Bol Bol is the number one rated center in the class of 2018. The 7’3” center is the son of former NBA star Manute Bol.
His recruitment was one of the more exciting of the early signing period and Bol’s final decision came down to Kentucky and Oregon. Bol ultimately picked the Ducks.
Joe Musatto recently wrote about Bol’s decision for SEC Country. Bol was cut over the summer from the Calipari-coached U-19 Team USA squad.
When asked if Cal’s decision to cut him factor into his decision, Bol said, “It didn’t really bother me. I still wonder why he cut me, but I’ll never know.”
Bol has said he isn’t angry with Calipari, but that he never got a satisfactory answer from Cal regarding his decision. When Bol visited Lexington for Big Blue Madness the subject never came up.
“I feel like Calipari kind of avoided the whole situation,” said Bol of their conversations during the visit.
It’s hard to say how much the snub affected Bol’s decision to go to Oregon. While I do believe Bol saying being cut didn’t help him make the decision away from Kentucky, I don’t imagine that it didn’t factor into his decision at all.
Oregon offered something for Bol that he didn’t think he was going to get from Kentucky. He wrote about his decision in a piece for The Player’s Tribune.
Bol Bol represents a miss for Cal in this 2018 class. He would have been a huge win and could have been the next in line of stellar big men coached by Cal at Kentucky. But, some things aren’t meant to be.
I just wish Bol the best in his college career and hope that Oregon is the school he thinks it will be for him.