	5*, 16th	Not Yet Offered	Syracuse Arizona Florida Ohio St Indiana
James Bolden	PG	Holmes (Covington, KY)	Not Ranked	Not Yet Offered	Xavier Butler Iowa St Cincinnati Purdue

2015 Prospect Analysis

2015 may go down as the "Year of the Big Man." Plenty of burly, low-post bigs comprise the five-star ranks of the class. That group is currently led by a trio of well-known commodities: Stephen Zimmerman, Diamond Stone, and Ivan Rabb. More talent like Daniel Giddens and Carlton Bragg closely follow.

Giddens plays for an absolutely loaded Marietta (GA) Wheeler team, which includes another early Kentucky target, wing Kejuan Johnson. Look across the board, and local schools still make up the early favorites. That's something Calipari has worked hard to overcome, including landing three Texans in the 2013 class. He's up to his tricks again in the Lone Star State, as guys like post forward Elijah Thomas and wing Mickey Mitchell have heard from the Wildcats.

Calipari also went local in the 2013 class, and two Bluegrass prospects of note are teammates on the Kentucky Travelers AAU squad. Don't forget the names of James "Beetle" Bolden and Raymond Spalding. Need some international flavor? Ben Simmons is an Australian who stole the show in AAU play last summer and now suits up for powerhouse Montverde in Florida. He could make a move for the top spot in the class before all is said and done. Montaque Gill-Caesar has already visited Kentucky, tagging along with fellow Canadian Andrew Wiggins on one of his trips. And All-Name Team candidate Cheick Diallo is a Centerreach New Yorker originally from Mali.

I haven't even mentioned 2-guard Malik Newman yet. He sits atop Future 150 rankings (I listed those since they do more frequent updates of underclassmen) and will also be a strong contender for best player in the class. At point guard, always a position of importance for Coach Cal, the early clubhouse leader for a Kentucky offer is Chicagoan 5* Charles Matthews. Rounding out the very early big board are guards Eric Davis and Isaiah Briscoe, both coming in last but not least.

2016 Top Prospects

Name	Pos	School (Hometown)	Future 150 Ranking	Status	Other (Early) Interest
Thon Maker	C/PF	Carlisle School (Earlwood, AUS)	5*, 4th	Not Yet Offered	Arizona Duke UNC Georgetown
Raekwon Long	C	Garinger (Charlotte, NC)	4*, 34th	Not Yet Offered	UNC Duke Clemson Louisville
V.J. King	SF/SG	St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, OH)	4*,12th	Not Yet Offered	Ohio St Illinois Wisconsin Iowa
Tyus Battle	SG	Gill St. Bernard (Newark, NJ)	4*, 15th	Not Yet Offered	UConn Indiana Miami Rhode Island Rutgers
Maverick Rowan	SG	Lincoln Park (Midland, PA)	Not Ranked	Not Yet Offered	UCLA Pittsburgh West VA Virginia VA Tech
Seventh Woods	PG	Hammond School (Columbia, SC)	5*, 3rd	Not Yet Offered	UNC Duke S Carolina
Quintin Goodin	PG	Taylor County (Campbellsville, KY)	4*, 52nd	Not Yet Offered	Indiana W Kentucky OK St

2016 Prospect Analysis

Yeah, it's way too early to be talking about favorite schools or future plans for these guys. But we can go All-Name Team with them! In the post, Thon Maker and Raekwon Long! Waiting in the wings, Tyus Battle and Maverick Rowan! And manning the point, Seventh Woods! (An aside: in the annals of sick mixtapes, Woods' is unreal.) Makes guys like Quintin Goodin and V.J. King seem perfectly ordinary, don't it?

Wait and see on these guys is the motto.

Older Recruiting Big Boards

2013: 5/16/13 | 3/27/13 | 10/11/12 | 7/5/12 | 12/6/11 | 5/25/11
2014: 5/20/13 | 10/24/12 | 7/11/12 | 5/25/11

Kentucky Football: Recruting the Sunshine State

2013-05-23T18:45:27Z

Florida is a recruiting Shangri-La. Every team who played in a BCS bowl game had some Florida players on their roster. If you'll recall, Mark Stoops came in the door late and managed to sign nine players for the 2013 class. He did that in approximately 70 days! Don't be surprised if he doesn't do it again with the 2014 class.

I know. You're thinking that we have zero commitments from Florida. Zero, zip, nada. All I can say is, "Oh ye of little faith." I think you can reasonably expect to hear about commitments from Florida, Georgia and Alabama between now and national signing day which is February 5, 2014.

