Kentucky Basketball Recruiting: With Karl Towns On Board; Who Else Could Join?
By Joshua Kays
Nov 23, 2012; Lexington , KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari watches his team during the game against the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds at Rupp Arena. Kentucky defeated LIU Brooklyn 104-75. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Kentucky Wildcat fans got great news early yesterday, as Karl Towns committed to the University of Kentucky. Towns who is 7 feet tall without shoes on was the number one player in the class of 2015. Before committing to Kentucky he announced that he would be reclassify to 2014. ESPN slotted Towns as the number 3 recruit in the nation in 2014. Many experts believe that the relationship John Calipari and Towns formed over the summer was the edge for Kentucky to land another top 5 player.
Now with Karl Towns already committed, who else is Kentucky and John Calipari looking at to go along with towns? One thing about Calipari is that he doesn’t offer a lot of kids, so it’s easy to figure out who he really wants. Here are the top 4 recruits I think John Calipari would want to go along with Towns in the class of 2014.
1. Tyus Jones– Tyus is the Number 1 player in the class of 2014 according to ESPN. He is a 6-1 point guard out of Apple Valley High School(MN). Tyus is the point guard who can drop 40 on you in any game; however he is shorter than most Calipari point guards, but in the last two years Calipari has had Marquis Teague and Ryan Harrow who are both listed under 6-2. I slot him at number one on Kentucky’s radar because of the Towns announcement. Kentucky has offered Jones as well as Baylor, Ohio State, Duke, Kansas, Michigan State, Minnesota, and North Carolina.
2. Jahlil Okafor- Jahlil is ranked number 2 in the ESPN top 150, only behind Jones. I have saw some experts believe that he deserves the number one spot, but as of now ESPN still has him at 2. He is a 6-9 forward out of Whitney Young High School(IL), he and Town down low could cause a lot of problems for oppenets. I have heard scouts rave about his overall talent as a basketball player, but they are extremely high on his footwork. They say he moves like a guard, but with a much bigger body frame. I had one recruting guru tell me that he is a Blake Griffin type of player. Kentucky, Depaul, Arizona, Missouri, Duke, UNC, Wisconsin, UCONN, Arkansas, and Gtown have all offered.
3. Cliff Alexander– Cliff is ranked number 8 according to ESPN. I watched Cliff play at the Marshall County Hoopfest this past weekend and he is an absolute beast. His Curie(IL) team isn’t very good, but with him they could beat a lot of high school teams. He is listed at 6-9 and weighs 240 pounds. He shot 12-14 from the feild aganist Oak Hill on Friday night. Reason for the high percentage is because he just over powered defenders and put them in the basket. I love this kids ability and for the Kentucky fans, he kind of reminds me a lot of Terrence Jones. I actually had a big time scout tell me that he is a “LOCK” for Kentucky. Of course you know how things change with these kids and they could change their minds at anytime, but he seemed pretty confident in telling me that. Kentucky, and Michigan State are the two schools most involved in his recruitment.
4. Trey Lyles- Trey is ranked number 5 according to ESPN, he was once a Indiana commit, but has since de-committed from there and opened back up recruitment. Kentucky has become a major player for Lyles services. He plays for Arsenal Technical High School(IN), so you can see why IU fans didn’t take it lightly when he backed off his verbal from IU. Offensively he has advanced post moves, and he likes to face the basket. He has a good jump shot from about 19 feet in, but if you come to close he can blow by you and take it to the basket. He is 6-8, so being able to put the ball on the floor makes him an even better prospect. Kentucky, and Indiana are the only ones who have offered Lyles at this point. North Carolina, Ohio State, and Purdue are interested as well.
A couple names to watch that may pop up on Kentucky’s radar…………..
Emmanuel Mudiay- (#4 on ESPN top 150, #2 ranked PG, doesnt have UK offer yet)
Rashad Vaughn-(#10 on ESPN top 150, #1 ranked SG, UK has offered)
Joel Berry-(#12 on ESPN top 150, #3 ranked PG, doesn’t have UK offer)
Stanley Johnson-(#22 on ESPN top 150, #7 ranked PF, UK has offered)