Recruiting Update: Decisions, Decision – Important dates to remember
By Paul Jordan
After yesterday’s announcement of the presumed departures of the UK players to the NBA, Coach Calipari hit the recruiting trail hard today in search of another top notch class this season. Knowing that there are eight spots to replace and two of those have already been filled with SF Stacey Poole and Turkish C Enes Kanter. assuming Calipari leaves a spot or two open for an available scholarship for the 2011 class, there are still another four or five spots available, depending on the decisions of these players. Calipari hinted on his Facebook that he was visiting North Carolina and Virginia, home to CJ Leslie and Doron Lamb, two really important additions to the class. Let’s see where these players’ decisions stand:
Brandon Knight- April 14: Knight has said that he will decide on National Signing Day, the opening day of the spring signing period, where he will go live on ESPNU. He is considering Kentucky, UConn, Florida (although Donovan pulled himself out of the running), Kansas, and Syracuse, where he is ultimately due for an unofficial visit. He has long been rumored to be a Kentucky lean. He is a natural point guard who can shoot the ball well.
Doron Lamb- April 17: Lamb has said that he will decide on the 17th at the Jordan Brand Classic at New York. It will be broadcasted on ESPN at 8pm. He is considering Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky, West Virginia, and St. Johns, with the last two making a hard push towards the end. He is a combo guard who would prefer to start at any of the aforementioned schools but would rather play point guard. He is a natural shooting guard though.
Josh Selby- April 17: Selby will also decide on the same date at the Jordan Brand Classic. He is considering Kansas, Arizona, UConn, Kentucky, and Tennessee, from which he decommitted during the summer before opening his recruitment up again. He has mentioned wanting to play with Lamb at the same school but also mentioned he wouldn’t have a problem playing alongside Knight. He is a quick point guard who is very athletic as well.
Terrence Jones- April 23 or April 30: Jones will most likely decide sometime soon, but the exact date is presumed to be the 23rd or the 30th of this month. He said recently at the McDonald’s All-American Game that he would like to wait until Oregon hires a new coach, and he will make his decision from there. But both he and CJ Leslie have announced dates today, considering they had been unsure of up to this point. He will make the announcement at his high school. He is considering Oregon and Kentucky, who are the two main schools wanting his services. He also has Washington, UCLA, and Oklahoma. He is a very athletic power forward and would be a great addition for the Cats. He is also a great fit for the DDMO.
CJ Leslie- April 17: Leslie was considered a UK lock by many until recently. With Jones looking strong at UK, it is unknown if they will play together at UK as did Orton and Cousins this past season. He is also another perfect fit for the DDMO, and can rebound strong and score in the paint as well as on the perimeter. He is very quick down the court as well. He is looking at NC State and Florida along with UK. He has mentioned he will visit Florida and UConn within the next couple of weeks, and is looking hard at NC State after Luke Cothron recently decommitted. All three of these schools would give an ample amount of playing time if he went to them, but it is a complete toss-up at this point. He has announced tonight that instead of waiting towards the end of the signing period, he will announce at the Jordan Brand Classic along with Selby and Lamb. Maybe Calipari worked some magic on his visit today?
Marquis Teague- Within 1-2 weeks: After postponing his announcement this weekend yet again, he says he will wait a little bit before deciding. HE was long considered a Louisville lock before Calipari was hired at UK, and now the recruiting situation seems a bit unstable with Pitino after losing Selby and 2010 stud Jeremy Tyler to the pros overseas, and now potentially losing his grip of Teague to UK. The rumors have heated up recently over the past month after Teague has had two visits to UK planned but cancelled. The top ranked PG and No. 2 overall player in the 2011 class is considering Louisville, Kentucky, and Cincinnati.
Michael Gilchrist- Possibly next week: Although nothing official has been posted, rumors are heating up that Gilchrist might make a decision on a school next week. The 2011 stud is leaning towards Kentucky but Villanova has not been ruled out of the race for him yet. Keep your eyes peeled on him next Wednesday.
Keep following www.http://wildcatbluenation.com for the best in Kentucky basketball and football news, rumors, and opinions. By Kentucky fans for Kentucky fans