Kentucky Wildcats Basketball to host possible package trio at BBM

It’s going to be a huge weekend for both Kentucky Wildcats football and basketball this weekend and it all gets started Friday with Big Blue Madness. BBM is traditionally a huge recruiting event for Kentucky basketball and this year is no exception. Among the recruits that will be in Lexington this weekend are Carlton Bragg, Jaylen BRown, and Brandon Ingram. The trio was in Kansas this past weekend for the “Late Night in the Phog” which incidentally was not filled to capacity. BBM will be a nice “compare and contrast” to Kansas and the trio have discussed being a package deal.

"“Brandon Ingram and Jaylen Brown, we’re thinking about packaging,” the 6-foot-8 Bragg told SNY.tv by phone Sunday night. Asked what schools were in the mix for the trio, Bragg said, “We not for sure yet. We’re going to take our five official visits first and then we’re going to start talking about it again. We don’t want to rush anything.” Asked how good they could all be if they landed at the same place, Bragg said, “It would be amazing.” The 6-foot-8 Bragg from Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph is down to Kentucky, Kansas, UCLA and Illinois. He said he plans to visit Illinois at some point, but has no date set. He, Brown and Ingram are among those who will be on hand next weekend for Kentucky’s Big Blue Madness. The 6-6 Brown, the top player in the Class of 2015, is considering Kansas, Kentucky, UCLA, Georgia, Georgia Tech and North Carolina, among others. The 6-8 Ingram is looking at Kansas, Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina, N.C. State and UCLA."

Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

It got mixed reviews from the media and other opposing coaches bashed it, but Kentucky’s NBA Combine this weekend was not for the media or other coaches. It was a huge recruiting event as even players on their official Kansas trip found time to sneak away and watch it on ESPNU. The ESPN gang seemed impressed however and I like the fact that this event has been called a “job fair”.

"The hosts were obviously impressed by the event. Seth Greenberg said the practice was “intimidating,” but Avery Johnson was probably the most excited about what Calipari and Co. put on. “If I had this opportunity when I was in college like Kentucky has, I would have been a first-round pick,” Johnson said. Coach Cal put on a combine for his players, back in 2011′s postseason, but it was soon outlawed by the NCAA. Friday’s differed in that it was just an open practice “This will probably get outlawed (too),” Calipari said jokingly on the broadcast. “All you coaches that think you’re going to start doing this, believe me, since I did it first, it’s outlawed.” The ESPNU analysts disputed the notion that UK hosting an open practice with a nationally televised audience watching wasn’t fair to the rest of college basketball. “Each school has its advantages,” Greenberg said. “Kentucky and those (national championship) banners — that’s an advantage. Everyone does what’s in their best interest.”"

Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

As of now, Thon Maker still has not made the decision on reclassifying into the 2015 class. He does still like Kentucky and according to his guardian, came away impressed with the UK combine. Kentucky is in good shape with Maker, no matter when he decides to come out, but for now he is still watching, waiting, and commiserating. Maker was at a camp in Louisville this weekend, but they still found time to check out the combine.

"John Calipari’s pro combine – with about 90 NBA scouts watching the Wildcats’ televised practice – was a “change-gamer” for how colleges showcase their pro prospects, said the guardian of top-ranked junior Thon Maker, the 7-foot phenom who seems destined to hear his name called during the NBA draft someday. Maker’s guardian, Ed Smith, said Saturday at the John Lucas Midwest Invitational camp at Hoops that UK, Indiana, Kansas, Stanford, Missouri and Maryland are the teams recruiting Maker the “heaviest.” As for the Wildcats, Calipari’s combine on Friday afternoon was further evidence, Smith said, that the coach knows how to promote and handle elite talent. “That was different, and that was really thinking outside the box,” he said. “It’s really giving kids in your program an opportunity to realistically see where you are that early. It’s great for kids to see where they are that early, how much better they can get within a period of time.”"