DJ JeffrieS Decommits from UK....
- Thread starter Isonator35
- Start date
My bet is that Jeffries was told over and over that he was just being used for us to land Wiseman and that he’d play sparingly and he finally agreed.
This is a huge honor for me. Coach Replying to my post. Probably top of my list of what has happened on this board...lol
Truly, I really appreciate what you do and the info you give. Just read your post as well. Thanks for everything, Coach!
I don’t fault a kid for changing his mind, but how many times did he say he was 100% UK.
If someone said that to me, I'd be offended by the person who told me that. And I'd also wonder if Penny doesn't want me to help land Wiseman.
If someone said that to me, I'd be offended by the person who told me that. And I'd also wonder if Penny doesn't want me to help land Wiseman.
I was excited about him because he seemed like the kind of guy who would contribute but be here 2-3 years. I think having a few of those guys that can stay and add experience helps.
Then why is Carey ranked higher in some ranking Cole Anthony is actually ranked 2 behind Carey and Wiseman 3rd in rivals. McDaniels who I think is the one actually taking Jeffries spot in my opinion is 4th. Right now we are doing pretty well with all five kids in the top 5 and I would say signing 2 or 3 in the top 5 is highly likely. Signing 3 of the top 5 is certainly possible. If Kansas gets in some trouble over this Derosa mess look for us to steal Hurt the number 5 ranked guy then we have a decent shot at 4 of the top 5. Plus Maxey will be top 10 before the season over. Realy no need to stress
But it was Maxey Wiseman has been quoted as wanting to play with. Spoke alot higher of playing with Maxey then Jeffries.
Yep plus McDaniels is a SF ranked fourth. Get him and a Ky kid in Alan and it's and upgrade over Jeffries
I'm sorry I have seen DJ Jeffries several times and I believe he saw the writing on the wall with Khalil Whitney. Jeffries game doesn't really translate into what Cal is looking for at the wing, he is a power forward, playing the 3. He had a good July period but not as good as Whitney. With all that being said he moved up 7 spots to #46 in Rivals which is one spot ahead of Allen who is a much better shooter and will probably be a better long term fit.
If we get Whitney and McDaniels at the 3/4 that's an incredible start to the frontcourt regardless of where Wiseman goes. There are 3-4 options at the 5 out there plus someone always comes out of nowhere as a top prospect. Also could have a junior Nick Richards.
No problem. Trade him for a 5*, get Carey and call it a day.
I have read all 7 pages of this thread. It’s interesting to see how people analyze things like this. `Some always assume the worst possible outcome. Some want to give up at the first sign of bad news. A few seem to recognize that things have had a tendency to go well since Cal got here.
Jeffries is a fine player. Whether he is as good as Whitney, McDaniels, Lewis, or Allen is unknown to all of us, and will require actual college performance to determine. But I’m not buying the idea Jeffries is a 4. He looks like a college wing that needs work on his perimeter game.
The fact that Cal has been recruiting Whitney and Allen tells me he wasn’t counting on Jeffries. Say what you will, but that’s how I saw it even before Jeffries decommitted.
Jeffries and Wiseman live in different states, but play for the same AAU team. AAU teammates usually don’t end up at the same college. Wiseman didn’t commit to UK after Jeffries did, so it doesn’t seem logical to think Wiseman would lose interest in UK just because Jeffries decommits. I don’t understand that thinking, but it sounds paranoid.
In fact, I don’t see any reason to believe Wiseman cares where Jeffries goes to college. If he did, then he would be talking about college choices with Jeffries. But by Jeffries’ own admission, Wiseman hasn’t shared his thinking with Jeffries. Jeffries says Wiseman keeps it to himself.
As for the Penny Hardaway factor, I don’t believe most people here have it right. Hardaway was an excellent player, and is well liked in the community. He knows the game of basketball, and he knows how to mentor young athletes. If a player from Memphis wants to stay home and play for Hardaway at the home town school, he could do a lot worse. If anyone here honestly doesn’t believe Hardaway will take Memphis basketball to a different level than Pastner or Tubby did, then I think they will be very surprised.
But Wiseman is in a different situation than most prospects. Wiseman can not only play at any college he wants, he can excel right away at any college he wants. While there is nothing wrong with staying home and playing for Hardaway, playing for Cal is a better choice for the big guy, and Wiseman knows that. Wiseman has already said Cal is the best at developing college bigs for the NBA, and he has acknowledged that Cal compares him to AD.
So much for the Skal propaganda. I imagine Wiseman already knows he is bigger, better, and a harder worker than Skal, even though Cal made Skal a rich man in the end.
Personally, I believe Cal will sign better wings than Jeffries, and that isn’t a knock on Jeffries. I still think Wiseman ends up at UK, and I don’t see any reason to go paranoid just because a 4 star wing from Mississippi decommitted. But if Wiseman doesn’t have enough ambition to leave home, then I believe Cal will sign Carey, Bacot, Igiehon, Cockburn, or Tshiebwe and our team will be fine. After all this time and all these data points, I don’t get why so many people still jump to negative conclusions about Cal’s recruiting.
Jeffries is a fine player. Whether he is as good as Whitney, McDaniels, Lewis, or Allen is unknown to all of us, and will require actual college performance to determine. But I’m not buying the idea Jeffries is a 4. He looks like a college wing that needs work on his perimeter game.
The fact that Cal has been recruiting Whitney and Allen tells me he wasn’t counting on Jeffries. Say what you will, but that’s how I saw it even before Jeffries decommitted.
