I split this up into two posts because there are over 1,000 words here.
The all-important July live period is in the books. The different shoe circuits hosted their grand finales in South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. John Calipari and his staff spent most of their time in North Augusta at the Nike EYBL, but they also made their way to Atlanta for the Under Armour event.
The two main questions now are which players stood out, and who does Kentucky have the best shots at? We will go in-depth with both subjects. This is one reason as well that we are doing this story as a thread. I will give you the most premium type information that I can dish out.
So let’s get in to last weeks action and its impact. We will look at players by their chronological order in the rankings.
Cade Cunningham - The second rated player in the 2020 Class was considered by many the top performer at Peach Jam through the first couple of days. He had scoring outings of 31 and 29 in his first two games, and added another 29 point burst in his fourth game. In fact, he averaged 24.4 points through the five pool games. During that span he was 48 of 65 for the field for an impressive 73.8 percent. He was also 25 of 34 for 73.5 precent from the line. He also averaged 6.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 2.7 turnovers.
There were two sour notes though. The guard only attempted four 3-pointers in those five games, and made only one. Secondly, the Texas Titans went into Peach Jam as one of the favorites, but they lost the opening elimination round game to Jalen Green and Team WhyNot. In that one he was just 2 of 8 from the field for 6 points. He was outplayed by Jalen Green who had 17 points and 6 assists.
Despite that, Eric Bossi raved about his overall tournament and said it is becoming harder not to give him the number one ranking.
With the hiring of his brother at Oklahoma State everyone has assumed he will be a Cowpoke. Cunningham said last week that some schools recruiting him believe the same thing and have backed off. Evidently, Kentucky is not in that group. The staff followed him throughout the tournament.
Personally, I believe he will go to OSU, but there is a monkey wrench that know one is bringing up. They were one of the six schools named in the FBI investigation and last spring’s Federal trial, and Oklahoma State was one of them. I think chances are better than 50/50 that they get a letter of notification from the FBI. If so, then what? That seems to be the main reason for other schools to hang around.
Jalen Green - When Jalen switched teams in the middle of the spring, I believe that hampered him for two events. Team WhyNot was clearly better than the Oakland Soldiers, but it is difficult to come in and thrive with players you have never played with before. But fast forward to July where WhyNot made it to the Peach Jam Finals before losing a heartbreaker to MOKAN Elite. That was what Green had in mind when he made the move.
He averaged 17.3 points per game for the week, including a 27-point barrage in the finals on Sunday. He shot just over fifty percent going 38 of 77. He was only 6 for 20 from deep for twenty percent. ESPN’s Paul Biancardi made a point during Sunday’s telecast that not only does Green need to get an outside shot, but he needs to pick up a mid-range one as well. Right now, it is all at the rim. Several times against MOKAN he chose the hard way by trying to attack N’Faly Dante at the goal, instead of shooting the easier pull-up.
Corey Evans noted on Wednesday night that Green’s jumper is improving, but his raw athleticism at the guard spot in breath taking.
He continues to be one of the hot names on the Kentucky board. I spoke with several connected people over the weekend, and there is a mixed bag with a slight lean to Kentucky over Memphis. But the buzz has been in the last 24 hours that he is “70/30” to the Wildcats. I can told last night by an individual I trust with my life that this is the case. Either way, I expect a battle to the end between these two with a slight lean to UK.
Makur Maker - I watched him in person Saturday for the first time at the Adidas Summer Championship in Birmingham. He is ultra-athletic for a seven footer. He isn’t what you would expect. He’s not a post up guy, or really a rebounder or rim-protector. He wants to play out on the floor and in transition to a fault. Nevertheless, his upside is through the roof.
As far as recruitment goes, this looks like Kentucky versus the West Coast, with that last group including Oregon, UCLA, and maybe USC. Nobody really knows which way he is leaning now, but a National Recruiting Analyst I spoke with on Saturday night was not surprised at all when I told him the list of suitors.
This one will go the official visit route first and then we will see who is still around.
