John Calipari and his staff are piling up the frequent flyer miles this week as they are engaging in visits with several top targets for 2015. BBM is about a month away and the recruiting pitches are coming fast and furious. At this point, Cal probably has some pretty sweet airline miles piling up. Cal is currently in Chicago, but here is a recap of his day yesterday.
"Calipari flew from Florida to Fort Wayne, Ind., on Thursday morning to meet with 6-foot-8 power forward Caleb Swanigan. He was joined at that visit by UK assistants Kenny Payne and Barry Rohrssen. Rohrssen developed a strong relationship with Swanigan while he was an assistant coach at Pittsburgh last season and stayed in contact with the top-10 prospect after he took a job on the UK staff. Calipari and Payne then flew to Kinston, N.C., to meet with small forward Brandon Ingram, one of the breakout stars of the summer circuit and a consensus top-25 player. Ingram later tweeted that his in-home visit with the two coaches “went great.” He will host UCLA on Friday. The next stop was Rice Lake, Wisc., where Calipari met with Henry Ellenson, the No. 6 overall prospect in the Scout.com rankings and one of the newest recruits to receive a UK scholarship offer."
Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Cal is not the only one staying busy. Slice Rohrrsen and John Robic have been hitting the road lately as well. Here is a quick update.
"Robic was in St. Louis on Wednesday to see Jayson Tatum, the No. 1 player in the class 2016. He also watched five-star center Udoka Azubuike in Jacksonville, Fla. Robic is to check out Arkansas shooting guard Malik Monk on Thursday, according to ESPN Radio’s Nicholas Mason. Monk had a great summer with the Nike-affiliated Arkansas Wings and has become one of UK’s top targets in the class. Florida Coach Billy Donovan and Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson watched him work out Tuesday. Rohrssen started the recruiting period in Canada, where he saw 7-footer Thon Maker, a consensus top-five player in the junior class. Maker recently transferred to Orangeville Prep — outside of Toronto — after playing the past two seasons for a school in Virginia. On Friday, Rohrssen will be in New Jersey to see five-star shooting guard Tyus Battle. UK assistant coach Kenny Payne started the recruiting period with Calipari, who had in-home visits with Jaylen Brown and Malik Newman on Tuesday. Payne has played a major role in the recruitments of both of those players, considered the top two uncommitted prospects in the class of 2015."
Oct. 14, 2011; Lexington, KY USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari speaks to fans in front of players during big blue madness at Rupp Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
The highlight of the Fall recruiting period is always Big Blue Madness and the guest list is always a “Who’s Who in HS basketball”. But of course, the fans and the BBN have made this event what it really is. Tent city makes it appearance on campus starting next week, but UK students will get a chance to grab some tickets on Monday night without the wait.
"UK will hold a student Big Blue Madness lottery on Monday at Memorial Coliseum. Doors will open at 7 p.m. and the lottery will begin at 7:30 p.m. Unlike the regular-season lottery process, there is no online registration for the Big Blue Madness lottery. Approximately 1,000 tickets will be available and students selected in the lottery will receive two tickets to Big Blue Madness. Tickets are free of charge, and those students who are unable to attend the lottery may still participate in the regular Big Blue Madness distribution on Sept. 20. To participate in the student Big Blue Madness, you must be a full-time UK student (12-plus hours for undergraduates, nine-plus hours for graduate students) with a new Wildcard ID or a full-time BCTC student. The student’s fall semester athletics fee must be paid."