Thon Maker visits the Kentucky Wildcats over the weekend

The recruiting season for John Calipari and his Kentucky Wildcats basketball team is getting into full swing now that the early signing period has passed.  Over the weekend, one of the biggest questions in the 2015/2016 class, Thon Maker, visited Lexington.  And from the sound of things, it looks as if Maker may reclassify into the 2015 class.  

"Maker was in town to play two games with Orangeville Prep (Canada) at the Joe B. and Denny Bluegrass Showcase on Friday and Saturday. He was joined at Sunday’s UK game by his younger brother, Matur Maker, and their guardian, Edward Smith. Smith told the Herald-Leader on Friday night that Thon Maker is putting himself in a position to reclassify to 2015 and play college basketball next season. That decision is expected to be made in January. Maker is currently considered the No. 1 overall prospect in the class of 2016 by Rivals.com. Matur Maker is seen as a possible five-star recruit in the class of 2017. The brothers are originally from Sudan and played the previous two seasons at a high school in Virginia."

Maker seemed impressed by the visit and atmosphere in Lexington as he sent the following tweet last night.

Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

The dominoes are starting to line up for John Calipari’s 2015 Kentucky Wildcats basketball class.  About a week ago, Newman’s dad mentioned that his son would make a late decision, after the college players declare for the NBA, fueling speculation that he was waiting to see where the Kentucky players went.  Now, Newman has been talking about how he would fit in with current UK commit Isaiah Briscoe.  

"Kentucky, who recently received a commitment from five-star guard Isaiah Briscoe, is still involved, according to Newman. “I still talk to Kentucky the same before they had a commitment,” Newman told HoopSeen.com. “So, we will see. If that’s where I fit the best, that’s where I will go.” That’s the same for all the remaining schools that are recruiting him. Despite playing the same position, Newman believes he and Briscoe can co-exist in a backcourt. “I think Isaiah and I could definitely make a good backcourt. He’s a good player.” As for a decision, don’t expect anything soon from the five-star Newman. “I’m waiting it out to see what happens.”"

Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

The key to yesterdays game was the defense and Tyler Ulis stepped up and harassed any Providence player with the ball. All day long. It should come as no surprise, according the John Calipari.

"With the visiting Friars determined to play a half-court game and UK sluggish after a 6-0 burst to start the game, 5-9 Tyler Ulis checked in and made life miserable for anyone unfortunate enough to be guarded by him. In doing so, he drew comparisons to some rather talented Calipari players past. “I’ve had three Chicago guys do what Tyler Ulis did today, which is change the game,” Calipari said. “I had Derrick Rose, Anthony Davis, and Tyler Ulis,” Calipari said. “Very rarely do you see a guy walk in and just change the game. Like, change the whole flow of it. And he did that today.” Ulis’ statistics hardly jump off the page. He finished with six points, three rebounds and his first-career block, but that hardly captures his impact. “I think he’s a special player,” Cooley said. “He’s got the ‘it.’ He’s a player who I think you guys are going to see really grow. He does a good job guarding the ball, he’s low to the ground and he’s got some toughness. He’s a player that has the ultimate ‘it.’ “ Ulis had three of UK’s 12 steals and set the tone as the Cats forced 18 turnovers, boosting their season defensive turnover percentage to .271, ninth nationally. He was often assigned to point guard Kris Dunn, who played 29 minutes in spite of battling an ankle injury all week. Dunn had 10 turnovers on his own, a career high by a wide margin."