On Friday, it looked as if a deal had been reached to end the Chicago teachers’ strike. That agreement would have sent that city’s public school students back to class.
A resolution also would have allowed underclassmen basketball players to be visited by college coaches.
The tentative deal fell apart Sunday night.
Why do we care on this blog?
Because two of the top class of 2014 recruits attend public schools in Chicago and cannot meet with college coaches until the strike is over.
Top-10 player Cliff Alexander was one of the first class of 2014 prospects to get a scholarship offer from John Calipari and surely would have met with the UK coach last week if not for the strike. Jahlil Okafor, who some regard as the No. 2 recruit in the class, does not have a UK offer but has drawn interest from Kentucky.
But neither player was able to meet with coaches last week. High school seniors are permitted to host college coaches in their homes, but younger players can only host coaches at their schools.
Top 2013 recruit Jabari Parker, also from Chicago, has scheduled several in-home visits, but Kentucky isn’t one of them and Calipari has seemingly given up on his recruitment.
For Alexander and Okafor, the wait to see which coaches are most interested will last at least a couple more days.
