We all know that the Kentucky Wildcat’s John Calipari is the honey badger of college basketball recruiting. But once he gets his recruits on campus, how do they stack up against other players that “could have been Wildcats”? John Calipari signed three players in the 2011 class that were the number one ranked players at their positions by Rivals. Those players were Marquis Teague (PG), Michael Kidd- Gilchrist (SF) and Anthony Davis (PF).
Through 10 games, how are those three players stacking up against the other Rivals players that were ranked 2-5 at those positions? Since it’s the Christmas season, let’s consider this a “Scrooge”-like look at how the top players are faring now that they are in college.
#1 MARQUIS TEAGUE
10.8 PPG
4.6 APG
1.70 A/TO
1.7 STEALS
2.2 RPG
SHOOTING %: 44.8
#2 JOSIAH TURNER, ARIZONA
7.0 PPG
1.6 APG
0.76 A/TO
.9 STEALS
3.1 RPG
SHOOTING %: 38.6
#3 TONY WROTEN, WASHINGTON
15.7 PPG
3.0 APG
0.68 A/TO
1.8 STEALS
4.8 RPG
SHOOTING % 49.5
#4 BJ YOUNG, ARKANSAS
16.5 PPG
2.4 APG
1.18 A/TO
.9 STEALS
3.8 RPG
SHOOTING % 51.0
#5 MYCK KABONGA, TEXAS
10.8 PPG
6.0 APG
2.00 A/TO
1.5 STEALS
3.8 RPG
SHOOTING % 44.4
I don’t know about you, but for me the true measure of an effective PG is the assist and A/TO numbers and Teague holds his own with Kabonga in those numbers. Kabonga has slightly better numbers, but Teague is closely closing the gap. In Teague’s last five games, he has an A/TO ratio of 4.29, which is an amazing ratio. Teague and Kabonga are not the scorer Wroten and Young are, but he does a lot better job protecting the ball and dishing the assists. Teague and Kabonga have almost identical scoring and shooting numbers and I have to rank them as number one and two of these five so far, with Kabonga having a very slight edge. If Teague continues at this pace and picks up the scoring a bit, he will close the gap.
#1 MICHAEL KIDD-GILCHRIST
13.2 PPG
7.4 RPG
1.8 APG
1.2 BPG
1.6 SPG
SHOOTING %: 52.3
#2 LeBRYAN NASH, OKLAHOMA STATE
12.7 PPG
5.2 RPG
0.6 APG
0.7 BPG
0.3 SPG
SHOOTING % 37.4
#3 DEANDRE DANIELS, UCONN
5.7 PPG
3.6 RPG
0.9 APG
1.0 BPG
0.7 SPG
SHOOTING % 39.5
#4 PJ HAIRSTON, NORTH CAROLINA
7.6 PPG
1.5 RPG
0.7 APG
0.2 BPG
0.1 SPG
SHOOTING % 41.2
#5 RODNEY HOOD, MISSISSIPPI STATE
12.5 PPG
5.2 RPG
2.0 APG
0.5 BPG
0.6 SPG
SHOOTING %: 54.9
As they say in baseball, Kidd-Gilchrist is a five tool player. He does everything and does it well. Only Hood comes close in matching him in overall numbers across the board, but this is a somewhat incomplete look. Daniels only plays around 20 minutes a game and Hairston even less. But when you look at all the numbers, Kidd-Gilchrist retains his status as the top overall SF.
#1 ANTHONY DAVIS
11.8 PPG
10.0 RPG
4.2 BPG
1.5 SPG
SHOOTING %: 67.2
#2 QUINCY MILLER, BAYLOR
12.3 PPG
5.6 RPG
0.9 BPG
0.6 SPG
SHOOTING %: 45
#3 JAMES McADOO, NORTH CAROLINA
5.4 PPG
3.6 RPG
0.3 BPG
1.0 SPG
SHOOTING %: 44.9%
#4 KHEM BIRCH, PITTSBURGH
4.4 PPG
5.0 RPG
1.9 BPG
0.2 SPG
SHOOTING %: 57.1
#5 CODY ZELLER, INDIANA
15.6 PPG
7.5 RPG
1.6 BPG
2.3 SPG
SHOOTING %: 64.4
Overall, you have to give the edge to Davis, although Cody Zeller makes a very strong case. Zeller does score more, but Davis has a higher shooting percentage and Davis’s rebounding and block numbers give him the overall edge. I would actually rate Khem Birch as the third best here. He only played about 15 minutes a game, like McAdoo. But when you double Birch’s numbers, he is very competitive with Zeller. As of now, Birch is going to transfer from Pitt, although there is buzz he may rescind that decision. Miller is solid, but he has a low shooting percentage.
All in all, Kentucky’s three top recruits have done nothing to give up their claim as the top player at their position. And that credit goes to Calipari. There are some coaches like Josh Pastner who recruit very well, but as of yet, has not been able to get the on field effort to match the preseason hype. And that is what sets Calipari apart from the other recruiting coaches. His teams actually improve drastically over the course of the season as the players mature.