Kentucky Basketball Recruiting: Tony Trocha In the Crosshairs

Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in! After Virginia Tech decommit Montrezl Harrell officially eliminated Kentucky from his list, it appeared that the Wildcats would be done recruiting the high school class of 2012. Not so fast, my friends. Enter mysterious Colombian big man Tony Trocha.

Trocha's circumstances are quite mysterious. So mysterious, in fact, that recruitniks can't even agree on whether he's ever played ball in the states or not. Here's what I think I know.

Trocha came to Houston either in November (in time to play half a basketball season) or February (after finishing up his semester in Colombia). He's enrolled at St. Thomas Episcopal, hardly known as a powerhouse program in Houston. The Saints are classified as TAPPS 3A in Texas, which is, well, not where top prospects decide to play. Oh, to keep things mysterious: St. Thomas Episcopal does not keep box scores of their games. My best guess, as a Houstonian, is that Trocha has never played in a high school game.

Trocha was slated to play summer circuit ball for an absolutely stacked Houston Hoops team, one of the dominant programs in Texas AAU. Instead, he recently decided to take his SAT in an effort to reclassify to the 2012 class. He could be a top 100 player (Rivals had him ranked #59 in the 2013 class), but no one really knows, and people are even unsure whether he's a center, a power forward, or a small forward. John Calipari reportedly visited him in March ($).

The latest twist in Trocha's recruitment is a story by The Cats Pause ($), published two days ago. Trocha's head coach-to-be at St. Thomas Episcopal, Danny Evans, said that Trocha took his SATs earlier this May and expects to receive his score shortly. Coupled with an aggressive Colombian school system, Trocha theoretically will have the academic chops to pass the NCAA Clearinghouse.

Which means he can play college ball starting fall 2012, even if he is too late to sign a Letter of Intent. According to Evans, Trocha is looking at two schools in particular, Kentucky and Texas A&M, though "everybody" is chasing him.

Could Trocha become a Cat in 2012? If you believe the quotes below (taken from the earlier Cats Pause article), Wildcats fans are hoping all signs point to yes.

Evans said Calipari told him he thinks at 6-foot-10, Trocha has the talent and the skill to be a top NBA Draft pick in a couple years, comparing him to former Cat Anthony Davis.

"He told his guardian that he'd love the opportunity to coach him and make him a top NBA pick. He said he could be a No. 1 pick in two or three years," Evans said. "Kenny Payne liked him a lot. They said he's a little shorter than Anthony Davis but his skill set is higher."