Look back/ahead to the Top 100 College Basketball recruits in the SEC

[jbcarol]

 Jimmy Buckets @JimmyWhitt33  ·  3h 3 hours ago

https://instagram.com/p/3Cx10IOyiD/  done deal

When the call you Jimmy "Buckets" Whitt at graduation 😏😎

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  2h 2 hours ago
Kansas, North Carolina, Duke, UCLA, Kentucky in mix for 7-footer DeAndre Ayton http://zagsblog.com/articles/deandre-ayton-consensus-no-1-in-2017-wide-open-on-schools/ ...

Consensus No. 1 in 2017, Wide Open on Schools

[jbcarol]

 Matt Jones @KySportsRadio  ·  4h 4 hours ago

Malik Newman explains why Mississippi State http://bit.ly/1J2Qumv  #BBN

Newman writes, "Everyone knows that my dad played at Mississippi State back in the day and it's cool to me to be able to play at the same school. I won't be wearing his number or anything like that because I'm my own person and my own man. I want to create my own legacy there. He just drew out the blueprint for me playing there!"

The five-star combo guard also says he was hit with vulgar tweets from upset fans...

http://usatodayhss.com/2015/malik-newman-mississippi-state-malik-newman-mixtape-callaway-high-school-malik-newman

[jbcarol]

 Kyle Tucker @KyleTucker_CJ  ·  56m 56 minutes ago

Hard to believe now, but in December of 2012, ESPN's Chad Ford thought Poythress could go No. 1 in the 2013 draft. http://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/kentucky/2015/05/27/uk-rewind-alex-poythress-never-planned-senior-acl-injury/28034333/ ...

Poythress' freakish athleticism shined early in his freshman season – he dropped 20 points and eight rebounds on Duke in his second career game – but a series of disappearing acts quickly followed and continued throughout his time with the Cats. Believe it or not, in December of 2012, ESPN's Chad Ford had him rated the fifth-best prospect for the 2013 NBA Draft.

"I actually think Poythress may have a shot at the No. 1 pick," Ford told The Courier-Journal then.

By the end of that season, though, Poythress was a projected second-rounder. His stock has stayed there ever since. Still, he likely would've given the pros a go if he hadn't torn up his left knee in practice after playing just eight games last season.

Thanks to that injury, despite 649 points, 410 rebounds and 55 blocks in 81 career games, he's back for one last ride and with plenty left to prove. After a first-round NIT loss, an NCAA title game appearance and an undefeated run to the Final Four that he mostly watched from the sideline, Poythress is looking for a happy ending...

RS-Jr will be in UK's graduate school

[jbcarol]

Observations: Vandy center Damian Jones will be force in the SEC

Kevin Stallings has repeatedly said Damian Jones has a chance to be the best post player he has ever coached, and next season should be the one when he earns national prominence. Jones (6-foot-10) tallied a solid 14.4 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 56.4 percent from the field last season at Vanderbilt, but was never really on the national radar in terms of being mentioned among the elite post players. That should change next season.

The Commodores will return everyone of significance from a group that won 21 games and advanced to the Postseason NIT, giving Stallings the type of depth he needs to get Vanderbilt back into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012. The focal point of this team will be Jones, a burly big man with soft hands who figures to challenge for all-SEC first-team honors as a junior...

'13 Baton Rouge Scotlandville Magnet PF was a consensus top 90 overall player and top 25 PF in his class.

[jbcarol]

Josh Gershon ‏@JoshGershon  20h20 hours ago
The 17 finalists for the USA 16u team. They'll eventually cut to 12.

[jbcarol]

Kyle Tucker ‏@KyleTucker_CJ 28m28 minutes ago

In our continuing series on UK's returning players, @DraftExpress has Marcus Lee late 1st round in 2016. He explains: courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/kentucky/2015/06/01/uk-rewind-classmates-gone-marcus-lee-ready-break-kentucky-basketball/28323543/ ...

A record six McDonald's All-Americans signed with Kentucky in the Class of 2013. They helped lead the Cats to consecutive Final Four appearances, including a national title game in 2014 and a 38-0 start in 2015. But now they're almost all gone.

James Young and Julius Randle were one-and-done stars, while the Harrison twins and Dakari Johnson entered this year's draft. So that leaves Lee – in some ways the forgotten member...

A former volleyball player who blocked more than 500 shots in high school – he averaged 9.1 per game as a junior – Lee is ridiculously long and athletic and has terrific timing on takeoffs. At UK's on-campus combine for NBA scouts last fall, he registered a wingspan of 7 feet, 3 inches (same as 7-footer Willie Caulye-Stein) and a vertical leap of 38 ½ inches.

