WBN Kentucky Wildcat Basketball Roundtable: 2011 Recruiting Class Roundup

We already know that John Calipari’s 2011 recruiting class is a tremendous success with all four signed recruits recently named McDonald’s High School All Americans.  And with about two and a half months until National Signing Day, Kentucky already has the number one recruiting class for the third straight year.  Yet there is speculation that it can get better.

Trevor Lacey, one of the top targets remaining in the 2011 class, recently visited Lexington and then announced he had made his college decision and he would announce his choice on National Signing Day.  DeAndre Daniels, who has had several flirtations with Kentucky the past year and a half, is still a possibility.  With that in mind, we are taking this weeks edition of the WBN Basketball Roundtable out on the recruiting trail.

"I know there is a lot of Trevor Lacey talk right now, but which player do you think we need to add to the 2011 class?  It appears that there  are five options right now:  Trevor Lacey, DeAndre Daniels, Stan Simpson, God’s Gift Achiuawa and Braeden Anderson.  Which player do you think fills the greatest need for the 2011 class and can fill any void should we lose players to the NBA?  Greg Edwards, Wildcat Blue Nation:  The recruiting answer to me is simple and yet it is not. I want big men. And I want a lot of them. I want 3 of the 7′ variety. Kentucky has always been better off when they had a big man down low who could control the paint. I love Cal and his point guards, shooting guards, and his DDMO, so no one take this as a call for change. But I want as many big men as we have scholarships available. And I want them with fast hands, and quick feet, and an eye for grabbing the ball. We need talented, aggressive and smart inside players, which we do not have right now. I no longer care about names and rankings. I just want to see results. I want to keep the flow of other players coming, but we need a back-to-the-basket big man who can run the floor. One that takes nothing off of no one. I don’t care what his name is. Kent Spencer, WTVQ  Channel 36:  I think Trevor Lacey is the guy that would go with the 2011 class the best.  I think somebody who can shoot like Lacey would be the perfect compliment for guys like Teague, Gilchrist, and Davis.  You have three guys who can get to the rim and they’ll need someone to kick it out to when they need to dish.  My other choice is DeAndre Daniels, because I’ve been told he’s the most talented player left in the class.  You can’t have enough talent.  Jonathan North, Wildcat Blue Nation:  Okay let’s face it the popular pick is going to be one of the big men that is left in this class because Anthony Davis isn’t going to be the type of big that all of us wanted in Kanter this year. The popular gut feeling is to go with a solid big man in the middle but I don’t agree with that, I say take Trevor Lacey or God’s Gift and I’ll argue in the case of Lacey.  In Cal’s offense there isn’t any traditional positions in the true dribble drive offense so I think you take players that are the best instead of letting Lacey go and picking up a 2-3 star big man you go with Lacey who is absolutely lighting it up this year. No use in gambling on projects and prospects you go with the BEST and then work it all out from there.Brian Eldridge,  HSKentuckyScout:  I think Kentucky needs to continue to add outside threats to the offense, especially with the dribble drive offense consistently kicking the ball out to open players.  Trevor Lacey is a good fit there as he really good shooter.  He clearly needs to work on his handle.  In the end – Lacey is a good fit because he provides backcourt depth and he’ll be a contributor from day one.  I find it difficult who to pick between Stan Simpson and Braeden Anderson. I’m high on Anderson for a couple of reasons.  He’s very athletic and very physical.  He’s also going to be a four year player.  That is what draws me to him more than Simpson who’s a JUCO prospect.  Anderson could play both the four and some five if necessary.  Calipari just needs him to be able to rebound the ball, play physical defense and score the garbage buckets early in his career.Paul Jordan, Wildcat Blue Nation:  I have to admit, I am kind of torn.  We kind of need another big to give us some depth as we are looking at Davis, Wilter, and Vargas if Terrence Jones goes pro.  In that case, Daniels would fill the biggest need.  On the other hand, you can never have too many shooters.  And Lacey is looking to be another Doron Lamb type of scorer.  If we get Lacey, I think Lamb will back up Teague more at point, while Lacey will share minutes with Knight at the two.  If Gilchrist starts at SF, Liggins can play the one or the two and Miller can back up Gilchrist and even play the four with his size. As we saw yesterday, he may give up a few inches as he did with Tyus, but his speed at the four can present problems. But you have to wonder if we would have too many guards with Hood, Poole, and Beckham on the roster.  