Recruiting Florida isn't easy. Ask Kirk Ferentz, the Iowa head coach. His recruiting coordinator, Eric Johnson, announced recruiting in Florida would be a priority for the near future. You can read about it here. This is almost a must read. It should remind you of Kentucky. Here's a comparison.

Kentucky received commitments from the following number of Florida players:

2002 - 3 of 15

2003 - 0 of 22

2004 - 2 of 28

2005 - 1 of 26

2006 - 2 of 31

2007 - 2 of 29

2008 - 3 of 21

2009 - 1 of 28

2010 - 2 of 27

2011 - 2 of 25

2012 - 3 of 26

2013 - 9 of 23

Charlie Strong has built a program on the backs of Florida players. Here's his Florida commitment numbers at Louisville, just for another comparison.

2010 - 6 of 27

2011 - 12 of 21

2012 - 7 of 22

2013 - 8 of 17

So far 2014 - 8 of 13

In my mind, you have to ask why didn't Kentucky recruit Florida? I don't know. Like Iowa, I guess Florida wasn't a priority for Kentucky under Joker Phillips. Marks Stoops and his crew casually walked in the door in Lexington and got commitments from not one, but two states where Kentucky hasn't recruited seriously in the past. And you just thought we were getting a new offense and a new defense with this staff?

The state of Florida sends more than 300 high school football players to play at the NCAA Division-I level every year. The Orlando Sentinal

Just as Vince Marrow and Mark Stoops understand how Ohio works because both are from Ohio, Mark Stoops and D.J. Eliot know how Florida works from their days at Florida State. The same can be said of Neal Brown and Chad Scott and Texas, a state this staff hasn't paid much attention to ... so far.

Since most fans know little about Florida because we've not recruited there in the past, it might valuable to discuss the talent we've signed for 2013 and those we are recruiting for 2014 the schools they attended or attend. First, however, we need to look at Florida's high school football structure.

Florida has eight classes of schools based on student population for football. There are 594 schools that participate in football. Some of the schools were in the national top 25. I looked at the MaxPreps' Xcellent 25 and the Massey Ratings that USA Today uses. Just like the recruiting services are with talent, these two ranking services can't agree on much.

In the MaxPreps Xcellent 25, University (Ft. Lauderdale) ranked 10th, Booker T. Washington (Miami) ranked 13th, St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale) ranked 20th and Miami Central ranked 23rd.

In the Massey ratings, St. Thomas Aquinas ranked 11th, Manatee (Bradenton) ranked 18th and Miami Central ranked 24th.

Let's look at these schools one by one.

University:

The full name of this school is University School of Nova Scotia. They are commonly known as Ft. Lauderdale University. Their first game at Homestead, FL is going to be televised by ESPN as part of their ESPN Kickoff Classic. The Suns are a 3-A school which makes you wonder why MaxPreps has them rated so high at the national level. The most likely reason is they won their first ever state championship this past season, defeating Madison County 24-17. In 2011, they lost in the regional finals. Kentucky has offered University's Richard Yeargin III. Yeargin is a Rivals (5.7) 3 star at linebacker.

Booker T. Washington:

Washington is a 4-A school that isn't afraid of playing teams from other states. They open this season with a game on the road against Norcross, Ga. It will be televised on ESPN2 on August . In 2012, the Tornado won their second state championship by beating (Jacksonville) Bolles 35-7. In 2011, Washington was state runnerup. Kentucky has offers out to (5.6) 3 star WR Lamar Parker and (5.8) 4 star DB Nigel Patten.

St. Thomas Aquinas:

St. Thomas Aquinas is a 7-A powerhouse program that plays at the national level. Aquinas has had a couple of down years, but are expected to become a top 10 team at the national level this coming season. Their schedule hasn't been finalized yet, but they play 2012 # 1 River Ridge, LA's John Curtis in the New Orleans Mercedez-Benz Superdome on September 24th in what MaxPreps says is the #1 game to watch for the 2013 high school season. Read about the top 10 games of the year here.

When I say the Raiders were down the last two years, down is a relative term. Aquinas won the 7-A state championship last season, beating (Tallahassee) Lincoln 41-25. "Down" means that the Raiders lost two games last year. They lost to New Jersey's Don Bosco Prep 20-10 and they lost to 8-A Miramar 27-24 in overtime. In 2011, they lost to (Palm Beach Gardens) Dwyer 6-3 in the regional finals. (5.8) 4 star defensive lineman Anthony Moten and (5.8) 4 star WR Corey Holmes both have offers from Kentucky. Moten has commited to Florida.