There have been glimpses of greatness from him in college, most notably that crazy Elite Eight game against Michigan his freshman season. With Cauley-Stein lost in the previous game to a season-ending ankle injury, Lee came off the bench and out of nowhere to deliver 10 points and eight rebounds in just 15 minutes.

It was a spectacular, high-flying display: seven offensive rebounds, four emphatic dunks and two blocked shots. The Cats hope, obviously, that with a larger role will come more performances like that one. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com is betting on it. He projects Lee to go 29th overall – late in the first round – of the 2016 NBA Draft.

"It's hard to find guys like him, who are that bouncy and that long," Givony said. "I mean, who knows? We're really far off, but I think he's a prospect. He started play basketball late (sic), was a volleyball player, and he hasn't really gotten much of a chance at Kentucky."

Lee is still on the skinny side. He had just 4.1 percent body fat last fall (no big man at this year's NBA combine was lower) and pushed up only eight reps of 185 pounds on the bench press...

Lee also needs to carve out some time to work on his skills. So far 43 of his 73 made field goals in college have been dunks. According to hoop-math.com, 74 percent of his shot attempts last season came around the rim and only 26 percent qualified as "jumpers." He made just 15.8 percent of those.

[jbcarol]

USA Basketball ‏@usabasketball 1h1 hour ago Colorado Springs, CO

Here it is, the official announcement naming the 2015 USA U16 National Team! #USABMU16 READ: http://bit.ly/15mu16team 

Named to the 2015 USA U16 National Team were: Jordan Brown (Woodcreek H.S./ Roseville, Calif.); Wendell Carter Jr. (Pace Academy/Fairburn, Ga.); Jalen Hill (Corona Centennial H.S./Corona, Calif.); Markus Howard (Findlay Prep, Nev./Chandler, Ariz.); Tre Jones (Apple Valley H.S./Appel Valley, Minn.); Kevin Knox II (Tampa Catholic H.S./Tampa, Fla.); Jaylen Nowell (Garfield H.S./Seattle, Wash.); Ja'Vonte Smart (Scotlandville HS/Baton Rouge, La.); Gary Trent Jr. (Apple Valley H.S./Apple Valley, Minn.); Jarred Vanderbilt (Victory Prep School/Houston, Texas); Connor Vanover (Arkansas Baptist H.S./Little Rock, Ark.); and Robert Woodard (Columbus H.S./Columbus, Miss.).

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria ‏@AdamZagoria 5h5 hours ago

Canadian Point Guard Jamal Murray Visiting Oregon Beginning Thursday http://zagsblog.com/articles/canadian-point-guard-jamal-murray-visiting-oregon-beginning-wednesday/ ... via @adamzagoria

[jbcarol]

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein  8h8 hours ago
Great job by @EvanDaniels and his team on this updated Top 100 for the Class of 2016. A MUST read before July: http://foxs.pt/1Mt2qhD

5. KOBI SIMMONS
St. Francis HS / 6'5" / 170 lbs

7. MALIK MONK
Bentonville HS / 6'4" / 180 lbs  #1 SG

10. JOSH LANGFORD
Madison Academy / 6'5" / 200 lbs

[jbcarol]

Rob Harrington ‏@Rob_Harrington  17h17 hours ago
Roundtable: Scout national team discusses big risers in our new rankings | http://www.scout.com/college/basketball/recruiting/story/1552475-roundtable-making-the-leap ... |

JONATHAN ISAAC
IMG Academy / 6'9" / 190 lbs

Daniels: We already had Jonathan Isaac ranked in the high 40s, but I think his move up our list — to No. 14 — caught many off guard. I think people in the industry realized he needed to be ranked higher than where we had him, but I think he's the type of prospect you make an aggressive play with. At 6-foot-9 (and maybe still growing), he's so mobile, athletic and skilled. He has an impressive set of tools and his best days are clearly ahead of him.
Isaac's current school list includes Auburn, LSU, Texas, Florida State, Wisconsin, Michigan, Miami, California, Kentucky, Stanford, Wake Forest and Virginia.

J.J. CALDWELL
Cypress Woods HS / 5'11" / 175 lbs  A&M

Gershon: Someone who made a big jump in the rankings was J.J. Caldwell, a 5-foot-11, 175-pound point guard from Houston Cypress Woods. A year ago, while Caldwell had good ball skills and vision, he was sometimes out of control and it was tough to bet too big on him.
Now, however, the Texas A&M commit has shown a much better feel and is proving himself as one of the top point guards in the 2016 class. He's a very creative and impressive passer and someone who is now using that ability to consistently make those around him better.

[jbcarol]

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN 2h2 hours ago

New ESPN Class of 2016 rankings expanded to Top 100. I LOVE the top three guys on the list. Studs: http://espn.go.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/playerrankings/_/class/2016 ...

5. Malik Monk

81. Jordan Harris   UGa

86. Tyree Crump   UGa

96. JJ Caldwell      A&M

[jbcarol]

Scout Recruiting ‏@scoutrecruiting 20h20 hours ago

With the spring over and summer coming, Scout's updated basketball 2016 top 100 rankings! http://on.scout.com/O2JIs 

[jbcarol]

Some of the top rated '12 basketball recruits who will not be playing in the SEC in '15-16

Devonta Pollard  Bama -> JC -> Houston  #28 '12 Kemper Co. SF  (Mom's kidnapping case)
Braxton Ogbueze  UF -> Charlotte  #50 '12 Charlotte United Faith Christian Academy PG
Jordan Price        AU - LaSalle  #61 '12  Southwest DeKalb SG
J-Mychal Reese   A&M -> No. Texas  #73 '12  Bryan PG
Shaq Johnson     AU -> Longwood  #99 '12 Alpharetta Milton SG

[jbcarol]

Three players withdraw from United States U19 training camp

Diamond Stone, one of the top incoming freshmen, withdrew from the camp as did 2016 prospects Tyus Battle (Michigan commit) and Malik Monk...

Coaches Donnie Bostwick (Southwest Assemblies of God), Kerry Keating (Santa Clara) and LeVelle Moton (North Carolina Central) are serving as court coaches during the training camp.

[jbcarol]

One of the top rated '13 basketball recruits who will not be playing in the SEC in '15-16

Johnathan Williams III  Mizzou -> Zags  #55 Memphis Southwind PF

Note: 9 of the top 16 players in the recruiting class of '13 are SEC players who have since declared for the NCAA draft.

[jbcarol]

Evan Daniels ‏@EvanDaniels 19h19 hours ago

Scout's Nike Elite 100 Coverage -C's & PF's: http://tinyurl.com/nmdnz9z  -PG's & Combos: http://tinyurl.com/pyw9y7j  -Wings: http://tinyurl.com/p4gcpue

[jbcarol]

USA Basketball has announced the 12-man team that will be heading to Greece for the U-19 tournament, and it's will likely end up being one of the younger teams in attendance. Nine of the 12 players have yet to play a second of college basketball while there are four members of the Class of 2016 on the roster:

Isaiah Briscoe, Fr., Kentucky

Jalen Brunson, Fr., Villanova

Jawun Evans, Fr., Oklahoma State

Terrance Ferguson, Class of 2016

Harry Giles, Class of 2016

Josh Jackson, Class of 2016

Chinanu Onauku, So., Louisville

L.J. Peak, So., Georgetown

Caleb Swanigan, Fr., Purdue

Allonzo Trier, Fr., Arizona

Thomas Welsh, So., UCLA

The final four cuts — all of whom are rising sophomores — were made on Wednesday afternoon: Justin Bibbs (Virginia Tech), Brekkot Chapman (Utah), Vince Edwards (Purdue), Riley LaChance (Vanderbilt).

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria ‏@AdamZagoria 12m12 minutes ago Manhattan, NY

Bookmark this for all your @usabasketball U19 news: Isaiah Briscoe Injury / Josh Jackson / Jayson Tatum / Harry Giles http://zagsblog.com/usa-basketball

Incoming Kentucky point guard Isaiah Briscoe will miss the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship after suffering a concussion during the USA's Thursday morning practice in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Six-foot-6 guard Justin Bibbs has been added to the USA U19 World Championship Team roster in place of Briscoe.

"I feel very bad for Isaiah. He had a tremendous attitude and was one of our overall best players and one of our leaders of the team," said USA U19 head coach Sean Miller (Arizona).

[jbcarol]

Evan Daniels ‏@EvanDaniels 33m33 minutes ago Charlottesville, VA

Who stood out last night at NBPA? | Adebayo, Goodin, Diakite, Simpson + more | Top Performers: http://www.scout.com/college/basketball/recruiting/story/1556941-nbpa-day-3-evening-update ...

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The third and final full day of action at the annual NBPA Top 100 Camp concluded on Friday evening...

Edrice Adebayo
Northside HS / 6'9" / 230 lbs

    Position C
    C Rank3

He's 6-foot-9, has long arms, good athleticism, broad shoulders and overall elite frame for a center. Take a big time physical presence and add a motor and you have a high level prospect.

Adebayo holds offers from presumed favorite NC State, North Carolina, Kansas, Maryland, Wake Forest and Louisville.


Quentin Goodin
Taylor Co HS / 6'2" / 175 lbs

    PositionPG
    PG Rank15

Quentin Goodin, played his best game of the event as he scored 20 points on 8-for-14 shooting.

Goodin, a 6-foot-2 strongly built guard, picked his spots to showcase both his scoring and passing. He was assertive and effective when he had opportunities to drive the ball and scored at the rim, both in the half court and in transition. Goodin also tossed in a floater and multiple long-range shots. To go with his scoring, Goodin showed his vision and made crisp, on-target passes. This was one of Goodin's better performances of the spring and summer.

Among the schools involved in Goodin's recruitment are Xavier, Western Kentucky, Miami, Michigan, Butler, Indiana and Louisville.


Miles Bridges
Huntington Prep / 6'7" / 220 lbs

    Position SF
    SF Rank 7

Currently, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, Iowa State, Indiana, North Carolina, NC State and Louisville are on the recruiting list for Bridges who won't decide until the fall.

[jbcarol]

Evan Daniels ‏@EvanDaniels  7h7 hours ago
Quentin Goodin narrows list to five | Story: http://www.scout.com/college/basketball/recruiting/story/1557726-goodin-is-down-to-five ...

[jbcarol]

Scout Recruiting ‏@scoutrecruiting Jun 24

Scout's Basketball recruiting staff went back to the board and updated our 2017 Top 75! http://on.scout.com/OKf3f 



3. Michael Porter
Tolton Catholic / 6'8" / 205 lbs  Position SF Rank 1

2017 Top 75
   

[jbcarol]

Craig Pinkerton ‏@SEC_Craig 8h8 hours ago

Each of the six first team all-@SEC players available for the NBA Draft were selected in the 40 picks

[jbcarol]

Recruiting ratings for the SEC players selected in the 2015 NBA Draft

Karl-Anthony Towns, UK     '14  9th overall (97), #3 C, #1 in the East and NJ
Willie Cauley-Stein, UK       '12 40th overall (95, 4-star), #11 C, #2 KS, #9 Midlands
Trey Lyles, UK                  '14  6th overall (97), #2 PF, #1 IN, #4 Midwest
Devin Booker, UK               '14 18th overall (93), #3 SG, #1 MS, #5 Southeast
Bobby Portis, AR                '13 16th overall (92), #7 PF, #1 AR, #5 Southeast
Jarell Martin, LS                 '13 11th overall (93), #3 PF, #1 LA, #2 Southeast
Jordan Mickey, LS              '13  38th overall (88), #12 PF, #5 TX, #5 Midlands
Josh Richardson, UT           '11 (90)                   #40 SF
Andrew Harrison, UK           '13  5th overall (96), #1 PG, #2 TX and the Midlands
Dakari Johnson, UK             '13  7th overall (95), #2 C, #1 East and NY

[jbcarol]

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein 11h11 hours ago

Tough not to think about Trevor Lacey right now. Could have been ACC POY candidate and potential AA if he retuned (sic) to NC State. Undrafted.


Bama transfer

[jbcarol]

Matt Jones ‏@KySportsRadio  6h6 hours ago

Deandre Liggins will play in the NBA Summer League with the Sacramento Kings

Phoenix Suns have added Josh Harrellson to their NBA Summer League team

@AlexKennedyNBA: I'm hearing Darius Miller will play summer league with the Dallas Mavericks.

[jbcarol]

Some of those higher rated SEC players who were not drafted by an NBA team

Aaron Harrison    10th in the 2010 class  UK     Clutch in '14 NCAA-T; 30% 3P% in '15
Chris Walker       12th in the 2013 class  UF     Left early against advise
Devonta Pollard  28th in the 2012 class  Bama  Mom's kidnapping of young child hurt him
Jamal Branch      51st in the 2011 class  A&M   Completed eligibility at St. John's

[jbcarol]

Re-ranking recruiting classes: Who are the 25 best players from the Class of 2004?

