I hope everyone had a great weekend. Big Blue Madness was a success on Friday and there's plenty to cover. Make sure after reading the notes today that you check back in during the week. Hoping to touch base with coaches/players that visited. JR has already spoken with some of the younger 2019 guys. With the Mississippi State football game and all the basketball content, it's going to be a busy week on the site.
Big Blue Madness: I say this nearly every year but it's true. The marketing/recruiting team at Kentucky needs a raise. Also, Calipari probably does, too. While the presentation is cool for fans, it's meant for recruits and it resonates. Seeing all the former NBA players on the video board, seeing John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins laugh and joke like kids, that goes a long way with these players.
Recruits that are considering Kentucky want to win a championship, they want to play for a good coach and in spotlight games. But more than anything they want to get to the NBA and they want to be successful in the NBA. I was told by one coach "If you truly want to go to the NBA how do you say no to UK?"
And I think that's the message UK is trying to send. Other places can get you to the NBA, and I've always believed if you're good enough (at any sport) the professionals will find you, but it seems a lot less risky at Kentucky.
Another thing about the "family message" I'll have to talk to more kids directly but I know that message hit with a lot of parents/coaches. Kids may not be thinking 5, 10 or 20 years down the road, but parents do. Having a group that is so well connected will help the parent's feel more comfortable about picking UK. Trust me, other schools negatively recruit against Kentucky by saying "he'll be there a year and then they're done with him." Parents may have a much tougher time believing that after seeing Big Blue Madness.
Trae Young: I don't like to call parents/coaches on Sundays after visits. I do it sometimes but I like for them to get settled without being bothered with phone calls. But, I will usually send a text trying to set up a conversation during the week and just letting them respond at their own convenience. Some brief texts with Trae Young's dad would seem to indicate the visit went great. As a matter of fact, he said it couldn't have gone any better. We planning on talking soon so we'll get more quotes about what truly stood out.
All that being said, I've heard that I may be too bullish on UK's chances. I know National Recruiting Analyst Eric Bossi thinks Oklahoma is still firmly in the picture, and I had another person tell me that it's 50/50 between UK and Oklahoma.
OK, let's say that it is closer than I think, at worst UK still has a coin flip chance. Not bad. And I was told this BEFORE Big Blue Madness on Friday. But I have a hard time believing it's truly a 50/50 recruitment. And the reason I say that is because UK feels good about their chances. Really good. Look at how they're recruiting other point guards. They'd obviously like Quade Green, and would have been OK with Tremont Waters, but Young has always been their guy. Calipari has been burnt before but I know for a fact UK is incredibly confident with landing Young. I doubt Kentucky would put all its eggs in the Young basket if it truly was 50/50.
Expect Young to announce his final official visit this week. My guess is Washington.
I ultimately think Young's decision comes down to staying at home or putting him in a better position to reach the NBA. That's always been the decision. It's of my opinion that he will be OK leaving home.
Tremont Waters: Since I mentioned him I'm going to him next. Many recruiting experts believe he's going to pick a school this week. If that is indeed the case I wouldn't expect it to be Kentucky. Indiana has always made him a priority where it was clear he may be coming off the bench at UK. I like Waters and think he can be great at Indiana, but UK's always preferred Young and Green.
If Waters decides to wait, that may change things, but it seems as if Waters will go elsewhere.
Quade Green: I'm not 100 percent sure how his visit to Kentucky went but he did cut his list to five final schools- UK, Temple, Syracuse, Duke and Villanova. I think Kentucky has made a great pitch to Green. I think Green understands everything UK has to sell, but it's going to be hard for Kentucky to land him.
Other schools can offering him the starting job while it's clear Kentucky thinks of Young as their No.1 point guard. (That doesn't mean the two couldn't start together, but you get my point). Duke is getting desperate for guards. Syracuse has been on him a very long time and is all in on him. Nova is the home school that is coming off a national championship.
It's not impossible for Kentucky to land Green, but out of all the Big Blue Madness visitors, I think he may be the least likely in 2017.
Just one point guard?: Let's say I'm right and Kentucky lands just Young, I've been asked what will Kentucky do. Honestly, outside of add an in-state kid as a project, I'm not sure. I would guess they would go the grad-transfer route, maybe the JUCO (although that's riskier).
