Kentucky Basketball Recruiting: Father of KyKy Tandy is not high on UK

If there is one thing Big Blue Nation love more than five-star recruits, it is four- and five-star recruits that grew up in Kentucky. If fans got their way, the next home-grown Wildcat would be 2019 four-star guard Kyky Tandy.

Tandy has been open about his desire to get a scholarship offer from Kentucky.

“It’d be a blessing if they offered me,” Tandy told SEC Country this weekend at the Under Armor tournament in Indianapolis. “I’m from Kentucky, so usually Kentucky kids don’t get that offer. I’ve been working my butt off and hopefully I’ll get that offer.”

Tandy had a big weekend, including leading his team to victory over Team Rio, which includes top-10 recruits Scottie Lewis and Bryan Antoine. Tandy had 27 points and 7 rebounds in the contest, and showed that he is ready to play with the top players in the class.

The University Heights star is ranked 147th overall in the 2019 class by 247Sports, and he has offers from Florida, Cincinnati, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. And while Tandy himself is clearly excited about a potential offer from John Calipari, it seems his father, Keith Torian, is a bit more cynical.

“If he does get an offer, he’s not going to Kentucky with three or four point guards there,” Torian told Kyle Tucker of SEC Country this weekend. “He’s not no bench player. And that’s what they think he is: He’ll just come in and play four years. No, no.”

Looking to the roster for the fall of 2018, it is very possible that Kentucky could have four or five elite point guards on the roster. Of course, many of them will be expected to play off the ball.

However, most if not all of them will be gone by the time Kyky Tandy would step on campus, that is if he receives and accepts an offer from Kentucky.

With five-star guards Ashton Hagans and Tyrese Maxey still in the 2019 class and being seen as heavy Kentucky leans, it certainly looks like it will be crowded in the backcourt for that class.

But if one of them, and it could end up being both, reclassify and come this fall, there is no reason to assume that Tandy could not earn playing time. And if you are that confident in your (or your son’s abilities), shouldn’t you be prepared to compete for your spot at the next level?

Torian’s tune could change once the offer comes in, if it ever does. And it could be that Tandy decides to go to Kentucky regardless of his father’s wishes.

But if history tells us anything, it is that Calipari is quick to drop a recruit whose parents bring a lot of drama to the table (see Romeo Langford).

It could be that Calipari will handle the situation differently since Tandy is an in-state recruit, but only time will tell if he is willing to offer the kid a scholarship after his father has already spewed negativity out to the media.