Wednesday Quickies: Next Up Edition

Five-star guard/wing Scottie Lewis committed to the Florida Gators last night over the Kentucky Wildcats.

Kentucky was thought to have gained the edge over Florida after an official visit to Lexington, but Florida has been pursuing Lewis for several years and one of his best friends just committed to the Gators. All of that together to lead Lewis to choose the Gators.

It’s a blow to Kentucky, for sure. Lewis is a great all-around player who prides himself on playing defense and is perfectly fine not being the bonafide star on a team. Kentucky really liked him and made him a priority, but alas, Kentucky will see him on the opposite bench next season.

So, the next question becomes, what is next for Kentucky? Where do they look with Lewis out of the picture?

Well, it is kind of unclear at the moment.

Kentucky could look to get more involved with Keion Brooks, who was once thought to be one of their top targets in the 2019 class. Kentucky seemed to slack off on Brooks following the commitments of Kahlil Whitney and Dontaie Allen, but the Wildcats seem to try to be getting back in the mix with Brooks. Maybe they pursue him as another wing option to add to the class.

Jaden McDaniels also becomes an option. McDaniels is a lot taller, but projects as a likely 3 at the collegiate level. McDaniels was mentioned a lot when it came to Kentucky over the summer, but things simmered down although the Wildcats and McDaniels kept in touch.

Those two seem to be the most likely options in the 2019 class. There is still an outside chance a player could reclassify. R.J. Hampton has announced that he will stay in 2020, but rumors are still floating that he could potentially reclassify after all. The possibility of that is slim, and it is really unclear where Kentucky stands in his recruitment, but a possible reclassification could give Kentucky another option.

But there’s also a chance Kentucky has some backcourt players return off this year’s squad. It’s highly possible that one or two of Quade Green/Immanuel Quickley/Tyler Herro/Ashton Hagans/Jemarl Baker return, so Kentucky could be fine with their depth with guards and wings with their current commitments and one or two returnees.

However, betting on players returning is a big gamble at Kentucky. We will see how Kentucky handles losing Lewis in the next week or so. My guess is that Kentucky tries to turn up the heat on Keion Brooks, but it remains to be seen.

Tweets of the Day

Good to see Rich Brooks being honored.

Madness is only nine days away now. It is setting up for a big time year for all of UK Athletics.

Your Quickies

Benny Snell on AP All-America Watchlist - Associated Press

Some more positive publicity for Benny.

Terry Wilson, Benny Snell recall first meeting - Lexington Herald-Leader

The two met at a UK volleyball game and the rest is history.

Q&A with Oscar Tshiebwe’s coach - Kentucky Sports Radio

It seems like Oscar had a great visit to Lexington and Kentucky is securely in the mix.

Eddie Gran left the Kentucky practice field excited - Kentucky Sports Radio

Gran likes his options with the Wildcat package.

Five best teams in Kentucky Football history - Courier Journal

At the end of the season, it will be interesting to see where this team stacks up historically.

Where UK Freshmen stand with the new redshirt rule - Lexington Herald-Leader

Only Chris Oats, DeAndre Square, and Allen Dailey have played in all five games this season as true freshmen.

Josh Allen projected 24th overall in new mock draft - Bleacher Report

B/R projects the Titans to take Allen, an excellent scenario as there are many Titans fans in Kentucky.

Rockies defeat Cubs in 13 innings in NL Wildcard Game - Chicago Tribune

The Cubs won 95 regular season games, but watched their season come to an end last night.

Best non NCAA Tournament Games - Sports Illustrated

Kentucky-UNC (2016) comes in at #10. Kentucky-IU (2011) comes in at #3

Five things we learned from opening arguments in the CBB Corruption trial - SB Nation

Oregon got dragged into the mix on Day 1. Just wait, this is going to get more and more interesting.

Will Katina Powell Louisville scandal be permissible in court - Yahoo Sports

Apparently the judge is mulling the connection between the two incidents at UofL. That should also be fun to watch.

Potential trade options for Le’Veon Bell - ESPN

The Steelers could eventually trade Le’Veon Bell, but we will see as the situation unfolds.

Kelly Bryant reportedly granted release from Clemson - Bleacher Report

Some lists have mentioned SEC schools as potential landing spots.

Ryder Cup fan to purse legal action after “eye explosion” - NBC Sports

Corine Remande, 49, told AFP she was blinded in one eye after the American Brooks Koepka’s tee shot struck her in the head on Friday.