UK Recruiting

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/GoodmanESPN/status/636223126087565312

http://www.verbalcommits.com/players/marques-bolden

'16 6-10 DeSoto C

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https://twitter.com/MrsTylerKSR/status/635931745259515904


@UKsoftball

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https://twitter.com/EvanDaniels/status/636714304637665280

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https://twitter.com/vaughtsviews/status/637320512457195520

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https://twitter.com/KyleTucker_CJ/status/637767632247259137

https://twitter.com/JordanKobi/status/637755860614180865

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/NextCats/status/637257962474618880

Coach John Calipari sent out scholarship offers to De'Aaron Fox and Dennis Smith Jr. – two other five-star point guards in the 2016 class – and longtime UK target Malik Monk has said that the Wildcats have told him he can run the point in college, too.

As a result, several reports have indicated that Calipari has cooled on Simmons.

Not so, says his father.

"It's just funny to me that people think that," said Demond Stephens. "Cal talks to me. Kenny (Payne) talks to me. We talk every day."

Stephens knows the recruiting game.

He's spent the past several years as a coach with the highly successful Atlanta Celtics AAU program, which featured Simmons among other elite prospects this summer and has sent many players to major colleges in years past.

Stephens has helped some of those players manage the recruiting process, and Simmons has been there to see how it works.

So their reaction to hearing that Calipari offered scholarships to players at the same position wasn't one of alarm or even surprise.

They understand it's strictly business.

"How can a kid at this level of basketball expect a coach not to recruit other kids?" Stephens said. "He hasn't signed a letter of intent. He hasn't signed any scholarship papers. They still have to keep (their schools) going. And he can't go to all of them, so they all have to recruit.

"You can't expect these coaches to just sit and say, 'Well I'm going to pray that you're going to pick me.' No. 'I'm going to go recruit, and if you pick me, you do. And if you don't, I've got another one.'"

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/AdamZagoria/status/638353786663272448

Marques Bolden, a 6-foot-10 power forward/center from DeSoto (TX), has cut his list to seven schools and will take an official visit to Kentucky on Wednesday.

Bolden is down to Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, Oklahoma, TCU, Alabama and Wake Forest

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/sn_ncaab/status/638734920874094592

[jbcarol]

Matt Jones ‏@KySportsRadio 13h13 hours ago

John Calipari tells the Sporting News what the most important key to his recruiting  success is: http://bit.ly/1KIMrh6

"You've got to sit on the same side of the table as them. And if you help them get what they want, you'll get more than you need," Calipari $aid. "But you've got to be about them; not your organization, not yourself, not your staff. You've got to be about them. I learned that as I went through the process.

"I used to say, 'We're young. People will say we're too young, but they won't have energy, they won't have the relationship, they won't be about you like I will. I am young, and I'm younger than all these guys.' Now I'm old. Now I have to say, 'I'm old enough that I have the experience, I can help you.'"

[jbcarol]

Ben Roberts ‏@NextCats Sep 2

UK basketball commitment Sacha Killeya-Jones now ranked 16th, 26th, 29th and 31st by the major recruiting services http://bit.ly/1EBAeK5

[jbcarol]

Ben Roberts ‏@NextCats 13h13 hours ago

.@jerrymeyer247 currently has UK landing Fox, Bridges, Simmons and Alkins. He talks about each of those recruitments http://bit.ly/1ivwLTe

Meyer is predicting five-star combo guard Malik Monk to home-state Arkansas...

[jbcarol]

Evan Daniels ‏@EvanDaniels 37m37 minutes ago

John Calipari stopped by Oak Hill to see Harry Giles yesterday, plus did an in-home visit with his mother, per multiple sources.

[jbcarol]

Matt Jones ‏@KySportsRadio 13h13 hours ago

Some 2016 UK Basketball recruiting tidbits, including feelings on Miles Bridges, De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk: http://kentuckysportsradio.com/main/basketball-recruiting-update-bridges-falling-down/ ...

Don't feel nearly as confident about UK getting Miles Bridges as I once did...think Michigan State may be in the driver's seat

I feel good about Kentucky's chances with star Point Guard De'Aaron Fox. He is the best point guard in America and I think John Calipari has done a great job moving the Cats to the top of the list. It is still a dog fight to get his services...