Miami Central:

Central is a 6-A school that is a tough nut to crack. Clint Hurtt managed to get two Central kids in the 2011 class along with Miami Northwestern's Teddy Bridgewater. The Rockets won the 2012 state championship by beating Gainesville 37-14. In 2011 Central lost to (Seffner) Armwood 40-31 in the championship game. However, both teams suffered a forfeit their season were vacated. Both were placed on probation by the FHSAA. Armwood was also on probation in 2012. This year the the Miami Central Rockets travel to New Jersey to play Don Bosco Prep on September 21st. The New Jersey team has never lost to a Florida team. This game is also one of the top 10 games listed as a must watch. Kentucky has offered (5.4) 2 star defensive lineman Raul Diaz.

Manatee:

Bradenton's Manatee HS is a 7-A school that has been a powerhouse in Florida for years, They won the 2011 state championship by beating (Jacksonville) First Coast 40-0. Manatee lost to St. Thomas Aquinas in the 2012 state semi-finals 38-18. The Hurricanes play Baltimore's Gillman in Baltimore on September first, and Friendship Collegiate Academy of Washington, DC at home on September 13th. Kentucky has not offered any players from Manatee, but the staff visited the school last week. Manatee is in the news and it isn't pretty. Read and listen to Tampa's Channel 10 News.

That's it for today. Coming up in the next will be a look at all the schools where we've offered and also where the 2013 commitments came from.

As always, thanks for reading.

Kentucky Wildcats: Morning Quickies - Moore, Oklahoma Edition

2013-05-23T13:20:10Z

Today's edition is dedicated to those who have lost loved ones, homes, and more in the recent tornado disaster in and around Moore, Oklahoma.

John Calipari, Mark Stoops, and Mitch Barnhartt have all donated to relief funds from the Oklahoma City tornado. They are asking all Kentucky fans to join in. I recommend the Salvation Army, and that's who I've used, but the Red Cross is easy and another good option.

The SB Nation Oklahoma Sooners blog Crimson and Cream Machine is also accepting donations and passing them on to the Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief.

Tweet of the Morning:

John Calipari says the Cleveland Cavaliers have scouted Nerlens Noel more than any other NBA team.
— NBAFLASHNEWS (@NBAFLASHNEWS) May 23, 2013

Think that could be a sign?

Your Quickies:

Kentucky football

Wildcat Blue Nation says that Kentucky must beat Western next year. I agree. A loss in that one will undo some of the good will Stoops & Co. have accrued so far.

As a Western alumni, that's a tough one for me, but as a Kentucky blogger, you have to remember who you're writing for.
Mark Stoops' defense at Florida St. ran a lot of stunts and twists. I imagine we can expect that here as well (Via Hank).

Kentucky basketball

We all want Nerlens Noel to go #1 in the draft, and since Cleveland won the draft lottery, they'll get dibs on him. John Calipari says that if they do take Noel #1, they will have done the right thing, because "they haven't made mistakes."
Julius Mays will participate in the pre-NBA Draft combine at East Rutherford, NJ.
Update on Nerlens Noel's knee from Larry Vaught:

"The knee is doing good," Noel said. "I have been working hard in rehab. My physical therapist has been telling me I am ahead of schedule and I’m coming along really well. (Orthopedic surgeon) Dr. James Andrews (told) me when I had the surgery that it went very well. He’s told me to make sure I take things slow and stay focused on physical therapy. That’s the key thing."

Via Aaron's blog.
The UK incoming freshmen basketball players have declined to try out for Team USA for the FIBA Under 19 World Championships. Calipari says it wasn't his idea:

"Most of it is, they didn’t want to play. I’m not forcing kids to do anything," Calipari told Sporting News. "I think the reason they all turned it down is, they want to get started."
Jodie Meeks is back on campus to work on his degree.
Cleveland Cavaliers expected to snap up Nerlens Noel with the #1 pick. I think it makes sense, considering they need front court help, and their defense needs immediate assistance.

Note that Archie Goodwin still makes the first round despite a bad NBA Draft Combine.
Don't let anyone tell you that UK's freshmen, or Jabari Parker for that matter, were snubbed for the U19 team:

Among the names not listed on the 24-player U-19 tryout roster (the World University Games roster will be released soon but McDermott is the top name) are incoming freshmen like Duke’s Jabari Parker or Kentucky’s Julius Randle and/or Andrew or Aaron Harrison. They were not snubbed. Boeheim said they couldn’t come due to summer school commitments.
More on Noel's recovery:

"Nerlens is three or four weeks ahead of most people with an ACL injury,'' Wilk said Tuesday after putting him through a series of strengthening and stretching exercises. "He doesn't have any swelling, no pain, has a nice dry knee and everything has been smooth.''

Via AAaron's blog.

Other UK sports

Super regional another step up for a Wildcats softball program that has really prospered under Rachel Lawson.

