Karl |
Stanley |
Tyus |
Trey |
Emmanuel |
Rashad |
OTHERS TO WATCH FOR 2014
Cliff Alexander
Alexander has been consistent in saying that Michigan State and Kentucky are the two schools recruiting him the hardest. Sometimes listed as a center, he’s made it clear that he wants to be a ’4′ at the college level and possesses the skill and agility to play that position. John Calipari has seen him plenty of times, but Alexander also has a great relationship with Tom Izzo. New Illinois Coach John Groce has also been active in the recruitment as he tries to keep the Chicago big man in his home state. Last year, Alexander became the first underclassmen to win MVP honors in the 10-year history of the Pangos All-American Camp. Previous MVPs of that event include John Wall, Harrison Barnes, Shabazz Muhammad and James Harden.
*CONFIRMED UK OFFER*
Position: Forward/Center
Height: 6-9
Weight: 240
Hometown: Chicago
High school: Curie High
Rivals ranking: No. 5
Scout ranking: No. 5
ESPN ranking: No. 8
24/7 ranking: No. 12
Other leaders: Michigan State, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio State, Louisville, Kansas, Arizona
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Devin Booker
A sharpshooting guard with a high basketball IQ, the recruiting interest in Booker picked up substantially during his junior season. UK offered a scholarship in April, and the Mississippi native is definitely interested. “Kentucky is obviously a powerhouse,” he told USA Today. “I love that Coach Calipari pushes his players really hard. That’s what I want in a coach.” Booker’s father is former Missouri point guard Melvin Booker, who briefly played in the NBA after a successful college career with the Tigers.
Position: Shooting guard
Height: 6-4
Weight: 180
Hometown: Moss Point, Miss.
High school: Moss Point
Rivals ranking: No. 23
Scout ranking: No. 23
ESPN ranking: No. 19
24/7 ranking: No. 28
Other leaders: North Carolina, Michigan, Michigan State, Duke, Florida, Missouri
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Zylan Cheatham
UK assistant Orlando Antigua was one of the first coaches outside the Southwest to pay a visit to this under-the-radar forward, who wasn’t ranked by any of the major recruiting services at the time. “He’s a tremendous talent and I think everyone is starting to realize just how good this kid can be,” Arizona high school basketball expert Anthony Ray told the Herald-Leader in November. “He’s got a tremendous upside.” If Cheatham continues to improve, UK could benefit from being one of the first major schools to make contact.
Position: Small forward
Height: 6-8
Weight: 200
Hometown: Phoenix, Ariz.
High school: Westwind Prep
Rivals ranking: No. 68
Scout ranking: No. 74
ESPN ranking: Not rated
24/7 ranking: No. 69
Other leaders: Arizona State, New Mexico, Utah, Oregon State
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Stanley Johnson
John Calipari has had some success recruiting West Coast players to UK (Portland’s Terrence Jones and Kyle Wiltjer and California’s Marcus Lee) and Johnson is his latest long-distance project. Calipari will have to fight off some of the best schools out there, but Johnson seems game. The athletic forward is planning to visit Kentucky sometime soon. Johnson has the ability and drive to become an elite defender and seems a good fit for Calipari’s team-first approach. “He plays hard every game,” AAU coach Mark Olivier told the Herald-Leader last fall. “He’s going to play harder than anyone else. He’s got that in him. And when you have that in you, I think Calipari sees that. He plays so freaking hard.”
*CONFIRMED UK OFFER*
Position: Small forward
Height: 6-6
Weight: 220
Hometown: Fullerton, Calif.
High school: Mater Dei
Rivals ranking: No. 12
Scout ranking: No. 17
ESPN ranking: No. 15
24/7 ranking: No. 13
Other leaders: Arizona, Florida, Oregon, Duke, UCLA, Southern Cal
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Tyus Jones
Just hours after Kentucky’s season ended with a loss to Robert Morris in the first round of the NIT, Calipari was in Minneapolis to see Jones play in his state tournament. UK is one of seven schools remaining on Jones’ list, but the Cats will have plenty of competition for a player that has already been compared to Clippers star Chris Paul. Jones’ high school coach, Zach Goring, compared him to Spurs star Tony Parker during an interview with the Herald-Leader earlier this year. “He’s that sort of player that’s getting in the lane a lot and knocks down the open shot,” Goring said. “They control the game. They’re not super explosive or high flyers. They’re just solid and make good decisions.” Jones and former Team USA teammate Jahlil Okafor — another UK target — have been adamant that they will play at the same school. The consensus says Duke is the leader for Jones and Okafor, but both players have denied it.
