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Ben Roberts

Highly touted lineman LaRubbio commits to UK

 Posted by at 2:13 PM on May 25, 2013  No Responses »
May 252013
 

Kentucky Coach Mark Stoops added another talented piece to his 2014 recruiting class Saturday with the commitment of offensive lineman Jarrett LaRubbio.

LaRubbio tweeted his commitment, which was accompanied by a picture of him, Stoops, UK offensive line coach John Schlarman and UK tight ends coach Vince Marrow.

A native of Liberty Township, Ohio, LaRubbio is the sixth prospect from the Buckeye State and eighth recruit overall to commit to the Cats for 2014. He is the first offensive lineman in the class.

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UK target Perkins will play for Huntington Prep

 Posted by at 12:25 AM on May 25, 2013  No Responses »
May 252013
 

One of the top point guard prospects in the class of 2014 announced Friday that he will play at Huntington Prep next season.

Josh Perkins, who has attracted recent interest from UK, will leave Regis Jesuit in Aurora, Colo., to play for Huntington Prep, which was one of the best teams in the country last season behind Kansas signee Andrew Wiggins.

Scout.com considers Perkins the No. 26 overall player and eighth-best point guard in the class of 2014. The 6-foot-3 guard has already officially visited New Mexico and is planning to see UCLA, Southern Cal and Gonzaga in the next couple of weeks. Perkins’ AAU team tweeted Friday that the trips to UCLA and USC visits will be unofficial visits.

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Weekend preview: Travelers shooting for Peach Jam

 Posted by at 8:22 PM on May 23, 2013  No Responses »
May 232013
 

The Nike EYBL regular season wraps up this weekend in Minneapolis, and the Kentucky-based Travelers still have a good shot of advancing to the Nike Peach Jam tournament later this summer.

The Travelers take a 7-6 record into the Minneapolis session, which will include five games to sort out the 24 teams that qualify for the Peach Jam. The top five teams from each of the four divisions will automatically qualify, along with four wild cards which will be chosen based on best overall record.

Florida-based Each 1 Teach 1 currently has a two-game lead in Division D, where the Travelers are in a four-way tie for second place.

Division D
Each 1 Teach 1
Travelers
Howard Pulley
All Ohio Red
Mac Irvin
CIA Bounce
Southern Stampede
ICP Elite
Seattle Rotary
Team United——————–

9-4
7-6
7-6
7-6
7-6
6-7
5-8
4-9
2-11
1-12
——

Three wins in five games should be enough for the Travelers to make it to the Peach Jam Finals. Their first game will be Saturday morning against Louisville commitment Shaqquan Aaron and Seattle Rotary (2-11). On Saturday afternoon, they face No. 1 point guard Tyus Jones and Howard Pulley (7-6). Sunday’s matchups are Team United (1-12) and All Ohio Red (7-6). The Travelers will close the session Monday with Toronto-based CIA Bounce (6-7), which could end up being a win-and-you’re-in contest.

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Rankings breakdown: A fifth No. 1 class for Calipari

 Posted by at 7:24 PM on May 23, 2013  2 Responses »
May 232013
 
John Calipari with his top two players from the class of 2011 -- Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Photo: Associated Press

John Calipari with his top two players from the class of 2011 — Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.
Photo: Associated Press

Scout.com released its final class of 2013 team rankings Thursday, and Kentucky was once again at the top of the list.

It was the fifth consecutive No. 1 class for the Wildcats, all of which came under Coach John Calipari.

That Calipari has been dominating the recruiting world since he arrived in Lexington isn’t news. But just how close has the competition been over the past five classes?

A few notes to digest, plus a chart featuring the schools that have had the most success with the past five recruiting classes:

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Flashback: ESPN analyst says Noel, Cavs a good fit

 Posted by at 12:01 AM on May 22, 2013  No Responses »
May 222013
 
Many draft analysts predict Nerlens Noel will be selected with the No. 1 overall pick, which belongs to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo: Pablo Alcala/Herald-Leader

Many draft analysts predict Nerlens Noel will be selected with the No. 1 overall pick, which belongs to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Photo: Pablo Alcala/Herald-Leader

The Cleveland Cavaliers won the rights to the No. 1 overall pick in next month’s NBA Draft during the draft lottery Tuesday night. Most analysts are predicting the Cavs will take Kentucky freshman Nerlens Noel with that selection.

In late March, ESPN’s Chad Ford talked to the Herald-Leader about a wide range of UK-related draft topics. One of the questions he was asked: Which teams at the top of the draft seem to be a particularly good fit for Noel?

Ford’s answer: The Cleveland Cavaliers.

“The Cavs seem to be the best fit,” he told the Herald-Leader. “They have their backcourt set. They have a young, up and coming, power forward. Adding Noel to the mix adds a dynamic shot blocker and athlete to the front court. And with Anderson Varejao and Tyler Zeller, they have time bring him along slowly.”

