Kentucky fans have an all-time claim over Kansas Jayhawks. Leading the series 24-12 with the obvious 2012 National Championship claim to boot, Bill Self's general success against the blue and white in his time in Lawrence has been inconsistent, to say the least.
Yet, with the commitment of No. 1 overall recruit Tyran Stokes, the boys in blue and red got more than a moral victory over the Wildcats. Stokes was the top target for either team, and both had built their rosters around his hoped-for arrival. Kentucky suffers mightily as a result, and the Jayhawks soar.
What's worse, BBN? Read at your own risk. Following his decision live on Inside the NBA, Stokes noted that Self was involved throughout the entire process. From the beginning, it seems, the Kansas coach was the little birdie in Stokes' ear.
A Little Birdie Told Stokes
"Coach Bill Self - a great coach," Stokes said live on ESPN. "A great person. You know, he's been there from the beginning. He's always fed into me and given me great advice through the entire process... I'm ready to go put on a show."
Woof. This isn't to say that Coach Pope wasn't at all involved, but paired with the report from Jack Pilgrim that Stokes had signed his paperwork with Kansas around the time of his last Kentucky visit, it appears as if the star forward had mostly made up his mind a while back.
That would essentially render his most recent trip to Lexington almost entirely for optics purposes. For Kentucky, the optics are brutal.
All the same, the offseason must trek on; Pope has already jumped back on the recruiting trail, now fitted with millions extra in NIL as a result of Stokes passing on his deal.
Hang on tight, BBN. A miracle could come yet.
Waiting on a Miracle
Of the leftover fold of talent that has held off on any sort of commitment up to now, Pope can certainly find a talent (or group of talent) to allot his funds and fill out Kentucky's roster. A roster that is, as far as the big blue eye can see, already good.
But whether or not the Wildcats will be great will come down to who Pope finds to fill Stokes' shoes. Up to now, Kentucky's head coach simply doesn't have the same allure that Self does a little further west; he'll likely have to win, and win big in Lexington, before reaching that same plane.
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