*CONFIRMED UK OFFER*
Position: Point guard
Height: 6-0
Weight: 170
Hometown: Apple Valley, Minn.
High school: Apple Valley High
Rivals ranking: No. 3
Scout ranking: No. 2
ESPN ranking: No. 2
24/7 ranking: No. 4
Other leaders: Duke, Kansas, Michigan State, Baylor, Minnesota, Ohio State
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Jalen Lindsey
Lindsey was being pursued by just about every school in the SEC until he trimmed his list earlier this season. He has said that North Carolina was his dream school growing up, but he also has a UK connection. Former Kentucky standout and fellow Nashville native Ron Mercer has been acting as Lindsey’s mentor. Lindsey doesn’t have an offer from the Cats yet, but he’s expecting to see more interest going into the summer.
Position: Small forward
Height: 6-6
Weight: 190
Hometown: Nashville
High school: Huntington Prep (W.Va.)
Rivals ranking: No. 30
Scout ranking: No. 25
ESPN ranking: No. 17
24/7 ranking: No. 42
Other leaders: North Carolina, Louisville, Florida, Providence, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, N.C. State, Auburn, Ohio State, Mississippi State
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Trey Lyles
Lyles committed to home-state Indiana as a freshman, but backed off the pledge last summer. He said he wanted to experience the recruiting process and see what other schools were interested. UK is thought to be at the top of his list and he visited Lexington shortly after his decommitment from the Hoosiers. He returned to Lexington a couple of months later for Big Blue Madness, and was back in Rupp for two games during the regular season.
*CONFIRMED UK OFFER*
Position: Power forward
Height: 6-9
Weight: 215
Hometown: Indianapolis
High school: Indianapolis Tech
Rivals ranking: No. 4
Scout ranking: No. 4
ESPN ranking: No. 4
24/7 ranking: No. 8
Other leaders: Florida, Louisville, Duke, UCLA, Butler
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Emmanuel Mudiay
Mudiay is seen by many as the most likely of the talented 2014 point guard class to end up at UK. He is a very good scorer and playmaker, with the size to play shooting guard if necessary. But Mudiay’s primary position is the point, and he told the Herald-Leader earlier this year that he could benefit from playing a season under John Calipari. “He’s really tough on his point guards,” Mudiay said. “And I love when a coach can push me. He brings the dog out of you, man. You can’t be nice out there.”
*CONFIRMED UK OFFER*
Position: Point guard
Height: 6-4
Weight: 190
Hometown: Arlington, Texas
High school: Prime Prep
Rivals ranking: No. 2
Scout ranking: No. 3
ESPN ranking: No. 3
24/7 ranking: No. 1
Other leaders: Baylor, SMU, Kansas, Louisville, Texas, N.C. State, Oklahoma State, St. John’s
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Jahlil Okafor
Okafor is generally regarded to be the best prospect in the class of 2014. He has exceptional skills for a big man and was one of the most dominant players in high school basketball last season. In fact, he was the only junior to be named a first-team All-American by USA Today, beating out such accomplished seniors as Andrew Harrison and Aaron Gordon. “If you look at him from a college perspective, you know exactly what you’re going to get,” ESPN’s Dave Telep told the Herald-Leader in January. “He’s going to flirt with a double-double every time he steps on the floor. He’s going to guard his man. You have to account for him on both ends.” Okafor has said that he plans to visit UK sometime soon, but he hasn’t cut down his list, which includes just about every major program in the country.
*CONFIRMED UK OFFER*
Position: Center
Height: 6-10
Weight: 270
Hometown: Chicago
High school: Whitney Young
Rivals ranking: No. 1
Scout ranking: No. 1
ESPN ranking: No. 1
24/7 ranking: No. 2
Other leaders: Ohio State, Michigan State, Duke, Kansas, Arizona, Illinois, North Carolina, Louisville, Florida
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Goodluck Okonoboh
One of the best shot blockers in high school basketball, Okonoboh is also a former teammate of Nerlens Noel. He and Noel remain friends, and the 2014 prospect takes credit for being the one to recommend the high-top fade haircut to the UK star. Now that Okonoboh is no longer in Noel’s shadow on the court, he’s receiving a lot more interest from major colleges. John Calipari made a trip to see Okonoboh in October, the day before the Harrison twins committed to UK. The Boston native returned the favor in March by attending UK’s final home game against Florida.
Position: Center
Height: 6-9
Weight: 215
Hometown: Boston, Mass.
