Nerlens Noel, now a former Kentucky Wildcat, is the best player in the NBA Draft

February 12, 2013; Gainesville, FL, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Nerlens Noel (3) against the Florida Gators during the first half at the Stephen C. O

I admit that it was no surprise at all when Nerlens Noel announced his intent for the NBA Draft. In this “one and done” era, it was pretty much a foregone conclusion from the day he announced with UK. To be honest, I harbor no ill will to ward any player that departs for the NBA Draft early and of any player in recent years, Nerlens Noel exemplifies what a Wildcat is. I will miss him, but when you are the best player in the draft, it’s time to go:

"Where does Noel wind up? Well, it could well be No. 1, injury and all. We caught up with an NBA scouting director to discuss Noel’s future. On whether Noel should still be considered the No. 1 pick: “He is the best player in the draft. I think that was obvious over the course of the year, he is the guy who is going to have the most impact in the NBA. He can be a monster on the defensive end. He is athletic and he has the instincts and a huge wingspan. He gets the blocked shots, and he is very good at that, but I like the way he plays his man, too, he is not just a help guy who swats shots away. He can play straight up, too. There is no other player who has a known NBA-level skill like that in this draft.” On the impact of the knee injury: “I don’t think it is going to scare away whoever gets the No. 1 pick. It is going to slow down his development early on but so what? He is 19. Bigs take time anyway. Anthony Davis and Andre Drummond missed big chunks of this season because they were hurt. Do you think the Hornets or the Pistons regret picking them? Of course not. Blake Griffin missed his whole rookie year because of his knee. You have to make sure that there is nothing chronic going on, that he will heal just fine. But once you do that, yeah, you pick him.”"

With Noel’s decision public, the roster situation for 2013-14 is a bit more clear. As of now, here is a look at the scholarship situation:

RETURNING PLAYERS
WILLIE CAULEY-STEIN
KYLE WILTJER
ALEX POYTHRESS

NEW PLAYERS (w/ Rivals’s FINAL player ranking)
#2 JULIUS RANDLE
#5 ANDREW HARRISON
#7 AARON HARRISON
#9 DAKARI JOHNSON
#11 JAMES YOUNG
#19 MARCUS LEE
#115 DEREK WILLIS
DOMINIQUE HAWKINS

STILL RECRUITING
#1 ANDREW WIGGINS

UP IN THE AIR
JON HOOD (has said he will return)
JARROD POLSON

So for now, it appears to be all about Andrew Wiggins. Currently Kentucky has 11 of the 13 scholarships spoken for and Jon Hood has said he will return, although there is no official word. If Wiggins goes to FSU, there would be scholarships available for both Hood and Polson, assuming that they return as grad players. Either way, this whole thing should be sorted out soon.

As I said before, it is all down to Andrew Wiggins now and as of now, Wiggins has not publicly tipped his hand at his decision. This week, Wiggins is in Portland preparing for the Nike Hoops Summit game. Once again, there will be a big UK commit presence at the game and guess who Wiggins is rooming with? 2014 UK commit Karl Towns Jr. Wiggins can’t turn a corner without running into a Kentucky commit, so if he does not become a Wildcat, it is not because of a lack of Wildcats trying to get him to Lexington.

Could a friendly game of “Call of Duty” and bonding with Towns bring Wiggins into the fold? Karl Towns Jr posted this pic of Wiggins on his Twitter: