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For just about every other college basket program in America the addition of an off-court recruiting assistant to the staff wouldn’t be much news at all.
But the Cats poaching Jai Lucas from Texas has the hoops world buzzing. When the rumors began to swirl about Lucas potentially coming to Kentucky in some assistant coach fashion I put out some feelers just to see what some recruiting folks thought about how he might fit into Calipari’s empire.
The feedback was unanimous praise of how influential they believe Lucas’ can be with his already elite reputation on the AAU circuit coupled with the resources he’ll have access to at the University of Kentucky.
On Wednesday Cats fans had the chance to gather some more insight when a well-connect high school coach from Texas joined Kentucky Sports Radio. The coach chose not to reveal his name but has credibility in the hot bed of Texas high school hoops.
Here’s what he had to say about Lucas’ character:
“He’s someone that AAU guys respect. They know he’s been in the trenches. And he’s a guy that leads with integrity and great character. He’s a good person. And I think in this business when you’re a good person, you can go a long way. There’s no a**hole in him. There’s no a**hole in that guy at all.”
Why Kentucky?
It’s Kentucky, That word on your resume, it’s pretty loud in the game of basketball.” he said. “And it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go to Kentucky and learn under Coach Cal.”
The specifics of just how Calipari will use Jai Lucas are still cloudy. But it’s clear that somehow, someway, he will be in the ears of the top high school talent in the country selling them on why UK may be the best option for them.”
It goes without saying that most members of the BBN are getting a bit antsy after the last several years of Kentucky striking out on many of the top 10 players in each class. Jai Lucas will aim to change that.
Aaron Torres wrote a detailed article that is really worth your time. You can read it here.