Here are the [SEC reps +2 among the] 25 best players from the Class of 2004, with their final Rivals Top 150 ranking in parentheses

1. Dwight Howard (No. 1)

3. Rajon Rondo (No. 25): Rondo has never been the easiest player to deal with, but there's no questioning his ability. He was the starting point guard for the 2008 NBA champion Celtics and a four-time All-Star that was routinely among league leaders in assists and steals. He was traded to Dallas in the middle of the season.

4. Joakim Noah (No. 75): After three seasons at Florida — which included back-to-back national titles in 2006 and 2007 — Noah was the No. 9 pick in 2007. He's since developed into one of the best centers in the NBA, having made a pair of All-Star teams, even getting named a first-team All-NBA center in 2014.

5. Al Horford (No. 36): Like Noah, Horford went from winning back-to-back NCAA titles to going top ten in the 2007 NBA Draft. And like Noah, he's developed into one of the best big men in the league. He's dealt with injury issues throughout his career, but he is a three-time All-Star.

8. Al Jefferson (No. 4): Jefferson was the 15th pick in 2004 after bypassing college and entering the NBA Draft.

13. DeMarre Carroll (No. 148): Carroll spent five years in college — two at Vandy, two and a redshirt season at Missouri — before getting picked at the end of the first round in 2009. It took him a while to find his role in the league, but he was a key piece in Atlanta's emergence as an Eastern Conference contender the last two seasons.

14. Corey Brewer (No. 31): After winning back-to-back national titles with the Gators alongside Noah and Horford, Brewer went seventh in the 2007 NBA Draft. He's managed to remain a starter on the wing for playoff caliber teams. Brewer was traded to Houston during the 2014-15 season and averaged 11.2 points for the Rockets during their playoff run.

15. Glen Davis (No. 13): A second round pick out of LSU in 2007, Big Baby won an NBA title with the Celtics as a rookie in 2008. He's since blossomed into an solid role player in the NBA, spending four seasons with the Celtics before heading to Orlando. He spent this past season as a bench player with the Clippers.

24. Tyrus Thomas (UR): Thomas exploded onto the college scene in 2005-06 as a redshirt freshman, helping LSU to the Final Four and playing his way into a top four pick. His best season in the league came in his third year, as he averaged 10.8 points and 6.4 boards. He played two games for Memphis in 2014-15. He's made more than $37 million in his career.

NOTABLES

Sebatian Telfair (No. 6)
Randolph Morris (No. 10)
Toney "Toni Tone" Douglas (No. 66)

[jbcarol]

Rob Dauster ‏@RobDauster 47m47 minutes ago

Re-ranking recruiting classes: Who are the 25 best players from the Class of 2005? http://wp.me/p1aWjM-2e1B

1. Monta Ellis (No. 3): Since entering the league out of high school Ellis has been a potent scorer

16. Alonzo Gee (No. 33): Playing with Denver this past season, Gee has been in the league six seasons after going undrafted out of Alabama

Tyler Smith (34)

[jbcarol]

Re-ranking the recruiting classes: Who are the 25 best players from the Class of 2006?

1. Kevin Durant (2): This is an easy choice.
2. Stephen Curry (NR)
3. Russell Westbrook (NR)
5. Mike Conley Jr. (18)

15. Patrick Beverley (65): Beverley's career at Arkansas ended after his sophomore season due to an academic issue, and since then he's been a solid pro both overseas and now in the NBA. Currently a free agent, Beverley averaged 10.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game in Houston before injuring his knee this past season.

16. Jodie Meeks (39): Meeks was a four-star recruit entering Kentucky, and by the time he left Lexington he made 177 three-pointers and held the school record for points in a game (54) and made three-pointers in a game (10). Since then Meeks has played for five NBA teams, averaging 9.9 points per game.

18. Marreese Speights (51): Speights was a role player on Florida's 2007 national title team, and as a sophomore he averaged 14.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per contest...

25. Greg Oden (1)

Notables: Jarvis Varnado (62)

[jbcarol]

Rob Dauster ‏@RobDauster 5h5 hours ago

Rob Dauster retweeted CollegeBasketbllTalk

Pretty incredible how few players from a given recruiting class actually have extended NBA careers


CollegeBasketbllTalk@CBTonNBC

Re-ranking the recruiting classes: Who are the 25 best players in the Class of 2007? http://wp.me/p1aWjM-2e3S

1. Derrick Rose (3)

3. Blake Griffin (23)

6. DeAndre Jordan (Eight): Say what you want about the development of Jordan's offensive skill set, he's been a high-level rebounder and defender in the NBA after playing a season at Texas A&M. Currently working his way through free agency, Jordan's a two-time NBA rebounding champion and was third team All-NBA this past season.