Links posts

The Leach Report - Wednesday Wildcat Links

College football

Saturday Down South predicts a Texas A&M-Alabama showdown for the 2013 BCS championship. But won't it be the College Football Playoff championship? Or will it still be called the hated BCS?
Ex Penn St. president Graham Spanier wants the criminal charges filed against him for covering up Jerry Sandusky's horrible crimes to be dismissed. Good luck with that.
In case you've forgotten, Oregon, unlike Duke, is actually in the NCAA trick bag. Is it time to revisit that old Jerry Tarkanian witticism yet?

College basketball

Mike DeCourcy is mostly right about what Andrew Wiggins means to Kansas:

I find it interesting that oddsmakers have moved Kansas to what the English call "second favorite" as the result of Wiggins choosing KU. As much as I admire Wiggins, and I wrote recently that he will be one of the greatest pure athletes in NBA history, it seems a lot to ask for any player to elevate a team that does not have a returning starter to being expected to reach the Final Four.

I think this is right. Tarik Black helps them, but not to the point of making Kansas a top four team. Put them in the top ten, for sure, but that's about all.
Florida's Will Yeguete has another knee surgery, which will keep him out for four months. He should be back in time for the season, though. Kid can't catch a break.

Other sports news

Duke Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski looks like he'll be retained as the coach for the U.S. Olympic Team.
D.J. Stephens! F-ing leaper!
Sergio Garcia is doing his very best to rehabilitate Tiger Woods' image by damaging his own. Woods is taking the age-old advice that when an opponent is busy destroying himself, get out of his way.
Bruins Nation is out to replace UCLA's athletics director.

Other news

Oklahoma high school football team has a narrow escape from the devastating tornado (Via Hank).

Kentucky Basketball: Duke Blog Mistakes Calipari's Confidence For Paranoia

2013-05-22T17:29:26Z

The Duke Basketball Report goes off the rails on John Calipari:

The truth is that while Kentucky has prospered, they won the national championship under Calipari for three distinct reasons: 1) an extraordinary talent in Anthony Davis; 2) an extraordinary freshman leader in Michael Kidd-Gilchrist); and 3) critical injuries to UNC’s Kendall Marshall and John Henson.

We’re reasonably confident that a healthy UNC team would’ve beaten that Kentucky team. We’ll never know obviously, but that was a really good, experienced group.

The idea that there is sort of a conspiracy against Kentucky and Calipari is just…crazy.

Of course, Calipari wasn't suggesting that at all. The author simply took that quote out of it's proper context to raise a strawman. Does it escape anyone's attention that he fails to link the source of his quotation? Perhaps Duke fans feel no need to trouble themselves to credit their source.

I find it amusingly ironic that DBR was actually touting their arch-rival North Carolina Tar Heels as superior in 2012. UNC couldn't beat UK at Rupp Arena that year (even though it took a last-second block by Davis to preserve the win), and I don't think anyone would argue North Carolina's ceiling at the end of the year was higher than Kentucky's.

Calipari is considering the NBA age limit as part and parcel of the entire "one and done" culture, and he has raised the issue of player stipends, insurance, and other things that would make staying a better decision than it is right now. Even if the NBA did change the rule, to Cal's thinking, the other problems with the NCAA might lead to players leaving school early for some other professional league. Consider this:

Earlier this year, Calipari implored the NCAA to up its incentives and assurances to athletes after freshman center Nerlens Noel suffered a season-ending torn left ACL that is expected to keep him out even through the start of next season. Noel has declared for next month’s NBA Draft and is expected to still be a lottery pick.

Calipari is anything but paranoid. Would a paranoid man call out the NCAA and dare them to do something about it? I'm thinking no. Calipari is confident and frankly, fearless rather than paranoid, and it shows. He is right that the NCAA has hurt him for no good reason, but to be fair, others have been similarly victimized by rules that make the innocent pay the price for the guilty. But Duke wouldn't know anything about that given their unique untouchable status that was only recently reaffirmed by the NCAA.

In two similar situations at Duke, Lance Thomas and Cory Magette, the Blue Devils and Krzyzewski have skated away scot-free. No wonder they don't fear the NCAA, and their fans mistake Calipari's comments for paranoia. Even when Duke are obviously in the NCAA trick bag (or at least, any other team under similar circumstances would be), the NCAA has done it's best "Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil" act.

Under those circumstances, I might quote a coach out of context and mock him as well. After all, when you're untouchable by the regulators, you can mock everyone else's woes with impunity, whether or not it makes any sense.

