Kentucky Wildcats, Florida Gators top SEC Basketball recruiting classes
By Paul Jordan
Eventually another SEC basketball team will step up and challenge the Kentucky Wildcats and Florida Gators for control of the SEC. Maybe it will be Bruce Pearl down at Auburn. But for now, SEC Basketball is all about Kentucky and Florida so it comes as no big shock that the Cats and Gators are atop the recruiting rankings for the just concluded 2014 period. Here is what ESPN said about the Wildcat’s final class.
"Kentucky Wildcats The No. 2 overall recruiting class in the country has four five-star performers. Front-line scoring is at the forefront of this tremendous class, led by PF Trey Lyles and C Karl Towns Jr. Both have great size and skill and can score inside and out. SG Devin Booker is one of the top shooters in the 2014 class and will stretch the defense to its breaking point. Pass-first PG Tyler Ulis pushes the ball at high speeds, can execute the half-court offense and make open shots as needed to give the Wildcats a class that can put points on the board very quickly and in a variety of ways"
Auburn did finish at number twelve in the SEC, but that does not take account the recent additions by Bruce Pearl. Yesterday, former Kentucky commit KC Ross-Miller joined the Tigers and Pearl has also landed JUCO PF Cinmeon Bowers. Don’t scoff. If anyone can turn Auburn basketball around, it’s Pearl.
Speaking of that 2014 class, I really can’t tell you which player is going to have the greatest impact. You would think Karl Town Jr or Trey Lyles, but that front court is going to be crowded. Devin Booker will probably get immediate playing time, but do not sleep on Tyler Ulis. Check out the latest mixtape of Ulis’s highlights from the last season and prepare to be amazed.
Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Looking at recruiting for 2015, one name is starting to emerge. Jaylen Brown has a Kentucky offer and he has emerged as the best SF in the 2015 class. He also looks to end his recruitment this summer.
1. Jaylen Brown is the best small forward in the 2015 class: Georgia native Jaylen Brown is already a five-star prospect and the No. 11 player in the 2015 class according to Rivals but there had been rumblings during the high school season that other wings like Las Vegas native Ray Smith, Philadelphia native Derrick Jones and North Carolina native Brandon Ingram had emerged enough to make it a debate. While I haven’t seen Jones in-person since last summer, I’d be hard-pressed to say any player is better at small forward than the 6-foot-7 Brown. With his power drive game from the wing and an emerging perimeter jumper, Brown is going to draw some comparisons to Arizona commit and McDonald’s All-American Stanley Johnson, but he’s his own player. After the 48-point explosion Friday night and another impressive stretch on Saturday, Brown cemented his status as the current top small forward in the 2015 class