John Calipari has always been known for his great point guards going back to Dejuan Wagner in his earlier Memphis days. I can only think of one season that Coach Cal hasn’t had a great point guard, and that was this past season in which we went to the NIT, because of no point guard leadership.
Next season Kentucky will not have to worry about not having a leader at the point guard position because Andrew Harrison is just that. I have watched the twins play multiple times, and they are killers on the court. I have never seen a top 5 recruit compete like the twins do, and thats what makes me more excited than anything. So the 2013-2014 season will have great guards wearing blue and white, but what about the season after the twins most likely head to the pros.
I love the 2014 class, and the reason being is because of the guards that are in this class. Two point guards are in the top 3 of every major recruiting system, and both have Kentucky offers. Emmanuel Mudiay is a physical point guard who doesn’t score a lot but gives you the John Wall type numbers. What I mean by that is Mudiay’s stat line will be filled in every column before the game is over with. Mudiay does a lot of everything, and is a vocal leader on and off the court. Call me crazy, but I saw him play in West Virginia earlier this year, and I had flashbacks of John Wall. Mudiay is so quick with the ball, but makes smart plays while going full speed. The only thing Wall struggled with in college was a consistent jump shot, and Mudiay already has a better jump shot than Wall. I am a huge Emmanuel Mudiay fan, and would love to see him wearing a Kentucky jersey next season.
Tyus Jones is the other point guard with a Kentucky offer, and he is the scoring point guard of the class. Depending on what recruiting service you look at Jones and Mudiay are 1-2. Calipari has offered both of these guys like I said earlier, but I can’t compare Tyus Jones to any point guard he has had except for maybe Darius Washington. Jones is an amazing scorer at the point position, but always looks to get his teammates involved. I saw Jones earlier this season as well, and he was quiet for about 3 quarters of the game scoring only 3 points, but ended the game with 21. Jones can take over the game at anytime he wants no matter who he is playing. The only negative I see with Jones is his size at the point position in college. They list him at 6-1, but I would say he is more of a 6 foot guard.
Both of these guys will be great players in college, but I see Mudiay as the point guard Calipari would most likely want out of the two. Mudiay fits Cal’s dribble drive system more than Jones, and Cal always likes to have big guards which Mudiay gives him. I would say Kentucky as of now leads for Mudiay.
Rashad Vaughn is rumored to have an offer from Kentucky as well, but I can’t confirm that as of now. If it is true I will give a little background on Vaughn as well.
I know everybody that is a Kentucky fan loves to see where people think these stars will end up so I will give you my SUPER EARLY prediction for all 3(including Vaughn).
Tyus Jones- Duke
Emmanuel Mudiay- Kentucky
Rashad Vaughn- UNC