Kentucky Wildcats Headlines: Davis, Pelicans fall to Warriors in Game 1

With seven Wildcats skipping town for professional ball next season, you would think recruits would be filing in by the numbers. Unfortunately, as we’ve learned, this is not the case. Since the ‘Cats fell in the Final Four, Cal hasn’t persuaded one recruit to bring his talents to Lexington.

"Kentucky fans have grown accustomed to Calipari going into a recruiting scrum and coming out with the player or players he wants. But the Class of 2015 may provide the Big Blue Nation with something totally different. With seven players departing for the NBA, Kentucky has plenty of spots open on the roster. But so far, Calipari is having some trouble filling those spots. Yes, Calipari already has an outstanding recruiting class, one of the best in the country. Big man Skal Labissiere along with guards Isaiah Briscoe and Charles Matthews make up a class that will be in the top five nationally. However, what Kentucky fans and Calipari may see this spring is the Wildcats being shut out by a big group of Top 20 prospects. It started on Thursday night when Las Vegas big manStephen Zimmerman picked the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels over Kentucky. The ‘Cats are still in the running for five Top 20 players, although they are likely not the leader for any of them. Forwards Jaylen Brown, Cheick Diallo and Brandon Ingram, guard Malik Newman and center Thon Maker have yet to make their college decisions. If Calipari and Kentucky can add any of those players, they will have the nation’s top recruiting class once again."

Luckily, there is no scenario where Cal doesn’t pull another guy in. The only question at this point is who.

Apr 4, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari reacts on the sideline against the Wisconsin Badgers in the first half of the 2015 NCAA Men

Without question, the ‘Cats will be shorthanded on experience next season. Calipari, aware of this, was chasing Mike Thorne Jr., a graduate transfer from Charlotte, NC. Thorne , a 6-foot-11 center, ended up picking Illinois over Kentucky, adding to offseason anxieties.

"Illinois landed a huge piece to the 2015-16 puzzle on Saturday as a source confirmed to NBCSports.com that Charlotte graduate transfer Mike Thorne Jr. is headed to the Big Ten. The 6-foot-11 Thorne averaged 10.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game for the 49ers last season and is immediately eligible to play next season. Thorne should step in and receive immediate minutes at Illinois with the departure of senior Nnanna Egwu, the team’s former starting center. Thorne also shot 53 percent from the floor and averaged 26.1 minutes per game last season. Thorne also had strong interest from Kansas, Kentucky and Pitt before choosing to play at Illinois."

Well dang.

Nov 23, 2014; Charleston, SC, USA; Charlotte 49ers center Mike Thorne Jr. (12) guards Miami (Fl) Hurricanes guard Manu Lecomte (20) during first period action at TD Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

The question of the eligibility of UK signee Skal Labissiere has been heavily pondered throughout the Big Blue Nation ever since his commitment back in November. But is it really an issue? According to Skal himself, it shouldn’t be.

"The 2014-15 high school basketball season saw a lot of speculation about whether Labissiere, who some consider the best overall long-term prospect in the class, would be able to play college basketball after some strange happenings with his American guardian, Gerald Hamilton. In November, there was a report from Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com that Hamilton was attempting to profit off of Labissiere including asking one local Memphis AAU coach, “How can I make money off of a basketball player?” There were also the questions surrounding Hamilton putting Labissiere on Reach Your Dream Prep, a team created, speficially, to make sure Labissiere played his senior season and potentially made the McDonald’s All-American Game. While McDonald’s didn’t take Skal in its game, the NCAA came inquiring about all of the commotion surrounding Labissiere’s new prep school. On Friday, Labissiere spoke out directly on the NCAA matter in a story with Kyle Tucker of the Courier-Journal. “I’ll be able to play right away,” Labissiere said to Tucker. “The NCAA is going to clear me and I’ll be able to play right away.” In December, Hamilton told Steve Jones of the Courier-Journal that the NCAA was indeed looking into matters with Labissiere. “Oh, yeah, they have investigated,” Hamilton said of the NCAA. “Of course, they hear all the rumors – and that’s what they are, rumors – going out about me, and they have a right to do their job. Unfortunately, a lot of the stuff that went out about me, a lot of people don’t even know me. I don’t know how they got the information. But they’re doing their job, and we’re doing our job. We don’t have anything to hide.” While the NCAA has yet to officially say anything on Labissiere — or clear him at Kentucky — the Haitian big man saying that he’s going to get cleared is an interesting development. Sometimes, it’s difficult to take a kid’s word in this situation, but at this point, it’s really all we have to go by. It’ll be intriguing to see if anything comes of the alleged NCAA investigation into Hamilton and Labissiere. Either way, Kentucky needs its new five-star big man in a major way next season after losing seven players to the 2015 NBA Draft."

Apr 17, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; East Team center Skal Labissiere (4) goes up for a shot over a West Team player in the second half during the Jordan Brand Classic at Barclays Center. The West defeated the East 118-116. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports