Hey everyone. Hope you all had a great weekend and can rest a little easier knowing the class of 2016 will be one of Calipari's best. But as you all know, recruiting never stops.
Killeya-Jones: As mentioned in another thread, he's arriving in Lexington today and will visit the UK game against Boston tomorrow night. It's always good to get players familiar with the team, campus and coaching style as soon as possible.
You can say this about any player in the 2016 class, but I think Killeya-Jones is going to have a big impact. He (maybe Gabriel) may have the highest ceiling of any of the players and will be a dream for Calipari to coach because he will be able to use him in so many different ways.
He'll head back home on Wednesday.
Gabriel: Speaking of Gabriel, he was the talk of the town at the National Prep Showcase this weekend. He finished his game with 21 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.
I really think Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is a decent comparison for Gabriel. Gabriel is probably more gifted offensively, where Kidd-Gilchrist was maybe slightly ahead defensively and in transition, but it's not far off either way.
But both play with an effort and energy that you just don't see everyday. Like I said about Kidd-Gilchrist, it's hard to have a truly bad game if you're that relentless defensively and play with that energy. That will be the case for Gabriel. He may have off shooting nights, but he will be a guy that has to be on the floor at crunch time because he's just everywhere.
The Other Guys: All of UK's commits are having big games and playing well, and don't be surprised for Calipari to watch some of those guys here and there over the next few months. I'll be doing the weekly Recruit Roundup hopefully starting this week.
Last Week: This time last week the Cats were sitting with three commitments and it certainly seemed improbable UK would finish the week with five. I always thought UK was in a good spot with Bam, although it seemed NC State led, which was was wrong. As for Monk, I thought UK led but was surprised by his timing.
There were some rumblings that Monk was OK waiting until the spring. It would have been potentially rude, but easier for him to let Arkansas fans go to his game, not receive heavy scrutiny during his season and then just announce in the spring.
But once UK landed Bam, Calipari basically just asked if he was ready. There is a huge advantage to having the majority (all?) of the class locked up in the early signing period.
Last week John Calipari said it will allow him to put nearly all his attention on his current team, that's obviously a plus, and that it would allow him to continue to build relationships in 2017. He mentioned the Cats have a bead on six or seven guys (I'll get to that).
Monk saw the positives of him committing early, and also realizing it would give Arkansas more time to recover he thought it would ultimately be the best for him, UK and the Hogs if he went ahead and pulled the trigger.
What a job by Calipari and for the second straight year it's funny how things worked. The Cats could have accepted a commitment from Simmons. What if Markelle Fultz didn't string UK along and was genuine about his interest?
What's Next: First let me start with 2016. If I had to guess today, I would say UK doesn't add another player in 2016.
First, I don't think some of the Cats targets, or former targets, would want to come to Kentucky now. UK landing Bam, to go along with Humphries, Killeya-Jones, Gabriel and Wynyard, possibly Lee, wouldn't mean a lot of playing time for other bigs.
I'm sure Kansas is happy with the Bam news because it seems very unlikely the Cats land Jarrett Allen, Marques Bolden, Udoka Azubuike or Thon Maker. Just not enough playing time for those guys and it's unclear where UK stood prior to Bam's decision.
As for guards, really it comes down to Rawle Alkins and Kobi Simmons. The Cats haven't really been going after Alkins hard. Although he mentioned he was still considering Kentucky, I, and several others, would be shocked if he ended up as a Wildcat.
So that leaves Kobi Simmons. A topic of conversation on House of Blue for months. Yes, Simmons likes UK and grew up following Kentucky basketball, but I think the writing is on the wall for him that he may have to go somewhere else.
Is there a scenario where UK would want Simmons late in the spring? Yes, I'm told. If Kentucky lost Ulis and Briscoe to the NBA with Jamal Murray then the Cats would be OK bringing in another guard with the idea Simmons may be back for a sophomore campaign.
That would be ideal for UK, but Simmons knows other schools are recruiting him much harder and the Cats aren't going to string him along for that aforementioned scenario.
If Simmons is heading into the all-star games in April undecided and it's clear UK's going to be losing three guards, it will be interesting to see what happens, but my guess is he doesn't end up at Kentucky.
2017: Let's be patient with the 2017 recruiting news. If I did Monday Notes this time last year it wouldn't included three or four of UK's 2016 signees.
But that doesn't mean there isn't news to be had. Calipari saying there are six or seven guys is interesting, and shows maybe he's not going to cast as wide of a net as he's done in the last two years.
Now, we've seen Calipari get burnt on this approach, but having this much time to key in on those guys is the difference.
Watched: Calipari watched Hamidou Diallo (no relation to Cheick) this weekend, a guard in the class of 2017. He doesn't have an offer, yet, but that will change soon.
Too early to say where UK will find itself in this recruitment.
My favorites: Out of who UK is targeting in 2017, here are some of my favorite players at each position.
Trae Young: Think he ends up at Kentucky. Crafty point guard that's a great shooter and would fit in fine in UK's system.
John Petty: UK was in on Petty early. He's a quiet kid so we won't hear too much on his recruitment but the Cats will be players.
Kris Wilkes: Love his versatility and he's a guy that has seen UK's campus a few times now.
Jarred Vanderbilt: Remember this name. Calipari would love to coach him and he's going to blow up either this high school year or next summer.
DeAndre Ayton: Quiet recruitment, may have some questions about his eligibility, but has an NBA body right now.
Nick Richards: UK's in a great spot, he's gifted on both ends of the floor.
Killeya-Jones: As mentioned in another thread, he's arriving in Lexington today and will visit the UK game against Boston tomorrow night. It's always good to get players familiar with the team, campus and coaching style as soon as possible.
You can say this about any player in the 2016 class, but I think Killeya-Jones is going to have a big impact. He (maybe Gabriel) may have the highest ceiling of any of the players and will be a dream for Calipari to coach because he will be able to use him in so many different ways.
He'll head back home on Wednesday.
Gabriel: Speaking of Gabriel, he was the talk of the town at the National Prep Showcase this weekend. He finished his game with 21 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.
I really think Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is a decent comparison for Gabriel. Gabriel is probably more gifted offensively, where Kidd-Gilchrist was maybe slightly ahead defensively and in transition, but it's not far off either way.
But both play with an effort and energy that you just don't see everyday. Like I said about Kidd-Gilchrist, it's hard to have a truly bad game if you're that relentless defensively and play with that energy. That will be the case for Gabriel. He may have off shooting nights, but he will be a guy that has to be on the floor at crunch time because he's just everywhere.
The Other Guys: All of UK's commits are having big games and playing well, and don't be surprised for Calipari to watch some of those guys here and there over the next few months. I'll be doing the weekly Recruit Roundup hopefully starting this week.
Last Week: This time last week the Cats were sitting with three commitments and it certainly seemed improbable UK would finish the week with five. I always thought UK was in a good spot with Bam, although it seemed NC State led, which was was wrong. As for Monk, I thought UK led but was surprised by his timing.
There were some rumblings that Monk was OK waiting until the spring. It would have been potentially rude, but easier for him to let Arkansas fans go to his game, not receive heavy scrutiny during his season and then just announce in the spring.
But once UK landed Bam, Calipari basically just asked if he was ready. There is a huge advantage to having the majority (all?) of the class locked up in the early signing period.
Last week John Calipari said it will allow him to put nearly all his attention on his current team, that's obviously a plus, and that it would allow him to continue to build relationships in 2017. He mentioned the Cats have a bead on six or seven guys (I'll get to that).
Monk saw the positives of him committing early, and also realizing it would give Arkansas more time to recover he thought it would ultimately be the best for him, UK and the Hogs if he went ahead and pulled the trigger.
What a job by Calipari and for the second straight year it's funny how things worked. The Cats could have accepted a commitment from Simmons. What if Markelle Fultz didn't string UK along and was genuine about his interest?
What's Next: First let me start with 2016. If I had to guess today, I would say UK doesn't add another player in 2016.
First, I don't think some of the Cats targets, or former targets, would want to come to Kentucky now. UK landing Bam, to go along with Humphries, Killeya-Jones, Gabriel and Wynyard, possibly Lee, wouldn't mean a lot of playing time for other bigs.
I'm sure Kansas is happy with the Bam news because it seems very unlikely the Cats land Jarrett Allen, Marques Bolden, Udoka Azubuike or Thon Maker. Just not enough playing time for those guys and it's unclear where UK stood prior to Bam's decision.
As for guards, really it comes down to Rawle Alkins and Kobi Simmons. The Cats haven't really been going after Alkins hard. Although he mentioned he was still considering Kentucky, I, and several others, would be shocked if he ended up as a Wildcat.
So that leaves Kobi Simmons. A topic of conversation on House of Blue for months. Yes, Simmons likes UK and grew up following Kentucky basketball, but I think the writing is on the wall for him that he may have to go somewhere else.
Is there a scenario where UK would want Simmons late in the spring? Yes, I'm told. If Kentucky lost Ulis and Briscoe to the NBA with Jamal Murray then the Cats would be OK bringing in another guard with the idea Simmons may be back for a sophomore campaign.
That would be ideal for UK, but Simmons knows other schools are recruiting him much harder and the Cats aren't going to string him along for that aforementioned scenario.
If Simmons is heading into the all-star games in April undecided and it's clear UK's going to be losing three guards, it will be interesting to see what happens, but my guess is he doesn't end up at Kentucky.
2017: Let's be patient with the 2017 recruiting news. If I did Monday Notes this time last year it wouldn't included three or four of UK's 2016 signees.
But that doesn't mean there isn't news to be had. Calipari saying there are six or seven guys is interesting, and shows maybe he's not going to cast as wide of a net as he's done in the last two years.
Now, we've seen Calipari get burnt on this approach, but having this much time to key in on those guys is the difference.
Watched: Calipari watched Hamidou Diallo (no relation to Cheick) this weekend, a guard in the class of 2017. He doesn't have an offer, yet, but that will change soon.
Too early to say where UK will find itself in this recruitment.
My favorites: Out of who UK is targeting in 2017, here are some of my favorite players at each position.
Trae Young: Think he ends up at Kentucky. Crafty point guard that's a great shooter and would fit in fine in UK's system.
John Petty: UK was in on Petty early. He's a quiet kid so we won't hear too much on his recruitment but the Cats will be players.
Kris Wilkes: Love his versatility and he's a guy that has seen UK's campus a few times now.
Jarred Vanderbilt: Remember this name. Calipari would love to coach him and he's going to blow up either this high school year or next summer.
DeAndre Ayton: Quiet recruitment, may have some questions about his eligibility, but has an NBA body right now.
Nick Richards: UK's in a great spot, he's gifted on both ends of the floor.
