Dec 03, 2011; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari and North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams (right) shake hands before the game at Rupp Arena. Kentucky defeated North Carolina 73-72. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-US PRESSWIRE
On Monday, Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari made an in home visit to the number one recruit in the nation for the class of 2013, Julius Randle. During that in home visit, John Calipari was sporting his 2012 National Championship ring, just showing off a bit to catch the eye of Randle and his mother. And take notice is exactly what Randle and his mother did, commenting on how nice the National Championship ring looked with all the diamonds and the fact that it was just won last year. However, this is where North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams comes into the picture. Williams, hearing about the fantastic impression that Coach Cal had made on Randle and his mother, decided to one up Coach Cal by bringing in a case containing 30 rings that Williams had accumulated over the years as a coach. Randle had this to say about the recruiting one up from Williams:
"More like 30-1 up."
The effect that the one National Championship ring had on Randle in front of Coach Cal was amplified with the case of 30 rings sitting in the hands of Roy Williams.
"When coach Williams opened the case you almost couldn’t look directly in it for fear of going blind. It was crazy."
Randle’s mother, Carolyn Kyles, was also impressed with Williams’ array of bling.
"Yeah, coach Williams was ready for coach Cal with those rings. He got him there."
And once this reaction was clear from the Randle and his mother, Roy Williams had one more recruiting pitch up his sleeve, or should I say in his pocket. Williams then pulled out Michael Jordan’s NBA Championship ring from his time with the Chicago Bulls. Randle’s mother was right, Williams did one up Coach Cal and every other coach in the nation with that one. The Finals ring of the best basketball player to ever play the game. Randle was just as shocked as anybody that Williams pulled out that ring.
"He said Jordan gave it to him to show his players what they could achieve with hard work and determination. I was just shocked. I couldn’t believe I was holding Jordan’s ring."
When Jason Jordan of USA Today asked Randle if seeing the Jordan ring was a bigger deal than seeing Coach Cal’s National Championship ring, Randle responded with a quick double take and said,
"Come on now. It’s Jordan. No comparison."
That sounds like a pretty solid in home visit for Tar Heel coach Roy Williams, especially after Kentucky fans were completely and utterly satisfied with the way Coach Cal’s in home visit went the day before. In the end, this first in home visit could mean nothing to the final decision being made by Julius Randle, but then again, it could mean everything in the final decision. All in all, I wouldn’t say that it was an unsuccessful recruiting trip for Coach Cal and the Wildcats, and it pains me to say this, but I think that Roy Williams may have won this small battle. The real question remains, who will win the war?
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