[jbcarol]

Kyle Tucker ‏@KyleTucker_CJ 7m7 minutes ago

Kyle Tucker retweeted Jerry Meyer

Missed this earlier. So scratch what Jerry said here about Bridges. Sorry, Cats. http://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/kentucky/2015/09/22/2016-recruiting-uk-basketballs-best-shots/72629854/ ...


Jerry Meyer
‏@jerrymeyer247

@EvanReact21 less confident its UK based on concrete pro MSU info I got last night.

"I think Kentucky's got a great shot," Meyer said. "I feel good about it (for the Cats), but man, those are deep ties to Arkansas, obviously. That will be interesting to watch..."

[jbcarol]

Matt Jones ‏@KySportsRadio 2h2 hours ago

Meet Wenyen Gabriel, the newest Wildcat (with highlights) http://bit.ly/1N5kv98

Gabriel, out of Wilbraham, Ma., is the fourth-ranked power forward in the high school senior class, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, and the No. 16 player overall.

He picked Kentucky over Duke.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/GoodmanESPN/status/651788100511907841

[jbcarol]

Kyle Tucker ‏@KyleTucker_CJ 3h3 hours ago

UK spokesman says confirmation of NCAA eligibility comes "at all different times." http://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/kentucky/2015/10/07/report-ncaa-hasnt-cleared-uks-labissiere/73517638/ ...

"We don't confirm eligibility of any of our student-athletes until the first game," UK spokesman Eric Lindsey told The Courier-Journal in response to the story. "Everyone has been practicing."

Asked back on Aug. 1 whether he's confident Labissiere would available for the Wildcats when the season opens on Nov. 13, coach John Calipari said, "Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah."

Goodman reported, via multiple anonymous sources, that the NCAA is looking into Labissiere's guardian, Gerald Hamilton, and his relationship with the player. Labissiere came to the United States in 2010 after an earthquake ravaged his home country of Haiti.

Hamilton started Reach Your Dream Prep in Memphis, Tenn., to give Labissiere a place to play as a high school senior. He'd been ruled ineligible to play at a previous school.

[jbcarol]

SEC Network ‏@SECNetwork 22h22 hours ago

It is coming!

Oct. 16th Big Blue Madness is LIVE on SEC Network: http://bit.ly/1OnU5y6 



WKYT-27: UK's practice on Sunday will be televised live on ESPNU from 7-9 p.m.

[jbcarol]

Evan Daniels ‏@EvanDaniels  7h7 hours ago
This is a massive weekend for official visits. 8 of the 12 uncommitted top 25 players are taking officials | Story: http://www.scout.com/college/basketball/recruiting/story/1597058-on-campus-big-weekends-for-ku-and-fsu ...

High school basketball star Edrice "Bam" Adebayo arrived in Lexington late Friday night, as expected, for his official visit to Kentucky.

The five-star post player from Washington, N.C., will be at UK over the weekend for the first official visit of his recruitment. He's scheduled to take an official visit to N.C. State —

[jbcarol]

Kyle Tucker ‏@KyleTucker_CJ 18m18 minutes ago

Big Blue Madness is tonight. Kentucky will host a parade of five-star players, including one who could decide soon. http://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/kentucky/2015/10/13/calipari-cats-set-big-recruiting-weekend/73874380/ ...

Fans camp out for days to get tickets to Kentucky basketball's annual Big Blue Madness extravaganza, a laser-light show and big-tent revival disguised as a practice, billed as the unveiling of each season's new team.

But make no mistake, Friday night's spectacle – for which UK spares no expense and last year featured an appearance from rapper Drake – is about the recruits. And boy, do the Wildcats have an impressive guest list to impress at this one.

In official visitors Harry Giles, De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk, Kentucky is expected to host the nation's No. 1 power forward, point guard and shooting guard in the Class of 2016, according to Scout.com's rankings. The Cats could also get an unofficial visit from the No. 1 center, Marques Bolden.

Cats already have commitments from top-30 overall prospects Wenyen Gabriel and Sacha Killeya-Jones, the latter of which will also attend Madness.

Malik Monk (No. 6 overall, No. 1 SG) – "With Malik, I don't think there's a leader right now," Scout's Evan Daniels said. "I don't think we'll see a college choice from Malik any time soon. The plan has always been for him to wait until spring, and I don't believe that's changed."

[jbcarol]

Ben Roberts ‏@NextCats Oct 16

It wouldn't be Big Blue Madness without World Wide Wes, who just ran by the UK recruits to give Willie Cauley-Stein a big hug.


William Wesley