7. Chandler Parsons (19): Parsons is one of the few players on this list who spent four seasons in college, earning SEC Player of the Year honors at Florida in 2011. As a pro he's played in Houston and Dallas, averaging 14.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game for his career.

8. O.J. Mayo (4)

11. Patrick Patterson (17): Patterson played three seasons at Kentucky, averaging at least 14.3 points per game in each of those campaigns. From there it was on to the NBA, where he's developed into a dependable option who can serve as a stretch four. Patterson's averaging 8.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest as an NBA player.

16. Nick Calathes (14): Calathes joined Parsons at Florida but wasn't there nearly as long, leaving the school for the pro ranks after earning first team All-SEC honors as a sophomore. Calathes has played in both Europe and the NBA, most recently serving as Mike Conley Jr.'s backup in Memphis.

22. Festus (145): After spending five seasons at Vanderbilt, redshirting as a freshman, Ezeli's been able to earn some playing time with the champion Golden State Warriors in each of his first two seasons as a pro. Ezeli was a second team All-SEC selection in 2011.

[jbcarol]

Re-ranking the recruiting classes: Who are the 25 best players in the Class of 2008?

1. Paul George ([UnRanked)

10. Brandon Jennings (4) – Jennings famously played his lone season before the NBA in overseas instead of college and he's carved out a nice career so far with the Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons.

11. Tyreke Evans (6)

Notables
Byron Mullens (1)
DeAndre Liggins (28)
Trey Thompkins (30)
Darius Miller (42)
Jeff Taylor (52)
Kim English (111)

Tough stretch for the SEC

[jbcarol]

Here are the 25 best players from the Class of 2009, with their final Rivals Top 150 ranking in parentheses:

1. Kawhi Leonard (No. 48

2. John Wall (No. 1): Wall's ascension came during the summer before his senior season in college, as he became the nation's top recruit, spending one season as Kentucky before going No. 1 overall in the 2010 draft. He's always been able to put up numbers, but it wasn't until the last two seasons where he was able to get the Wizards to the NBA Playoffs. This year, a broken wrist might have cost him a trip to the conference finals.

3. DeMarcus Cousins (No. 2): Cousins averaged 24.1 points, 12.7 boards, 3.6 assists and 1.7 blocks for the Kings last season. He's a top five talent in the NBA. He's also never played in a playoff game. I believe "enigmatic" is the PC word to use here.

4. Khris Middleton (No. 140): Middleton played three seasons at Texas A&M before heading off to the NBA. He was a second round pick that played 27 games with Detroit as a rookie. Then, after joining the Bucks, he found his groove, becoming a starting wing that averaged 13.4 points this past season. He just inked a deal with $70 million over the next five years.

5. Derrick Favors (No. 3)

6. Eric Bledsoe (No. 23): Bledsoe was impressive enough in his one season at Kentucky to get picked 11th in the 2010 NBA Draft. After three seasons backing up Chris Paul with the Clippers, he was traded to the Suns in the deal that brought J.J. Redick to LA. The last two years, he's averaged 17 points, six assists and five boards.

NOTABLES

Renardo Sidney (No. 16)
John Jenkins (No. 15)
Daniel Orton (No. 22)
Erik Murphy (No. 79)

[jbcarol]

CollegeBasketbllTalk ‏@CBTonNBC 3h3 hours ago

Re-ranking Recruiting Classes: Who are the 25 best players from the Class of 2010? http://wp.me/p1aWjM-2e7L

Here are the 25 best players from the Class of 2010, with their final Rivals Top 150 ranking in parentheses:

1. Kyrie Irving (No. 4)

3. Brandon Knight (No. 6): Knight helped lead Kentucky to the 2011 Final Four before going eighth in the 2011 draft. He's played with Detroit, Milwaukee and Phoenix, with whom he signed a long-term deal this month, and has averaged 17 points and five assists over the last two years.

6. Jared Sullinger (No. 5)

8. Enes Kanter (No. 3): Kanter never was declared eligible with Kentucky...

9. Tobias Harris (No. 7): After one unremarkable season with Tennessee, Harris was the 19th pick in the 2011 draft. His fourth season in the NBA was his best, as he averaged 17.1 points for the Magic.

10. Terrence Jones (No. 13): Jones underwhelmed during his two seasons with Kentucky, failing to live up to his hype and a freshman and thriving in a role on the 2012 national champs. He went 18th in the 2012 draft, find a role as a starting power forward with Houston the last two seasons.

