Kentucky Basketball recruiting: TN16YOYWBOW: Ricardo Ledo
By Paul Jordan
So far on The Next 16 Year Old You Will Become Obsessed With, we have covered the top prospects in the 2012 class and a few in the 2013 class. We have given a broad overview of some of the Top 20 players. If John Calipari is to repeat what he has done for the previous three freshmen classes by recruiting the top players, he will need to get ahold of the players that are in the Top 5 overall. Paul covered the top player in Andre Drummond, and now I will go over Ricardo Ledo, the No. 2 overall player in 2012.
At 6-foot-6, 280 pounds Ledo is a shooting guard with size, and it pays off. He is the top shooting guard in his class and ranked the second highest player overall by Rivals.com. He hails from Providence, RI but plays for South Kent Prep(Conn.)and AAU with Expressions Elite. He is similar to Mike Gilchrist, in that they both have size but can create an outside shot, allowing him to play at the wing as a small forward as well. His ability to create his own shot or play off the dribble is what automatically qualifies him as someone who is ready to play right away in the dribble-drive motion offense, not to mention he’s athletic. His AAU coach, Todd Quarles, recently spoke with Zagsblog concerning his recruitment:
"“I think offensively, he’s the most talented person in the country in his class and as he gets stronger and learns to play with more intensity I just think the sky’s the limit for him.”“He can create his own shot. He has pro size at 6-6. He has length . He has athleticism. As he gets stronger and gets more experience, the sky’s the limit for him.”"
Offensively, he is a threat. That is what makes him the player he is, although some critics say he can improve on defense. The last coach to visit him was Kentucky’s own Orlando Antigua, who visited on Thursday. He is also being looked at by all the elite players, such as: Duke, Louisville, Syracuse, UCLA, and Georgetown. He is without a doubt a talent that UK must get ahold of if they want to continue their success in recruiting, in my opinion. Let’s hope it shows on the court as well.
"ESPN had this to say on Ledo:Strengths:Ledo is a long and athletic scorer that is quick off the bounce with range to the arc off the catch or dribble. He has great body control in the lane where he can finish around multiple defenders. Ledo has feel for the game and displayed nice touch on his passes. Ledo can make a play at end of clock situations and has all the offensive tools to take over a game on the offensive end of the floor when he gets into a scoring groove.Weaknesses:Ledo must add strength and become a better rebounder. At times he will stand on the perimeter and watch the action instead of using his length and athletic ability to help his team on the glass. Defensively he is very capable but instead of maintaining his position he will gamble for steals at times that will put his team at a disadvantage or he will pick up an avoidable foul.Bottom Line:Ledo is a scoring threat from anywhere on the floor and can put up huge numbers quickly when he gets it going. He must be more physical and become a better rebounder which will add to his overall production. Overall Ledo is a point producer and one of the best offensive talents in the class of 2012.NotesTravel Team: Expressions Elite…West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Rhode Island, UMass, Florida, Miami, Florida State, Indiana, Texas and Villanova are involved…"
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