So short answer, Daniels will fill the biggest need, while Lacey would a tremendous luxury to have.  If we get neither, I would say God’s Gift as he would be a solid four year player with a big upside.  Keep following www.http://wildcatbluenation.com for the best in Kentucky basketball and football news, rumors, and opinions. By Kentucky fans for Kentucky fansPublished on 02/27/2011 at 5:00 AM EDTLast updated on 10/21/2016 at 7:18 PM EDT I know there is a lot of Trevor Lacey talk right now, but which player do you think we need to add to the 2011 class?  It appears that there  are five options right now:  Trevor Lacey, DeAndre Daniels, Stan Simpson, God’s Gift Achiuawa and Braeden Anderson.  Which player do you think fills the greatest need for the 2011 class and can fill any void should we lose players to the NBA?  Greg Edwards, Wildcat Blue Nation:  The recruiting answer to me is simple and yet it is not. I want big men. And I want a lot of them. I want 3 of the 7′ variety. Kentucky has always been better off when they had a big man down low who could control the paint. I love Cal and his point guards, shooting guards, and his DDMO, so no one take this as a call for change. But I want as many big men as we have scholarships available. And I want them with fast hands, and quick feet, and an eye for grabbing the ball. We need talented, aggressive and smart inside players, which we do not have right now. I no longer care about names and rankings. I just want to see results. I want to keep the flow of other players coming, but we need a back-to-the-basket big man who can run the floor. One that takes nothing off of no one. I don’t care what his name is. Kent Spencer, WTVQ  Channel 36:  I think Trevor Lacey is the guy that would go with the 2011 class the best.  I think somebody who can shoot like Lacey would be the perfect compliment for guys like Teague, Gilchrist, and Davis.  You have three guys who can get to the rim and they’ll need someone to kick it out to when they need to dish.  My other choice is DeAndre Daniels, because I’ve been told he’s the most talented player left in the class.  You can’t have enough talent.  Jonathan North, Wildcat Blue Nation:  Okay let’s face it the popular pick is going to be one of the big men that is left in this class because Anthony Davis isn’t going to be the type of big that all of us wanted in Kanter this year. The popular gut feeling is to go with a solid big man in the middle but I don’t agree with that, I say take Trevor Lacey or God’s Gift and I’ll argue in the case of Lacey.  In Cal’s offense there isn’t any traditional positions in the true dribble drive offense so I think you take players that are the best instead of letting Lacey go and picking up a 2-3 star big man you go with Lacey who is absolutely lighting it up this year. No use in gambling on projects and prospects you go with the BEST and then work it all out from there.Brian Eldridge,  HSKentuckyScout:  I think Kentucky needs to continue to add outside threats to the offense, especially with the dribble drive offense consistently kicking the ball out to open players.  Trevor Lacey is a good fit there as he really good shooter.  He clearly needs to work on his handle.  In the end – Lacey is a good fit because he provides backcourt depth and he’ll be a contributor from day one.  I find it difficult who to pick between Stan Simpson and Braeden Anderson. I’m high on Anderson for a couple of reasons.  He’s very athletic and very physical.  He’s also going to be a four year player.  That is what draws me to him more than Simpson who’s a JUCO prospect.  Anderson could play both the four and some five if necessary.  Calipari just needs him to be able to rebound the ball, play physical defense and score the garbage buckets early in his career.Paul Jordan, Wildcat Blue Nation:  I have to admit, I am kind of torn.  We kind of need another big to give us some depth as we are looking at Davis, Wilter, and Vargas if Terrence Jones goes pro.  In that case, Daniels would fill the biggest need.  On the other hand, you can never have too many shooters.  And Lacey is looking to be another Doron Lamb type of scorer.  If we get Lacey, I think Lamb will back up Teague more at point, while Lacey will share minutes with Knight at the two.  If Gilchrist starts at SF, Liggins can play the one or the two and Miller can back up Gilchrist and even play the four with his size. As we saw yesterday, he may give up a few inches as he did with Tyus, but his speed at the four can present problems. But you have to wonder if we would have too many guards with Hood, Poole, and Beckham on the roster.  So short answer, Daniels will fill the biggest need, while Lacey would a tremendous luxury to have.  If we get neither, I would say God’s Gift as he would be a solid four year player with a big upside.  Keep following www.http://wildcatbluenation.com for the best in Kentucky basketball and football news, rumors, and opinions. By Kentucky fans for Kentucky fansPublished on 02/27/2011 at 5:00 AM EDTLast updated on 10/21/2016 at 7:18 PM EDT I know there is a lot of Trevor Lacey talk right now, but which player do you think we need to add to the 2011 class?  