Move to the right so I can see who Calipari is talking to
I have to admit that I am more than a bit amused by all the writers that are coming out and commenting on the sudden rise of Rick Pitino from the ashes, thanks to the commitment from Chane Behanan. All of a sudden, Pitino is all the rage in basketball recruiting and now some pundits are drinking the Pitino kool-aid and making the claim that Louisville’s 2011 class may end up being the best in the land:
"I’m referring, of course, to the commitment of the No. 32 overall player in the class of 2011, Chane Behanan, the fourth four-star prospect in Pitino’s 2011 recruiting haul. The class was already looking loaded; Pitino previously nabbed the No. 33-ranked Wayne Blackshear and No. 73-ranked Zach Price. There could be more good news on the way, too, as some recruiting experts believe the No. 4-ranked player in 2011, forward Quincy Miller, and No. 50-ranked Deuce Bello, are both on the verge to committing to Louisville, too. If both commit, Pitino could make a very legitimate claim on the best recruiting class in 2011. Even if one or neither do, Pitino has already made a major case about the legitimacy of his tenure and coaching going forward. Behanan was the highest-ranked prospect in the state of Kentucky in 2011. He was also recruited by John Calipari at Kentucky. That Pitino landed him instead is just the salve Cardinals fans — many of whom were rightly worried that Calipari was going to make succeeding at Louisville impossible — need."
So yes, recruiting is alive and well at the University of Louisville. Of course, this is a major eye roll for me. I have mentioned before that most of Calipari’s recruiting success is predicated on him taking players that for some reason or other want to get back at John Calipari. Call it the reverse Rajon Rondo effect.
To be fair, I guess Louisville fans can say the same thing about Marquis Teague, but let’s be real. Teague is just one player. Calipari is delivering a whole class to Louisville. We even talked about Calipari resurrecting Pitino at Louisville only about a week ago, which was before everyone else jumped on that train of thought.
But it should be noted that is Calipari had pursued harder, or still had the availability, Chance Behanan, Quincy Miller, and Deuce Bello could have been Wildcats first. Anyone that knows the story of Chane Behanan knows the kid was just living for an offer from Kentucky, and when he got it, he did not act quickly enough as Kyle Wiltjer took his spot. Calipari is the one that stopped recruiting Quincy Miller due to his Brian Clifton connections. Anyone that thinks Miller cut Kentucky did not see Quincy Miller staring down Calipari on Saturday ala Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction. And Duece Bello? Not to dis on the kid, but I don’t think he ever received more than an initial hello from Calipari.
So praise Pitino all you want. Just give credit where credit is due. And let’s do a real recruiting story on Louisville and give most of the credit to Tim Fuller. I love how Fuller (former shoe agent with Nike) is hardly mentioned in most Pitino recruiting stories but if John Calipari would have hired the guy …. yea, all hell would have broken loose.
Regardless, praise Pitino, give him his dues. Just remember that that 2011 class will make their one and only game versus Kentucky will be in Rupp Arena. This will be settled on the court.
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