11. Terrence Ross (No. 48)

12. Jordan Clarkson (UR): Clarkson put up big numbers without much acclaim in three years at Tulsa and Missouri. He was a second round pick of the Lakers in 2014, going on to average 11.9 points and 3.5 assists while getting named to the NBA All-Rookie 1st team.

19. Phil Pressey (No. 61): Pressey lasted three seasons in Missouri before turning pro. He went undrafted in 2013, but he latched on with the Celtics, playing in 125 games over the course of the last two seasons.

NOTABLES

Josh Selby (No. 1)
Tony Mitchell (No. 12)
Jelan Kendrick (No. 15)
Will Barton (No. 11)
Doron Lamb (No. 21)
Aaron Craft (No. 111)

[jbcarol]

Raphielle Johnson ‏@raphiellej 7h7 hours ago

Re-ranking Recruiting Classes: Who are the 25 best players in the Class of 2011? http://wp.me/p1aWjM-2e8g

Here are the 25 best players from the Class of 2011, with their final Rivals Top 150 ranking in parentheses:

1. Anthony Davis (2): This is an easy choice. Davis was the Most Outstanding Player on Kentucky's national title team in 2012 and then picked first overall by New Orleans in the 2012 NBA Draft. He hasn't slowed down either, emerging as one of the top players in the NBA and leading the Pelicans to the playoffs this past season.

2. Bradley Beal (4): Like Davis, Beal spent one season playing in the SEC as he was part of a Florida team that reached the Elite Eight. From there it was off to Washington, where he's combined with John Wall to form the Wizards' backcourt of the present and future.

8. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (3): Kidd-Gilchrist teamed up with Davis on a loaded Kentucky team to win a national title in 2012, then moved on to the NBA where he was the second overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. Always a good defender, Kidd-Gilchrist has worked to improve his abilities as a shooter since entering the NBA and wound up averaging 10.9 points per game last season.

9. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (12): Caldwell-Pope took a major leap forward in his second season as a pro, averaging 12.7 points per game for the Pistons in 2014-15 (5.9 ppg as a rookie). Prior to that KCP played two seasons at Georgia, where he was SEC Player of the Year in 2013 after averaging 18.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.

14. Jabari Brown (19): Brown didn't last all that long at Oregon, transferring to Missouri after playing just two games in Eugene. Once at Mizzou the shooting guard became of the SEC's top perimeter players as a junior in 2014 (first team All-SEC; 19.9 ppg). After spending time in the NBA D-League Brown's now with the Lakers, where he averaged 11.9 points per game this season.

19. Rodney Hood (16): Hood was an SEC All-Rookie Team selection at Mississippi State before transferring to Duke, where he played one season under Mike Krzyzewski. A first round pick in the 2014 NBA Draft by Utah, Hood averaged 8.7 points per game as a rookie.

20. Frank Kaminsky (UR)

21. Kyle Wiltjer (22): Wiltjer still has another season left to play in college, but he's put together a solid resume at that level. As a freshman he was part of a national champion squad at Kentucky, following that up with SEC Sixth Man of the Year honors as a sophomore. He transferred following the 2012-13 season, and after sitting out a year Wiltjer was both WCC Newcomer of the Year and a second team All-American at Gonzaga in 2014-15.

24. Johnny O'Bryant III (46): O'Bryant played three seasons at LSU, where he was a first team All-SEC choice in both 2013 and 2014. A second-round pick of the Bucks in the 2014 NBA Draft, O'Bryant played 10.8 minutes per game (34 games played) as a rookie on a team that reached the playoffs.

Notables:

Marquis Teague (5)
Josh Richardson (124)
Marcus Thornton (UR)

[jbcarol]

Rob Dauster ‏@RobDauster Jul 12

Pet peeve: calling two elite recruits going to the same school a "package deal". They are friends that want to go to school together.

A "package deal" means you HAVE to take the bum if you want to get the superstar.

[jbcarol]

Harry Giles ‏@TheReal_HG3 13h13 hours ago

Top 5 Schools No Order                                North Carolina
Duke
Kentucky
Kansas
Wake Forest

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria ‏@AdamZagoria 3h3 hours ago

Updated High School Transfer List w/ Andre Rafus to [Roselle Catholic]
http://zagsblog.com/articles/high-profile-high-school-transfers/ ...

