Julius Randle says playing at Kentucky was ‘easy’ decision

Before Julius Randle was making NBA All-Star game appearances and All-NBA teams, he was a highly touted basketball recruit out of Prestonwood Christian in Dallas, Texas. He was ranked the No. 2 prospect in the nation for the 2013 class according to On3’s Industry Ranking, and knew he only wanted to attend college for a year before taking his talents to the NBA.

Randle could have played just about anywhere in the country but chose Kentucky, a decision that he revealed was a no-brainer to him on ‘Podcast P with Paul George’.

“It was easy bro, I’m not gonna lie,” Randle said. “I’m not gonna lie bro, because in the period of time where I’m a freshman, I’m seeing John Wall do the Dougie, him and D’Marcus [Cousins], you see Drake, you see HOV at Kentucky.”

The Wildcats were just two years removed from winning a national championship when Randle arrived on campus. And between that winning pedigree, the celebrity appearances and popularity surrounding the program, and head coach John Calipari at the helm, Randle was hooked on the Wildcats.

“And then you’re like as a young kid you see that and you’re like bro these dudes are going to the league and then they’re going to the league and they’re killing. For me it was like bro, playing for Cal, I knew that since my freshman year,” Randle said.

Randle may have always had his mind set on attending Kentucky, but he still made sure he enjoyed the recruiting process, admitting that he still took visits and saw what other programs had to offer despite knowing deep down that he’d be a part of Big Blue Nation.

“They might be mad at me, I entertained, I went on all my visits,” Randle admitted. “Young kids take the trip, take all the visits, I did all of that. But I knew in the back of my mind, and they knew too, so I knew where I was going it wasn’t a hard decision.”

The rest is history as Randle led the Wildcats in points and rebounds per game his lone freshman year averaging 15 points and 10.4 boards per contest. He helped lead Kentucky all the way through the NCAA Tournament to the national championship game, where they, unfortunately, fell to UConn. But he continues to represent Kentucky at the NBA level along with a long list of notable Wildcat alumni still playing in the league.