Future Cats: I find it hard to believe schools are going to beat out Kentucky for Washington or Richards. I plan on talking to P.J. Washington's dad soon, Richards' people don't talk as much, but the vibe those two are leaning Kentucky haven't changed since visiting for Big Blue Madness.
Washington is going to be great at wherever he goes and would be the perfect player for any coach. He's not selfish and doesn't have to score to be happy. He's a rebounding machine and is pretty versatile for his size. It would be nice if Richards was on board for UK just in case the Cats don't land Bamba. Richards wouldn't be Cal's best center he's ever signed, but he has a high ceiling and will be a solid shot blocker and rebounder from day one.
I expect both those players to commit to UK over the next 2.5 months (at most).
Bamba: I told you all UK was trying to add a surprise visitor. Both Petty and Bamba were contacted about going but it was unclear if either would be able to make it. Obviously Petty couldn't make it and he'll officially visit Kentucky on 10/28.
Kentucky was able to get Bamba to visit unofficially, and I'm told he'll likely return for an official visit during the season (I'm guessing UK wants him for the Kansas game with Knox). I'm unsure how Bamba's visit went for Big Blue Madness, but if he's going to return that's probably a good thing.
Again, it will be a very long recruitment for Bamba so be patient, but I think Kentucky is in a fine position at this point. He's the type of player that could take a good class to great, a great class to unbelievable. He's important.
Knox: Speaking of Knox, I haven't touched base with anyone close to his recruitment but I do know UK expects to be in the thick of things for the duration of his recruitment. It will be a tough recruitment with Duke, UNC and Florida State, but the Cats made up ground very quickly and I believe are in his top two.
This will also be a long recruitment so plenty of time for things to change, for better or worse.
Diallo: I'll keep this short but I don't think he ends up at Kentucky. Once thought to be just down to UConn and UK, other schools have budged in and UConn still remains strong (he visited UConn on Friday). He will also look at going to the NBA after this year.
Langford: The 2018 star visited this weekend. I was told people around him are pushing Louisville (which makes sense since he's so close) but Kentucky thinks he may like the Cats as much as any other team. Should be a fun recruitment to follow over the next 15 or so months.
Billy Preston: It seems like I have to address him far too often. He continues to list Kentucky. UK isn't interested. I even asked what if he's 100 percent eligible and I was told even then it would be unlikely. I was told UK never visited him although he says Kenny Payne went to the school.
We'll have more throughout the week!
Big Blue Madness: I say this nearly every year but it's true. The marketing/recruiting team at Kentucky needs a raise. Also, Calipari probably does, too. While the presentation is cool for fans, it's meant for recruits and it resonates. Seeing all the former NBA players on the video board, seeing John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins laugh and joke like kids, that goes a long way with these players.
Recruits that are considering Kentucky want to win a championship, they want to play for a good coach and in spotlight games. But more than anything they want to get to the NBA and they want to be successful in the NBA. I was told by one coach "If you truly want to go to the NBA how do you say no to UK?"
And I think that's the message UK is trying to send. Other places can get you to the NBA, and I've always believed if you're good enough (at any sport) the professionals will find you, but it seems a lot less risky at Kentucky.
Another thing about the "family message" I'll have to talk to more kids directly but I know that message hit with a lot of parents/coaches. Kids may not be thinking 5, 10 or 20 years down the road, but parents do. Having a group that is so well connected will help the parent's feel more comfortable about picking UK. Trust me, other schools negatively recruit against Kentucky by saying "he'll be there a year and then they're done with him." Parents may have a much tougher time believing that after seeing Big Blue Madness.
Trae Young: I don't like to call parents/coaches on Sundays after visits. I do it sometimes but I like for them to get settled without being bothered with phone calls. But, I will usually send a text trying to set up a conversation during the week and just letting them respond at their own convenience. Some brief texts with Trae Young's dad would seem to indicate the visit went great. As a matter of fact, he said it couldn't have gone any better. We planning on talking soon so we'll get more quotes about what truly stood out.
All that being said, I've heard that I may be too bullish on UK's chances. I know National Recruiting Analyst Eric Bossi thinks Oklahoma is still firmly in the picture, and I had another person tell me that it's 50/50 between UK and Oklahoma.