Scottie Barnes - The Nightrydas did not get out of pool play at Peach Jam, but is wasn’t because of Barnes. He averaged 20 points per game, and if you take out the five minute outing against All Ohio Red, those numbers would be upped to 23.8. He shot 51.9 percent from the line and also went 4 of 8 from behind the arc. Barnes has been called a Swiss Army Knife. He backed that up with 7.6 points and 6.2 assists.
Barnes got some attention on the opening night when he named five schools that are recruiting him the hardest: Oregon, Kansas, Ohio State, Miami, and Florida State. He backtracked later by saying all eight schools on his list are in contention which includes Kentucky. I would go with his first statement, and most think the Ducks are in a good spot.
N’Faly Dante may have been the talk of Kentucky fans going into the Peach Jam, and he probably still is after leaving Augusta. Dante was dominant in the championship game as he had 22 points and 18 rebounds. Not only was he key in bringing home the title, but he was also named the tournament’s MVP.
He certainly takes on the character now of a one and done player no matter where he goes. Kentucky needs help in the 2020-21 season inside, but if Dante were to reclassify up, he might not be around that long. As we reported last week, we were told he has not taken the SAT yet. Dante told Corey Evans that he hasn’t thought about his recruitment yet, but I would be shocked if he passes and qualifies that he wouldn’t go to the 2019 group.
The feeling out on the road this past weekend was that it was a two team race between Oregon and Kentucky. The thought is that the FBI talk has hurt LSU chances, and any talk about Tennessee and Iowa State is just that, talk.
B.J. Boston had a tremendous week despite AOT getting knocked out in the first round of elimination. In five games, he had 26,19,19,19, and 32. That was good for a 23 point average at a 56.2 percent shooting clip. One thing we would like to see Boston do from the shooting guard spot is shoot the outside shot better. He was only 4 for 17 for 23.5 percent from deep which was close to his 24.2 percent rate for the EYBL season. He also averaged 7.6 points and 2.2 rebounds.
I spoke with an individual Saturday who told me that he feels Kentucky is in better shape for Boston than any other player including Jalen Green. In fact, he thinks a commitment to the Cats could come down in the near future. Auburn, Duke, Florida, and Oregon are the other four finalists, with the Ducks being the latest addition. But he feels the Pac 12 school is just window dressing.
The all-important July live period is in the books. The different shoe circuits hosted their grand finales in South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. John Calipari and his staff spent most of their time in North Augusta at the Nike EYBL, but they also made their way to Atlanta for the Under Armour event.
The two main questions now are which players stood out, and who does Kentucky have the best shots at? We will go in-depth with both subjects. This is one reason as well that we are doing this story as a thread. I will give you the most premium type information that I can dish out.
So let’s get in to last weeks action and its impact. We will look at players by their chronological order in the rankings.
Cade Cunningham - The second rated player in the 2020 Class was considered by many the top performer at Peach Jam through the first couple of days. He had scoring outings of 31 and 29 in his first two games, and added another 29 point burst in his fourth game. In fact, he averaged 24.4 points through the five pool games. During that span he was 48 of 65 for the field for an impressive 73.8 percent. He was also 25 of 34 for 73.5 precent from the line. He also averaged 6.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 2.7 turnovers.
There were two sour notes though. The guard only attempted four 3-pointers in those five games, and made only one. Secondly, the Texas Titans went into Peach Jam as one of the favorites, but they lost the opening elimination round game to Jalen Green and Team WhyNot. In that one he was just 2 of 8 from the field for 6 points. He was outplayed by Jalen Green who had 17 points and 6 assists.
Despite that, Eric Bossi raved about his overall tournament and said it is becoming harder not to give him the number one ranking.
With the hiring of his brother at Oklahoma State everyone has assumed he will be a Cowpoke. Cunningham said last week that some schools recruiting him believe the same thing and have backed off. Evidently, Kentucky is not in that group. The staff followed him throughout the tournament.
Personally, I believe he will go to OSU, but there is a monkey wrench that know one is bringing up. They were one of the six schools named in the FBI investigation and last spring’s Federal trial, and Oklahoma State was one of them. I think chances are better than 50/50 that they get a letter of notification from the FBI. If so, then what? That seems to be the main reason for other schools to hang around.