Kentucky Wildcats: Morning Quickies - Kentucky Softball Edition

2013-05-22T15:31:51Z

I'm finally back in the saddle, and I want to thank Jleverenz, JC25 and A2D2 for helping keep content up on the blog. I was in a place where there was no Internet and no cell phone service, so basically I was living in what felt like the stone age. I'm not sure I liked that part.

Tweet of the Morning:

Random thought: Outside of John Calipari, Sean Miller is recruiting as well as anyone. Set to have his 3rd straight top 5 recruiting class.
— Evan Daniels (@EvanDanielsFOX) May 22, 2013

Heh. Funny how every recruiting tweet must be qualified in the context of John Calipari.

Your Quickies:

Kentucky football

I want to direct your attention to this outstanding UK preview article by Bill Connellyy about Kentucky football next year that he did for SBNation.com. It's in the cover as well, but in case you go here first. Also, here's the link to the SEC preview storystream.
Drew Barker jumps up in the Rivals' rankings to near-top 100 status, and Mikel Horton, also a UK commit, moves into the top 150. (Via Hank)
Mark Stoops' late father was a huge influence on his life. Talk about a coaching family!
Kentucky is #97 in the Orlando Sentinals pre-season rankings. It won't take much to surprise from there.

Kentucky basketball

Kentucky's team last year had the worst defensive efficiency rating of any John-Calipari team in ten years. I think that will change next season.
Just in case you've forgotten about Julius Randle...
John Calipari is excited to coach Willie Cauley-Stein and Alex Poythress another year.

"Willie Cauley has a chance at being one of the better players that I’ve ever coached," Calipari said. "It’s not delusional at all (if you) understood how far he had come, understood how far he needed to go, understood he could have been a first-round draft pick."

We had a big debate over WCS during the golf trip I just returned from. I think he starts every game next year.
Calipari has changed his plan for next year, according to Eric Crawford:

Now, [Calipari] has looked at his deficiencies from a year ago and appears to have addressed them all. He has more returning players (thanks in part to circumstance, but also thanks in part to not prodding quite so hard in the NBA's direction in a couple of cases). He has addressed the issue of numbers. He should have depth and competition, plus a bit of insurance in the case of injury.
Dan Issel says UK/UL rivalry is the hottest it's ever been.

Other UK sports

As you no doubt know by now, UK softball won the Lexington Regionals, and is now in the Tempe Super Regional. The winner there will move on to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City. The full NCAA bracket can be found here, and the Tempe Super Regional bracket can be found here.

You might be interested in this also:

Softball Bracket Challenge

On Monday, May 27, fans will be able to follow the 2013 NCAA® Women’s College World Series® for softball like never before, with an NCAA-sanctioned bracket challenge hosted by official partner Northwestern Mutual.

In the meantime, fans can go here, like the page and register for the challenge. A Grand Prize winner will be randomly selected from among the four highest bracket point totals and will win a $500 online gift certificate to the NCAA Shop, and one additional randomly selected winner will receive a $100 gift card to the NCAA Shop.

The deadline to enter is Thursday, May 30, before 11:00 a.m. CST.
Kentucky Baseball loses in first round of SEC Tournament to Ole Miss, and is unlikely to be invited to the NCAA Tournament this year.

Links posts

College football

Brilliance from the football field...(Hank)

I can just see it now... "Gimme your bong, or die!"

College basketball

Bill Self sold Andrew Wiggins on the idea he could step into Ben McLemore's spot. Okay, well, whatever.
Self learned about Wiggins' commitment like the rest of us did - Twitter.

Other sports news

This trick shot is genuinely amazing. (Via Hank)
Are we athletic phenoms a God complex? I think this is oversimplifying the problem drastically, but it isn't without some merit.

Kentucky vs Ole Miss Baseball: SECT Game 1 Preview and Game Thread

2013-05-21T14:02:25Z

It's been a much tougher season for the Batcats than most people expected. After a surprising 18-12 run last year in conference play, the team fell on its face in April and May finishing with an 11-19 record in conference play this year and just barely squeezing in to the revamped SEC Tournament. But make it they did and now they have a chance to ~~solidify~~ creep into a spot in the regional round of the College World Series. Baseball America doesn't think the Cats have a chance, but College Baseball Daily is a bit more bullish.

The 11 Seed Wildcats' first opponent will be a familiar one in 6 seeded Ole Miss. UK took 2 of 3 from the Rebels on the road back at the end of April, despite being outscored in the series 17-13. Winning a couple of 1-run games will do that for you. That was the only series victory for the Cats in April and May combined. Yeah, it's been a rough couple of months.