OK, let's say that it is closer than I think, at worst UK still has a coin flip chance. Not bad. And I was told this BEFORE Big Blue Madness on Friday. But I have a hard time believing it's truly a 50/50 recruitment. And the reason I say that is because UK feels good about their chances. Really good. Look at how they're recruiting other point guards. They'd obviously like Quade Green, and would have been OK with Tremont Waters, but Young has always been their guy. Calipari has been burnt before but I know for a fact UK is incredibly confident with landing Young. I doubt Kentucky would put all its eggs in the Young basket if it truly was 50/50.
Expect Young to announce his final official visit this week. My guess is Washington.
I ultimately think Young's decision comes down to staying at home or putting him in a better position to reach the NBA. That's always been the decision. It's of my opinion that he will be OK leaving home.
Tremont Waters: Since I mentioned him I'm going to him next. Many recruiting experts believe he's going to pick a school this week. If that is indeed the case I wouldn't expect it to be Kentucky. Indiana has always made him a priority where it was clear he may be coming off the bench at UK. I like Waters and think he can be great at Indiana, but UK's always preferred Young and Green.
If Waters decides to wait, that may change things, but it seems as if Waters will go elsewhere.
Quade Green: I'm not 100 percent sure how his visit to Kentucky went but he did cut his list to five final schools- UK, Temple, Syracuse, Duke and Villanova. I think Kentucky has made a great pitch to Green. I think Green understands everything UK has to sell, but it's going to be hard for Kentucky to land him.
Other schools can offering him the starting job while it's clear Kentucky thinks of Young as their No.1 point guard. (That doesn't mean the two couldn't start together, but you get my point). Duke is getting desperate for guards. Syracuse has been on him a very long time and is all in on him. Nova is the home school that is coming off a national championship.
It's not impossible for Kentucky to land Green, but out of all the Big Blue Madness visitors, I think he may be the least likely in 2017.
Just one point guard?: Let's say I'm right and Kentucky lands just Young, I've been asked what will Kentucky do. Honestly, outside of add an in-state kid as a project, I'm not sure. I would guess they would go the grad-transfer route, maybe the JUCO (although that's riskier).
Future Cats: I find it hard to believe schools are going to beat out Kentucky for Washington or Richards. I plan on talking to P.J. Washington's dad soon, Richards' people don't talk as much, but the vibe those two are leaning Kentucky haven't changed since visiting for Big Blue Madness.
Washington is going to be great at wherever he goes and would be the perfect player for any coach. He's not selfish and doesn't have to score to be happy. He's a rebounding machine and is pretty versatile for his size. It would be nice if Richards was on board for UK just in case the Cats don't land Bamba. Richards wouldn't be Cal's best center he's ever signed, but he has a high ceiling and will be a solid shot blocker and rebounder from day one.
I expect both those players to commit to UK over the next 2.5 months (at most).
Bamba: I told you all UK was trying to add a surprise visitor. Both Petty and Bamba were contacted about going but it was unclear if either would be able to make it. Obviously Petty couldn't make it and he'll officially visit Kentucky on 10/28.
Kentucky was able to get Bamba to visit unofficially, and I'm told he'll likely return for an official visit during the season (I'm guessing UK wants him for the Kansas game with Knox). I'm unsure how Bamba's visit went for Big Blue Madness, but if he's going to return that's probably a good thing.
Again, it will be a very long recruitment for Bamba so be patient, but I think Kentucky is in a fine position at this point. He's the type of player that could take a good class to great, a great class to unbelievable. He's important.
Knox: Speaking of Knox, I haven't touched base with anyone close to his recruitment but I do know UK expects to be in the thick of things for the duration of his recruitment. It will be a tough recruitment with Duke, UNC and Florida State, but the Cats made up ground very quickly and I believe are in his top two.
This will also be a long recruitment so plenty of time for things to change, for better or worse.
Diallo: I'll keep this short but I don't think he ends up at Kentucky. Once thought to be just down to UConn and UK, other schools have budged in and UConn still remains strong (he visited UConn on Friday). He will also look at going to the NBA after this year.
Langford: The 2018 star visited this weekend. I was told people around him are pushing Louisville (which makes sense since he's so close) but Kentucky thinks he may like the Cats as much as any other team. Should be a fun recruitment to follow over the next 15 or so months.
Billy Preston: It seems like I have to address him far too often. He continues to list Kentucky. UK isn't interested. I even asked what if he's 100 percent eligible and I was told even then it would be unlikely. I was told UK never visited him although he says Kenny Payne went to the school.
We'll have more throughout the week!