Jalen Green - When Jalen switched teams in the middle of the spring, I believe that hampered him for two events. Team WhyNot was clearly better than the Oakland Soldiers, but it is difficult to come in and thrive with players you have never played with before. But fast forward to July where WhyNot made it to the Peach Jam Finals before losing a heartbreaker to MOKAN Elite. That was what Green had in mind when he made the move.
He averaged 17.3 points per game for the week, including a 27-point barrage in the finals on Sunday. He shot just over fifty percent going 38 of 77. He was only 6 for 20 from deep for twenty percent. ESPN’s Paul Biancardi made a point during Sunday’s telecast that not only does Green need to get an outside shot, but he needs to pick up a mid-range one as well. Right now, it is all at the rim. Several times against MOKAN he chose the hard way by trying to attack N’Faly Dante at the goal, instead of shooting the easier pull-up.
Corey Evans noted on Wednesday night that Green’s jumper is improving, but his raw athleticism at the guard spot in breath taking.
He continues to be one of the hot names on the Kentucky board. I spoke with several connected people over the weekend, and there is a mixed bag with a slight lean to Kentucky over Memphis. But the buzz has been in the last 24 hours that he is “70/30” to the Wildcats. I can told last night by an individual I trust with my life that this is the case. Either way, I expect a battle to the end between these two with a slight lean to UK.
Makur Maker - I watched him in person Saturday for the first time at the Adidas Summer Championship in Birmingham. He is ultra-athletic for a seven footer. He isn’t what you would expect. He’s not a post up guy, or really a rebounder or rim-protector. He wants to play out on the floor and in transition to a fault. Nevertheless, his upside is through the roof.
As far as recruitment goes, this looks like Kentucky versus the West Coast, with that last group including Oregon, UCLA, and maybe USC. Nobody really knows which way he is leaning now, but a National Recruiting Analyst I spoke with on Saturday night was not surprised at all when I told him the list of suitors.
This one will go the official visit route first and then we will see who is still around.
Scottie Barnes - The Nightrydas did not get out of pool play at Peach Jam, but is wasn’t because of Barnes. He averaged 20 points per game, and if you take out the five minute outing against All Ohio Red, those numbers would be upped to 23.8. He shot 51.9 percent from the line and also went 4 of 8 from behind the arc. Barnes has been called a Swiss Army Knife. He backed that up with 7.6 points and 6.2 assists.
Barnes got some attention on the opening night when he named five schools that are recruiting him the hardest: Oregon, Kansas, Ohio State, Miami, and Florida State. He backtracked later by saying all eight schools on his list are in contention which includes Kentucky. I would go with his first statement, and most think the Ducks are in a good spot.
N’Faly Dante may have been the talk of Kentucky fans going into the Peach Jam, and he probably still is after leaving Augusta. Dante was dominant in the championship game as he had 22 points and 18 rebounds. Not only was he key in bringing home the title, but he was also named the tournament’s MVP.
He certainly takes on the character now of a one and done player no matter where he goes. Kentucky needs help in the 2020-21 season inside, but if Dante were to reclassify up, he might not be around that long. As we reported last week, we were told he has not taken the SAT yet. Dante told Corey Evans that he hasn’t thought about his recruitment yet, but I would be shocked if he passes and qualifies that he wouldn’t go to the 2019 group.
The feeling out on the road this past weekend was that it was a two team race between Oregon and Kentucky. The thought is that the FBI talk has hurt LSU chances, and any talk about Tennessee and Iowa State is just that, talk.
B.J. Boston had a tremendous week despite AOT getting knocked out in the first round of elimination. In five games, he had 26,19,19,19, and 32. That was good for a 23 point average at a 56.2 percent shooting clip. One thing we would like to see Boston do from the shooting guard spot is shoot the outside shot better. He was only 4 for 17 for 23.5 percent from deep which was close to his 24.2 percent rate for the EYBL season. He also averaged 7.6 points and 2.2 rebounds.
I spoke with an individual Saturday who told me that he feels Kentucky is in better shape for Boston than any other player including Jalen Green. In fact, he thinks a commitment to the Cats could come down in the near future. Auburn, Duke, Florida, and Oregon are the other four finalists, with the Ducks being the latest addition. But he feels the Pac 12 school is just window dressing.