This is the 2nd year in a row that UK opens the SEC Tournament against Ole Miss. Last year they won a thrilling 2-0 game behind the arm and bat of A.J. Reed. This year, Jerad Grundy will take the mound for the Cats and try to improve upon the last time he faced Ole Miss. On April 26 Grundy was tagged for 9 runs (all earned) in 5.2 innings, giving up 12 hits and walking 2 in an 11-5 loss. Needless to say (though I'll say it any way), the Cats absolutely cannot afford a repeat performance like that. Mike Mayers will go for the Rebels. He was Grundy's opponent in that April 26 game where he went 6 innings, giving up 3 runs (1 earned) while striking out 8. Mayer gave up only 1 hit that game, but he walked 3, hit a batter, threw a wild pitch, and for good measure committed a balk.

Pitching comparison:

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K/9
Jerad Grundy	6-5	4.75	1.36	6.95
Mike Mayers	4-5	3.21	1.20	7.30

Game info:

TV: Fox Sports Net
Online Audio: UK Athletics
Online Video: ESPN3
UK Athletics Preview: here.

This post will serve as the game thread. Play ball!

2014 Kentucky Wildcats Recruiting Big Board: May '13 Edition

2013-05-20T19:01:58Z

With the 2013 recruiting class in the books, the Kentucky Wildcats and its coaching staff of powerhouse recruiters turn their eyes to 2014. With classes ending across the nation and AAU season in full swing, there are plenty of opportunities to check out some of Kentucky's top targets.

Head coach John Calipari already has one commitment on board for 2014. That would be Karl Towns, who committed to the Wildcats back in December. He's the bell cow of the class. After playing for Calipari as a representative for the Dominican Republic national team, Towns is already out "recruiting" his fellow '14 rising seniors to don Kentucky blue.

Top targets already hold offers, but expect new names (and possibly subsequent offers) to arise throughout the summer. As it stands, here is the latest Big Board.

Commitments

Name	Pos	School (Hometown)	247 Composite Ranking	Status [Offer / Commit / Sign]	Other Finalists
Karl Towns	PF/C	St. Joseph (Metuchen, NJ)	5*, 9th	[O] 09/04/12 [C] 12/04/12 [S] Exp 11/13	Duke Florida Connecticut

Outstanding Offers

Name	Pos	School (Hometown)	247 Composite Ranking	Status [Offer / Commit / Sign]	Other Interest
Jahlil Okafor	C	Whitney Young (Chicago, IL)	5*, 1st	[O] 09/20/12	Duke Michigan St Ohio St Baylor Kansas Louisville
Cliff Alexander	C/PF	Curie (Chicago, IL)	5*, 7th	[O] 07/17/12	Michigan St Illinois Kansas
Trey Lyles	PF	Arsenal Tech (Indianapolis, IN)	5*, 4th	[O] 09/11/12	Louisville Florida Duke UCLA Butler
Stanley Johnson	SF/SG	Mater Dei (Fullerton, CA)	5*, 13th	[O] 08/01/12	Arizona UCLA USC Oregon Duke Florida
Rashad Vaughn	SG	Cooper (Minneapolis, MN)	5*, 8th	[O] 09/24/12	UNC Duke Louisville Minnesota Kansas Baylor Iowa St
Devin Booker	SG	Moss Point (Moss Point, MS)	5*, 21st	[O] 04/24/13	Duke Michigan Michigan St Florida UNC Missouri
Emmanuel Mudiay	PG	Prime Prep (Arlington, TX)	5*, 2nd	[O] 08/14/12	Baylor Arizona Kansas OK St
Tyus Jones	PG	Apple Valley (Apple Valley, MN)	5*, 3rd	[O] 07/20/12	Duke Michigan St Minnesota Ohio St Baylor Kansas