FURTHER READING: Ford says Noel is only Cat who should enter draft | More draft nuggets from the NBA insider

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RSCI rankings: Past counterparts for the future Cats

 Posted by at 3:05 PM on May 21, 2013  No Responses »
May 212013
 
UK signee Julius Randle is No. 2 in the final RSCI rankings for the class of 2013. Photo courtesy of McDonald's

UK signee Julius Randle is No. 2 in the final RSCI rankings for the class of 2013.
Photo courtesy of McDonald’s

The final RSCI rankings for the class of 2013 were released earlier this week, and the numbers showed what was already known.

Kentucky has put together one of the best recruiting classes in college basketball history.

In fact, the RSCI breakdown states that UK’s eight-man group “is without question the most talented and deepest recruiting class in RSCI’s 16 year history.”

The RSCI incorporates Top 100 lists from several different national recruiting services with the goal of achieving a more accurate set of rankings.

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Caesars lists Kentucky as 3-1 favorite to win in 2014

 Posted by at 5:12 PM on May 20, 2013  Comments Off
May 202013
 
McDonald's All-Americans Dakari Johnson, Marcus Lee, Andrew Harrison, Aaron Harrison, James Young and Julius Randle are part of the reason that UK is the early favorite to win it all next year. Photo courtesy of McDonald's

McDonald’s All-Americans, left to right, Dakari Johnson, Marcus Lee, Andrew Harrison, Aaron Harrison, James Young and Julius Randle are part of the reason that UK is the early favorite to win it all next year.
Photo courtesy of McDonald’s

You might have noticed there were fewer updates to the blog late last week. That’s because I took a little vacation to Las Vegas.

Among the places on the visit list was Caesars Palace, and a sheet of paper with their odds to win next year’s national championship made it back to Lexington with me.

Here are some highlights (odds were updated after Andrew Wiggins’ decision to play for Kansas):

Kentucky (3-1): The Wildcats are the clear betting favorite to win their ninth title next season.

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Huntington Prep’s Woodson looking at two schools

 Posted by at 2:49 PM on May 20, 2013  No Responses »
May 202013
 
Dominic Woodson is looking at Memphis and Marshall after getting his release from Baylor.

Dominic Woodson is looking at Memphis and Marshall after getting his release from Baylor.

Class of 2013 big man Dominic Woodson has been granted a release from his letter of intent at Baylor.

The Huntington Prep center is now looking at Memphis and Marshall, according to Coach Rob Fulford.

The return of 7-foot center Isaiah Austin and 6-9 forward Cory Jefferson came as a surprise to both sides. Both Baylor players were projected to be NBA picks in next month’s draft.

“They didn’t anticipate a lottery pick big and another first round big coming back,” Fulford told the Herald-Leader.

Woodson — a 6-10 center who was born in Louisville — is ranked by Scout.com as the No. 99 overall player in the class of 2013 and now becomes the only uncommitted prospect in the Top 100. He visited UK in the fall, but never received an offer from the Wildcats.

Kentucky has no more scholarships to give for the 2013-14 season.

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UK women: Harper makes USA under-19 team

 Posted by at 2:06 PM on May 20, 2013  No Responses »
May 202013
 

Incoming UK freshman Linnae Harper was one of 12 players named to the USA Basketball women’s under-19 team Sunday.

Harper — a point guard from Chicago — will compete in the World Championships in Lithuania from July 18-28. She has already won gold medals as a member of last year’s under-17 World Championship team and the 2011 FIBA Americas under-16 championship team.

This year’s squad was selected after a four-day tryout that wrapped up Sunday in Colorado Springs.

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Eight is enough: A look at UK’s No. 1 recruiting class

 Posted by at 12:11 PM on May 14, 2013  3 Responses »
May 142013
 

Andrew Wiggins is going to Kansas, but Kentucky should be just fine for next season.

Here’s a look at the Wildcats’ eight-man recruiting class, which includes six McDonald’s All-Americans and the two best players from the Bluegrass.

UK’s recruiting class of 2013
Player Pos Ht Wt Hometown Rivals Scout ESPN 24/7
Aaron Harrison SG 6-5 205 Houston 7 4 9 5
Andrew Harrison PG 6-5 205 Houston 5 3 5 4
Dominique Hawkins G 6-1 170 Richmond, Ky. – – – 155
Dakari Johnson C 6-11 250 New York City 9 18 7 8
Marcus Lee F 6-9 200 Antioch, Calif. 19 21 25 14
Julius Randle PF 6-8 240 Plano, Texas 2 5 3 2
Derek Willis SF 6-9 200 Mt. Washington, Ky. 115 – – 59
James Young G/F 6-6 200 Rochester, Mich. 11 10 8 10
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