High school: Wilbraham & Monson
Rivals ranking: No. 34
Scout ranking: No. 37
ESPN ranking: No. 20
24/7 ranking: No. 27
Other leaders: Maryland, Syracuse, Providence, Indiana, UConn, Minnesota, West Virginia, Florida State, Missouri
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Josh Perkins
Touted as an exceptional passer with great court vision, Perkins’ stock is on the rise in a class already crowded with exceptional point guards. 24/7 Sports national analyst Jerry Meyer has called Perkins “one of the best passers I’ve scouted in the past 10 years,” and UK’s staff reached out to the Colorado native in early May. The Cats have already offered the two top-rated point guards in the class — Tyus Jones and Emmanuel Mudiay — and Perkins is not considered a one-and-done-type player going into his senior year of high school, which could open the possibility that UK lands two point guards from 2014.
Position: Point guard
Height: 6-3
Weight: 185
Hometown: Aurora, Colo.
High school: Regis Jesuit
Rivals ranking: No. 42
Scout ranking: No. 26
ESPN ranking: No. 41
24/7 ranking: No. 53
Other leaders: Colorado, Gonzaga, UCLA, USC, Syracuse, Kansas, New Mexico, Baylor
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Ryan Skovranko
Skovranko caught Calipari’s eye when the UK coach was in the Pittsburgh area last year to watch his old high school coach’s team play in the state tournament. Though Skovranko isn’t ranked among the top 100 recruits in his class, Calipari remained intrigued by the prospect and returned earlier this year to see him work out. When UK played at Robert Morris in the first round of the NIT, Calipari invited Skovranko and a couple of his teammates to come and see the Cats practice. “He’s very intrigued by his length and athleticism,” Mike Bariski told the Herald-Leader. “He’s 6-7. He runs very well. He jumps absolutely out of the gym. He has, to them, the athleticism and length that they like. He’s a big guard.”
Position: Shooting guard
Height: 6-7
Weight: 200
Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pa.
High school: Lincoln Park
Rivals ranking: Not rated
Scout ranking: Not rated
ESPN ranking: Not rated
24/7 ranking: Not rated
Other leaders: Maryland, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, Iowa, West Virginia, DePaul
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Rashad Vaughn
UK’s staff has been telling high school coaches that they hope to add at least two “wings” from the class of 2014, and Vaughn might be at the top of the list. The sharpshooting guard from Minnesota was one of the first players in the class to get a scholarship offer from Kentucky. He has excellent size for his position (some list him at 6-6) and is an accomplished shooter and scorer. Vaughn has yet to make any cuts to his list. UK and North Carolina are thought to be among his favorites.
*CONFIRMED UK OFFER*
Position: Shooting guard
Height: 6-5
Weight: 190
Hometown: Robbinsdale, Minn.
High school: Cooper
Rivals ranking: No. 12
Scout ranking: No. 14
ESPN ranking: No. 10
24/7 ranking: No. 5
Other leaders: North Carolina, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa State, Wisconsin, Duke, Maryland, Illinois, Baylor, Syracuse, Georgetown, Louisville, Texas, Memphis, Florida State
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Craig Victor
A good inside scorer and rebounder, Victor didn’t get much attention from Kentucky until after his junior season. He had actually narrowed his list to seven schools before John Calipari paid him a visit. The Louisiana big man has expressed interest in hearing more from UK, and Calipari said he would keep an eye on him during the summer schedule and his senior season.
Position: Power forward
Height: 6-8
Weight: 220
Hometown: New Orleans, La.
High school: St. Augustine
Rivals ranking: No. 24
Scout ranking: No. 19
ESPN ranking: No. 44
24/7 ranking: No. 51
Other leaders: LSU, Arizona, Florida, Miami, UCLA Oklahoma, Oklahoma State
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Isaiah Whitehead
Syracuse has long been considered the leader for this Brooklyn native, but he remains uncommitted. Still, the Orange seem to be the favorite to keep Whitehead in the state. He has also told several media outlets that Louisville has been recruiting him hard in recent weeks. UK was once at the top of the list with Syracuse, but the Cats haven’t been mentioned in that spot for the past few months. If UK lands other top guards, Whitehead will probably be more of a long shot. “I don’t want to go to a school with another shooting guard or point guard who might be ahead of me so I am just waiting and getting all the information I can,” Whitehead told Scout.com.
Position: Shooting guard
Height: 6-4
Weight: 195
Hometown: Brooklyn
High school: Lincoln High
Rivals ranking: No. 19
Scout ranking: No. 43
ESPN ranking: No. 46
24/7 ranking: No. 29
Other leaders: Syracuse, Louisville, St. John’s, UCLA
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