Playa                          New School                       Old School                 Class/College

Braxton Blackwell     Oak Hill Academy (VA)     Nashville (TN) C.P.A.     2016/TBD
         

[jbcarol]

Anthony Wireman ‏@awireman 22h22 hours ago

Former Kentucky and Georgia State point guard Ryan Harrow has signed a pro basketball contract in Greece: http://www.allkyhoops.com/2015/07/ryan-harrow-signs-professional-contract.html ...

Ryan Harrow was a top 40 player in the '10 class out of Marietta.  He originally signed with NC State b/4 transferring to UK.

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik ‏@Steve_Walentik 15h15 hours ago

Steve Walentik retweeted Trail Blazers

Ex-#Mizzou PG Phil Pressey changing coasts as he continues his NBA career, signs with Portland after leaving Boston.

Flip was within a few spots of Ryan Harrow in the '10 class out of the Episcopal School of Dallas.

[jbcarol]

 Adam Zagoria ‏@AdamZagoria 8h8 hours ago

2016 G Quentin Goodin @Goodin_3 takes an official to Xavier this weekend Aug. 1-2.

[jbcarol]

 CollegeBasketbllTalk ‏@CBTonNBC 6h6 hours ago

Highlights of Bol Bol, 15 year old son of Manute Bol (VIDEO) http://wp.me/p1aWjM-2elc

[nwahogfan1]

Lots of holes to fill this year.  Lots of playing time to offer.  Will new BB facility help us sign a great class?   Just curious about your optimism on BB recruiting this November. 

Do we sign Monk?   Best guess on who else?

[Hawg Red]

I went with one.

[-Blu]

If your talking about top 100 in high school.  I would probably say 0 - 1 in November, with 4 signees.  I think Daryl Macon and Mitchell Smith for sure will be signed.  Then I would say 2 guys from the list of Eric Curry, DeAndre Hunter, Adrio Bailey, Josh Parrish, Jaylen Fisher, and Arlando Cook.  Those are the guys I think we have a legit chance with right now, and I'm sure there's probably a couple names we don't know about we have a shot with as well.

Overall I think this class will consist of at least 6 players.  I think it'll end with 2 top 100 players, 1-2 top 15 JUCO, and 3-4 guys hovering around the top 150-175 ish area.

[RazorPiggie]

If your talking about top 100 in high school.  I would probably say 0 - 1 in November, with 4 signees.  I think Daryl Macon and Mitchell Smith for sure will be signed.  Then I would say 2 guys from the list of Eric Curry, DeAndre Hunter, Adrio Bailey, Josh Parrish, Jaylen Fisher, and Arlando Cook.  Those are the guys I think we have a legit chance with right now, and I'm sure there's probably a couple names we don't know about we have a shot with as well.

Overall I think this class will consist of at least 6 players.  I think it'll end with 2 top 100 players, 1-2 top 15 JUCO, and 3-4 guys hovering around the top 150-175 ish area.

So no Monk?

[-Blu]

So no Monk?

Definitely not in the fall, he's made it clear he's signing in the late period.  We'll have a shot in the Spring.  I'm being optimistic he'll end up a Hog. I included him in that "2 top 100 players" I think we'll land.

[RazorPiggie]

Definitely not in the fall, he's made it clear he's signing in the late period.  We'll have a shot in the Spring.  I'm being optimistic he'll end up a Hog. I included him in that "2 top 100 players" I think we'll land.

Ah ok.

[Pig in the Pokey]

If your talking about top 100 in high school.  I would probably say 0 - 1 in November, with 4 signees.  I think Daryl Macon and Mitchell Smith for sure will be signed.  Then I would say 2 guys from the list of Eric Curry, DeAndre Hunter, Adrio Bailey, Josh Parrish, Jaylen Fisher, and Arlando Cook.  Those are the guys I think we have a legit chance with right now, and I'm sure there's probably a couple names we don't know about we have a shot with as well.

Overall I think this class will consist of at least 6 players.  I think it'll end with 2 top 100 players, 1-2 top 15 JUCO, and 3-4 guys hovering around the top 150-175 ish area.

that would be straight, especially if we can somehow pull Tyler Cook and 2 from your list plus land Monk. That would erase our dispair.

[-Blu]

that would be straight, especially if we can somehow pull Tyler Cook and 2 from your list plus land Monk. That would erase our dispair.

Tyler Cook is high on my list.  He's my favorite target other than Monk.  But, he's got a lot of Mizzou connections, hard to ignore that, it's going to be tough to pull him away.  Most people think he's a lock for them, but I wouldn't eliminate him yet, but that's just my personal opinion.  One thing I will say if he doesn't go to Mizzou I really really like our chances of landing him.