Jeffries and Wiseman live in different states, but play for the same AAU team. AAU teammates usually don’t end up at the same college. Wiseman didn’t commit to UK after Jeffries did, so it doesn’t seem logical to think Wiseman would lose interest in UK just because Jeffries decommits. I don’t understand that thinking, but it sounds paranoid.
In fact, I don’t see any reason to believe Wiseman cares where Jeffries goes to college. If he did, then he would be talking about college choices with Jeffries. But by Jeffries’ own admission, Wiseman hasn’t shared his thinking with Jeffries. Jeffries says Wiseman keeps it to himself.
As for the Penny Hardaway factor, I don’t believe most people here have it right. Hardaway was an excellent player, and is well liked in the community. He knows the game of basketball, and he knows how to mentor young athletes. If a player from Memphis wants to stay home and play for Hardaway at the home town school, he could do a lot worse. If anyone here honestly doesn’t believe Hardaway will take Memphis basketball to a different level than Pastner or Tubby did, then I think they will be very surprised.
But Wiseman is in a different situation than most prospects. Wiseman can not only play at any college he wants, he can excel right away at any college he wants. While there is nothing wrong with staying home and playing for Hardaway, playing for Cal is a better choice for the big guy, and Wiseman knows that. Wiseman has already said Cal is the best at developing college bigs for the NBA, and he has acknowledged that Cal compares him to AD.
So much for the Skal propaganda. I imagine Wiseman already knows he is bigger, better, and a harder worker than Skal, even though Cal made Skal a rich man in the end.
Personally, I believe Cal will sign better wings than Jeffries, and that isn’t a knock on Jeffries. I still think Wiseman ends up at UK, and I don’t see any reason to go paranoid just because a 4 star wing from Mississippi decommitted. But if Wiseman doesn’t have enough ambition to leave home, then I believe Cal will sign Carey, Bacot, Igiehon, Cockburn, or Tshiebwe and our team will be fine. After all this time and all these data points, I don’t get why so many people still jump to negative conclusions about Cal’s recruiting.
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Yeah but having Jeffries was also a plus. They played together and are close friends.
He was going to leave before he was ready. All he and his dad talk about is NBA NBA NBA. I didn't even want him because of it, more of the same. By the time he was ready to contribute he would have been in the D league. I just didn't say anything because the board would have eaten me alive.
Dad was just on 92.9FM in Memphis saying "We talked with Kentucky and it kinda shocked me. They were kinda unprofessional. They didn't handle the news the way I expected them to handle it, being professionals."
Did he expand upon this at all, or did he just keep it vague making UK's staff look like bad guys?
This is called CYA. I wouldn’t expect him to say Cal was glad to hear it.
My assumptions would be that Cal told him UK would move on and sign someone else now. UK’s staff probably doesn’t appreciate being jerked around by a kid who is a good player but frankly not an elite one. Dad might not have liked that. In the greater scheme of things, what difference does it make now?
Is backing out on a committment "professional"? Jeffries and family sound like just the type for Memphis.
I was never thrilled to have Dj coming. Nice player, but not elite. We can and will do better (KW). There are 2 dozen forwards out there better.
Penny promised him unlimited playing time. Cal promised him nothing. Good riddance.
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I look forward to DJ making the first team all-conference for Memphis by his fourth season there.
Gonna be a great bedrock for that program over the next half-decade. And to think, he might have had to suffer at UK for two seasons. Now, he can enjoy college life for an extra two years longer than at UK. Great news tor the young man and his family.
Gonna be a great bedrock for that program over the next half-decade. And to think, he might have had to suffer at UK for two seasons. Now, he can enjoy college life for an extra two years longer than at UK. Great news tor the young man and his family.
What exactly was he expecting? Did he think the red carpet would be rolled out for him wherever he went?
Penny's on the clock now. He's promising these kids all sorts of "NBA insight" with his staff. Gonna be interesting to see him get his ass kicked come tournament time by coaches who know the game exponentially more than he does.
We've seen this act before. Playing in the league hardly ever translates to successfully running a program. Goes ask Chris Mullin, Isiah Thomas, Drexler, Ewing, Avery Johnson, etc.
It's not a bash on DJ when portraying these decisions for the reality they usually entail. Guys in DJ's ranking category (top 25 to 50) usually don't fare so well in terms of professional aspirations when they take the road less traveled by.
Cal, meanwhile, has done well pretty well in comparison: Chris Douglas-Roberts, WCS, Booker, Bledsoe, Liggins, Miller, SGA, Ulis, etc.
It's recruiting. Things happen. I like Jeffries as a player and think he's a talented kid. Never crap on a player who was committed and liked and then chooses elsewhere and he's "not as good as......" then why he was offered in first place? It's just how things go in the business of recruiting. UK has benefited a lot more from players decommits and likely still will.
Good luck to the kid, hope he finds what he's looking for, but getting upset on either side of this debate is silly. Best thing about recruiting is you get final answer by how the teams/players do on the court.
Good luck to the kid, hope he finds what he's looking for, but getting upset on either side of this debate is silly. Best thing about recruiting is you get final answer by how the teams/players do on the court.
I hope they get McDaniels now to go alongside a big. I don't think Wiseman comes at this point. Get McDaniels, Whitney, a big, and a few guys in the spring to round it out. Bring back Baker, Quickley, Herro and perhaps Richards. DJ would have been nice but I feel like UK held off on McDaniels because fear of upsetting the Jeffries/Wiseman combo.
