Today marks the first unofficial day of the recruiting season, if you choose to call it that. It is where many high school players, signed and unsigned alike, put on some showcase performances before they enter college, and those that are entering their senior year also try to get signed during their AAU season. But tonight’s event is probably one of, if not the biggest event: The McDonald’s All-American Game. This game is probably the biggest one in recent years for UK fans, since it has been since 2004 since we have had any UK players in the game. DeMarcus Cousins was the only UK player in last year’s game but he was unsigned at the time. Let’s take a look at the rosters for this year:
East
C.J. Leslie – Undecided
Reggie Bullock – North Carolina
Tobias Harris – Tennessee
Kyrie Irving – Duke
Perry Jones – Baylor
Kendall Marshall – North Carolina
Joe Jackson – Memphis
Jelan Kendrick – Memphis
JayVaughn Pinkston – Villanova
Josh Selby – Undecided
Jared Sullinger – Ohio State
DeShaun Thomas – Ohio State
West
Terrence Jones – Undecided
Harrison Barnes – North Carolina
Fab Melo – Syracuse
Doron Lamb – Undecided
Ray McCallum – Undecided
Keith Appling – Michigan State
Brandon Knight – Undecided
Josh Smith – UCLA
Jereme Richmond – Illinois
Patrick Young – Florida
Tristan Thompson – Texas
Corey Joseph – Undecided
Most of these kids were at one time considering Kentucky or Kentucky had been looking at them before they signed on with other schools. This year’s game has at least 5 players considering Kentucky. CJ Leslie and Josh Selby are the only two players in the East.
Leslie has long been rumored to be a Kentucky commit. He has a close relationship with UK PG John Wall as they were high school teammates. Although he has held off signing with any school, it seems to be hurting UK at the moment that he is still considering a few schools and visits there, such as NC State and Florida. Even though he is not being considered at Florida as much as UK and NC State, the time is dwindling down for him to commit. He would be a great player at the 3 or the 4 spot alike. He is a very versatile player at 6-foot-7 and would be a starting player most likely considering Cousins and Patterson are considering going pro.
Josh Selby is the other player that is looking at UK but things are very hazy at the moment. Since decommiting from Tennessee over the summer, he has been looking at UK along with Kansas and has said that, “Kansas is like another home to me.” He is looking to be visiting UK next month and will make a decision at the Jordan Brand Classic on April 17th. It is not known if he would play together with Brandon Knight if he were to come to UK, and it is not completely clear if Eric Bledsoe will go pro at the moment, so it is a wait-and-see situation with Selby. He is a quick point guard, not like John Wall, but he can find a way to get to the basket. He has also mentioned he would like to play with fellow uncommitted All-American Doron Lamb.
In the West, we have: Doron Lamb, Brandon Knight, and Terrence Jones. Lamb is a shooting guard although he stated that he’ll like to play the point in college. This might be a problem for UK, as things have been relatively quiet for Lamb on the UK front. He can score at will and is an extremely good shooter, something that UK needs at the moment. Although it was mentioned last night and denied by his father, Lamb has crossed Arizona off his list. Coach Sean Miller had long been in the running for Lamb, so it came off as a surprise to many. Kansas and UConn have also been high on the list, and West Virginia is making a late push. It is not known at all where Lamb will end up. He will also decided at the Jordan Brand Classic in New York on April 17th.
Brandon Knight is the highest-rated player in the country by many who do not have have UNC’s Harrison Barnes at that position. He is a point guard who can shoot from wherever on the floor and can attack the lane. He also has good dribble penetration, making him a good fit for the dribble-drive motion offense. He is a local product, for Billy Donovan that is, until he got away from him. Donovan took himself out of the running for Knight, whom he had long been pursuing. Since Knight lives in my area, I took time to sit down and get his thoughts, and there is not a doubt in my mind that he is all but a Kentucky Wildcat in 2010-11. And after the little slip-of-the-tongue in an interview with WKYT where he refers to Kentucky as “we”, you have to think he is following John Wall’s footsteps and coming to Kentucky.
Terrence Jones is the last of the recruits as he would be a great get for UK. At 6-foot-8, he is another athletic forward such as Leslie that would fit in Calipari’s DDMO system perfectly. He would make a huge impact in the post since Patterson and Cousins will most likely not return. Jones lives in Oregon, so many schools on the West Coast such as UCLA, Washington, and his home state school Oregon have long been looking at him. WHat could hurt Oregon at this point is that they are out looking for a new coach, and Ernie Kent is no longer there to recruit Jones. Even though he said this has no barring on which school he chooses, it might in the future depending on who they hire.
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