Kentucky Recruits on Display in Jordan Brand Classic

I have always suffered from a bout of withdrawal at the end of college basketball season. As much as I love baseball and my Cubbies, there’s really just no replacement for college hoops. Especially with how much fun UK’s season was and how unfortunately it ended, the last three weeks could have been pretty rough.

Thank goodness for spring recruiting though. Last year, spring recruiting was more fun than the season itself, and while landing top recruits all off season doesn’t make the Elite Eight loss disappear, it sure makes April more bearable.

Every week it seems, we have another high school all star game rife with UK commits/targets. First, it was the McDonald’s game and Brandon Knight’s game winner. Last weekend, it was the Nike Hoops Summit, dominated by Enes Kanter. Now, the focus turns to Madison Square Garden, as the nation’s best prospects take the floor for the Jordan Brand Classic.

The game is tomorrow at 8 pm on ESPN2, so make sure you set your DVR or plop yourself down on the couch then so you can watch the following players of interest:

EAST TEAM

Brandon Knight

After making his commitment to Kentucky this week, Knight has reportedly been tearing it up in practices, playing much more like the player that earned Rivals’ number one spot in the class than what we saw in Columbus or Portland. Questions about his recruitment were clearly wearing on him and I think you will see a much more relaxed (and effective) player Saturday night.

The big news on Knight today was that he officially signed with UK today…but an LOI is not what he faxed. We knew Knight was a smart kid and this is proof. Signing an LOI puts players in a position of risks, stuck waiting for a release in case a coach leaves or some other unforeseen circumstance. Signing scholarship papers rather than an LOI is the right move for a kid as highly rated as Knight.

CJ Leslie

For a while, we thought Leslie would be announcing during the Jordan game. Then, CJ decided to push back his decision until after a Florida visit early next week. No one can get a handle on CJ’s recruitment, coaches included. It’s unpredictable at this point, but my guess is that the explosive forward stays home and attends NC State. UK is in the mix, but I think he’ll end up elsewhere.

WEST TEAM

Doron Lamb

Doron will be announcing his college decision coming out of a TV timeout during the first half of Saturday’s game. He has already come to a decision and all signs point to Kentucky winning out over fellow finalist Kansas.  UK looked poised to land Lamb back in the fall, but Kansas grabbed the inside track over the season.  With the word that John Wall and Eric Bledsoe would take their games to the next level, UK nudged ahead. 

It will be an upset if Lamb dons anything other than a Kentucky blue hat tomorrow and the eyes of Big Blue Nation will be upon him.

Terrence Jones

I feel like I keep writing the same things every time I mention Jones, but he’s the remaining uncommitted player I want above all others, and I think John Calipari shares my opinion. Word is that Jones has narrowed his choices to UK, Washington, and Oregon, with UK and Washington leading the pack since Oregon is now a couple rejections away from asking my middle school coach for an interview.

Jones will be announcing either April 23 or April 30 with close friend Terrence Ross announcing along with him. With Lamb likely headed to UK, Ross will probably choose elsewhere, but I have changed my opinion on Jones: I think Cal will sell him on leaving the West Coast to play in his system.

Josh Selby

Selby, like Lamb, is announcing his college decision during the first half Saturday. He’s listing UK, but that’s just window dressing. He has not been a prime target for Cal ever since Knight starting looking like a UK lock. Selby will almost certainly pick Kansas, with Tennessee as a second possible destination.

John Calipari is in NYC this weekend, because there just aren’t many occasions when your three top remaining prospects are in one place in one time. It has been a long wait, but things are beginning to shake out and another domino will fall in the first half tomorrow.

One other separate note about Patrick Patterson: WLEX reports that Patterson will hold a press conference next week to announce his final decision about his future. Patterson will almost certainly announce he will take his game to the NBA and it is sure to be emotional for one of the most beloved players in UK history.