Strong Interest

Name	Pos	School (Hometown)	247 Composite Ranking	Status	Other Interest
Goodluck Okonoboh	C	Wilbraham & Monson (Boston, MA)	4*, 28th	Not Yet Offered	Indiana Syracuse Connecticut Providence Maryland
Leron Black	PF/SF	White Station (Memphis, TN)	5*, 16th	Not Yet Offered	Baylor Florida Illinois NC St Ohio St Connecticut
Craig Victor	PF	St. Augustine (New Orleans, LA)	4*, 33rd	Not Yet Offered	Arizona LSU Florida Oklahoma OK St
Abdul Malik-Abu	PF	Kimball Union (Meridien, NH)	4*, 56th	Not Yet Offered	Wisconsin Connecticut Providence Florida Kansas St
Shane Hall	PF	Johnson Central (Paintsville, KY)	4*, 84th	Not Yet Offered	Butler Tennessee Xavier UAB
D.J. Foreman	PF	Massanuten Military (Spring Valley, NY)	4*, 103rd	Not Yet Offered	Rhode Island Providence Minnesota
Theo Pinson	SF	Wesleyan Christian (Greensboro, NC)	5*, 12th	Not Yet Offered	Indiana Duke UNC Louisville Georgetown
Jalen Lindsey	SF	Huntington (WV) Prep (Nashville, TN)	4*, 27th	Not Yet Offered	Memphis Tennessee Vanderbilt Providence
Zylan Cheatham	SF	Westwind Prep (Phoenix, AZ)	4*, 79th	Not Yet Offered	Arizona St Arizona New Mexico USC
Ryan Skovranko	SF/SG	Lincoln Park (Midland, PA)	Not Ranked	Not Yet Offered	Temple VA Tech Duquense
D'Angelo Russell	SG	Montverde (FL) Academy (Louisville, KY)	5*, 17th	Not Yet Offered	Louisville Ohio St Indiana Arizona UNC
Isaiah Whitehead	SG	Lincoln (New York, NY)	4*, 34th	Not Yet Offered	Syracuse Louisville Florida St. John's Rutgers
Josh Perkins	PG	Regis Jesuit (Aurora, CO)	4*, 31st	Not Yet Offered	Gonzaga New Mexico Colorado

Scholarship Situation

Kentucky currently has three players on scholarship that could theoretically return for the 2014-15 season: Kyle Wiltjer (senior), Willie Cauley-Stein (junior) and Alex Poythress (junior). The 2013 class currently has 8 signees, including Julius Randle, Andrew Harrison, Aaron Harrison, James Young, Dakari Johnson, Marcus Lee, Derek Willis, and Dominique Hawkins. The safest bets to return are Lee, Willis and Hawkins. Wiltjer will likely stick around for his senior season as well. As always, Calipari will be reloading, not rebuilding.

Targets - Bigs (Needs: 2-3)

Karl Towns, listed at 6' 10" by 247 Sports, has a collegiate center's body but possesses an outside-in game that would ideally fit at the 4. That versatility should give Kentucky's opponents matchup nightmares while providing Kentucky some versatility in building out the rest of the class.

Kentucky has offered two traditional low-post bigs in Jahlil Okafor and Cliff Alexander. Okafor ranks atop many 2014 prospect lists, while Alexander, a fellow 5*, is no slouch himself. Either player would be an ideal complement to Towns in the paint. Okafor has been closely linked to Duke, while Alexander may be hard to pry from in-state school Michigan St.

The last important name to know right now is Trey Lyles, who comes with some controversy. Lyles had originally committed to Indiana. After he decommitted, Indiana head coach not-so-subtly implied that other coaches had come sniffing around trying to pry Lyles loose. As of now, Lyles isn't really considering the Hoosiers, and in-state rivals Kentucky and Louisville may be the leaders.

Should Calipari look beyond Kentucky's current offer list, two names to keep tabs on are LeRon Black and Craig Victor. Black, a Baylor decommit, has known Calipari since the coach's days at Memphis. Meanwhile, Victor (who resides in SEC country) has had a great start to AAU play and may shoot up recruiting boards soon. Kentucky may also look for multi-year prospects to provide depth. Other players who have heard from the coaching staff include Goodluck Okonoboh, Abdul Malik-Abu, D.J. Foreman, and Bluegrass native Shane Hall.

Off the radar: Dakari Johnson reclassified to the 2013 class and--hey, look at that!--ended up signing with Kentucky. You'll see him in Rupp next year.

Targets - Wings (Needs: 2-3)

Filling the small forward and shooting guard roles in the class feels like a bit of a fuzzy gray area right now. Ideally, uber-prospect Andrew Wiggins would have stayed in the 2014 class and picked Kentucky. Hey, even Coach Cal can't always get what he wants.

At least Calipari isn't afraid to go prospecting on the West Coast. He has already offered Californian Stanley Johnson. Like most of Kentucky's Pac-12 area offers, Johnson likely will stay west, but it doesn't hurt to try. He ranks right outside the top 10, and kudos to Calipari for believing in him last year when he was a borderline 5* prospect.

Kentucky has offers outstanding to two bigger shooting guards as well in Rashad Vaughn and Devin Booker. Booker is the son of former Missouri star Melvin Booker, and also owns the unique distinction of being the only 2014 prospect to receive an offer from Kentucky this spring. He has Michigan ties, but has since moved to Mississippi to play high school ball. Booker is an elite shooter as much as Vaughn is an outstanding slasher. Since receiving his Kentucky offer last year, Vaughn has moved into the Top 10 nationally.