It appears that there  are five options right now:  Trevor Lacey, DeAndre Daniels, Stan Simpson, God’s Gift Achiuawa and Braeden Anderson.  Which player do you think fills the greatest need for the 2011 class and can fill any void should we lose players to the NBA?  Greg Edwards, Wildcat Blue Nation:  The recruiting answer to me is simple and yet it is not. I want big men. And I want a lot of them. I want 3 of the 7′ variety. Kentucky has always been better off when they had a big man down low who could control the paint. I love Cal and his point guards, shooting guards, and his DDMO, so no one take this as a call for change. But I want as many big men as we have scholarships available. And I want them with fast hands, and quick feet, and an eye for grabbing the ball. We need talented, aggressive and smart inside players, which we do not have right now. I no longer care about names and rankings. I just want to see results. I want to keep the flow of other players coming, but we need a back-to-the-basket big man who can run the floor. One that takes nothing off of no one. I don’t care what his name is. Kent Spencer, WTVQ  Channel 36:  I think Trevor Lacey is the guy that would go with the 2011 class the best.  I think somebody who can shoot like Lacey would be the perfect compliment for guys like Teague, Gilchrist, and Davis.  You have three guys who can get to the rim and they’ll need someone to kick it out to when they need to dish.  My other choice is DeAndre Daniels, because I’ve been told he’s the most talented player left in the class.  You can’t have enough talent.  Jonathan North, Wildcat Blue Nation:  Okay let’s face it the popular pick is going to be one of the big men that is left in this class because Anthony Davis isn’t going to be the type of big that all of us wanted in Kanter this year. The popular gut feeling is to go with a solid big man in the middle but I don’t agree with that, I say take Trevor Lacey or God’s Gift and I’ll argue in the case of Lacey.  In Cal’s offense there isn’t any traditional positions in the true dribble drive offense so I think you take players that are the best instead of letting Lacey go and picking up a 2-3 star big man you go with Lacey who is absolutely lighting it up this year. No use in gambling on projects and prospects you go with the BEST and then work it all out from there.Brian Eldridge,  HSKentuckyScout:  I think Kentucky needs to continue to add outside threats to the offense, especially with the dribble drive offense consistently kicking the ball out to open players.  Trevor Lacey is a good fit there as he really good shooter.  He clearly needs to work on his handle.  In the end – Lacey is a good fit because he provides backcourt depth and he’ll be a contributor from day one.  I find it difficult who to pick between Stan Simpson and Braeden Anderson. I’m high on Anderson for a couple of reasons.  He’s very athletic and very physical.  He’s also going to be a four year player.  That is what draws me to him more than Simpson who’s a JUCO prospect.  Anderson could play both the four and some five if necessary.  Calipari just needs him to be able to rebound the ball, play physical defense and score the garbage buckets early in his career.Paul Jordan, Wildcat Blue Nation:  I have to admit, I am kind of torn.  We kind of need another big to give us some depth as we are looking at Davis, Wilter, and Vargas if Terrence Jones goes pro.  In that case, Daniels would fill the biggest need.  On the other hand, you can never have too many shooters.  And Lacey is looking to be another Doron Lamb type of scorer.  If we get Lacey, I think Lamb will back up Teague more at point, while Lacey will share minutes with Knight at the two.  If Gilchrist starts at SF, Liggins can play the one or the two and Miller can back up Gilchrist and even play the four with his size. As we saw yesterday, he may give up a few inches as he did with Tyus, but his speed at the four can present problems. But you have to wonder if we would have too many guards with Hood, Poole, and Beckham on the roster.  So short answer, Daniels will fill the biggest need, while Lacey would a tremendous luxury to have.  If we get neither, I would say God’s Gift as he would be a solid four year player with a big upside.  Keep following www.http://wildcatbluenation.com for the best in Kentucky basketball and football news, rumors, and opinions. By Kentucky fans for Kentucky fansPublished on 02/27/2011 at 5:00 AM EDTLast updated on 10/21/2016 at 7:18 PM EDT I know there is a lot of Trevor Lacey talk right now, but which player do you think we need to add to the 2011 class?  It appears that there  are five options right now:  Trevor Lacey, DeAndre Daniels, Stan Simpson, God’s Gift Achiuawa and Braeden Anderson.  Which player do you think fills the greatest need for the 2011 class and can fill any void should we lose players to the NBA?"