Of unoffered prospects, Jalen Lindsey from nearby Tennessee has gotten a lot of buzz. Lindsey has expressed interest in visiting Kentucky this summer, and could receive an offer if he continues to impress. Kentucky has also contacted Zylan Cheatham, who has built an impressive offer list, and relative unknown Ryan Skovranko.

One guy that won't be picking Kentucky is Theo Pinson. The five-star player has received sporadic Kentucky interest but is set to decide on Wednesday between the five listed schools.

Off the board: Andrew Wiggins rightfully reclassed to 2013. He'll be the top pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, but unfortunately Adam Silver will announce that he played college ball at Kansas. Shaqquan Aaron expressed a lot of interest in Kentucky last fall but committed to arch-rival Louisville this spring. There also hasn't been much news about Paul White, Okafor's high school teammate.

Targets - Guards (Needs: 2-3)

Kentucky will likely have to reload their backcourt after its 2013 studs, the Harrison twins, depart for the NBA. Naturally, Calipari has already locked in on two potential point guards for the future. Emmanuel Mudiay and Tyus Jones rank alongside Okafor to form a Top 3 in the 2014 class, separating themselves from the pack.

Mudiay is the more prototypical Calipari point guard. At 6 '4", the Texan has the size to go along with the dynamic skill set. Kentucky is considered the clubhouse leader, but look out for local school Baylor. Meanwhile, Jones has elite vision and passing ability, and may be the most mature point guard to come out in years. There have been rumors that he and Okafor will play for the same school (again, Duke is the early leader), along with fellow 5* Justise Winslow.

At the 2, the aforementioned Booker and Vaughn could fit there. The most curious name that doesn't have an offer looks like a perfect fit. That would be D'Angelo Russell, a Louisville native who currently plays at Montverde in Florida (Dakari Johnson's alma mater). He has visited Lexington before, and the five-star player curiously holds offers from Florida and Louisville, but not Kentucky. Another shooting guard, Isaiah Whitehead, from New York, has pined for Kentucky interest.

At point guard, Calipari looks to be hedging his offers by recently reaching out to Josh Perkins. Perkins has made some noise in AAU ball and sits just outside 5* status. However, he's strictly a backup plan unless Calipari feels things going sour with both Mudiay and Jones.

Off the radar: Jaquan Lyle exhibited a lot of Kentucky interest, even visiting the campus, but never received a Kentucky offer. He has dropped the Wildcats from his list and is down to six schools.

Outlook

The Towns commitment gave Kentucky a really nice start to the class. If Kentucky can rebound with a good 2013-14 basketball season, another top class remains all but assured. The pivot points look like center and point guard, with each position currently holding top two tier options to choose from.

If I were a betting man, I would place my chips on Mudiay being the most likely prospect to commit, in which case Kentucky might push hard for Alexander as well. Both Mudiay and Alexander compare favorably to incoming Wildcats Andrew Harrison and Dakari Johnson, respectively. It's easy to envision Kentucky transitioning to the 2014-15 season hardly missing a beat.

Of course, Calipari can also swing for the fences and try to land the "package deal" of Jones and Okafor. Though Calipari doesn't get every recruit he wants, his proven track record clearly demonstrates that he's a force to be reckoned with on the recruiting trail.

If anything, the most important thing to remember is that it's early in the recruiting cycle. This time last year, the Wildcats had just one 2013 commit in lightly regarded Derek Willis. With Towns aboard, Kentucky is already ahead of the curve. And just like last year's class, this year's will eventually be filled with a lot of great players.

Older Recruiting Big Boards

2013 5/16/13 | 3/27/13 | 10/11/12 | 7/5/12 | 12/6/11 | 5/25/11
2014 10/24/12 | 7/11/12 | 5/25/11

A Sea of Blue Caption Corner Time

2013-05-20T11:00:56Z

First, let me apologize for not getting one of these up sooner. I have been extremely busy lately. Secondly, ASoB Caption Corner will continue on because you all seem to really enjoy them and I have as much fun as well. If it isn't fun, well, it isn't fun.

The last captioned photo was the one of Cal, the floating chair, and the mysterious striped garment. We had a two-way tie for first place with both getting 14 rec's each. Both were great and I had actually rec'd the two. I couldn't decide on unrec'ding either one just to break the tie.

You put your Right Foot in,

You take your Right Foot out,
You put your Left Foot in, and you shake it all about …;

by AshlandKat

and

That's The Way You Throw A Chair!

by Wild Weasel

Another great job by everyone as I counted 68 total rec'ds and there were several other great captions.

This time, I picked a photo of two of our favorite mock-worthy SEC football coaches having a conversation. The always entertaining Les Miles and Steve Spurrier should provide for some fun captions, don't you think?

Remember, you all make it work with your captions and by recommending your favorites.