Thursday: Watch the Walls Instead....or Tidbits of Info

See that guy in the picture. You may or may not know that he is Dave Telep, the leading basketball recruiting guy for Scout.com. That man is likely (along with Bob Gibbons) the most important analyzer of young high school basketball talent in the country. When you go to an AAU event, you will see literally tons of coaches coming to pick his brain and get his insights. His recruiting rankings are likely the most relied upon by members of the coaching profession and his views often shape where players will be ranked and their perceived stock. Dave is very good and what he does and...when he talks, you should listen. Well he talked on our show tonight and he had some VERY interesting words for UK fans about UK's recruiting for 07, the prospects of the players UK is focusing on and the UK recruiting strategy in general and whether it is national championship worthy. You oughta listen when the show comes out (around 1 pm or so), and take his words to heart. We also had Stephon Pettigrew on the show who gave some good info and other analysis (if you call it that) and the like, so check it out. Onto the news..... (1) Jai Lucas had his in-home visit with the Cats tonight UPDATE (Visit pushed back to Sunday) and the Cats' staff surely sold Jai on his role as a player and future possible leader for the Cats. Lucas is still planning to head to Midnight Madness, with visits to Maryland and Oklahoma soon after. I was told yesterday by a recruiting follower that Maryland is a bigger threat than maybe I had previously believed. While that is certainly true (Jai still has not made up his mind), I continue to believe Kentucky is the strong leader. Bottom line....if Jai thinks Patterson is coming to Kentucky, he is coming to Kentucky. He may still come either way, but a Patrick Patterson decision to head to UK likely makes Jai's decision as well. The counter to that is if we dont get a commitment from Jai, I find it HIGHLY unlikely we get one from Pat. (2) Marshall Moses insisted on his myspace site (the true place to go for recruiting news) that he HAS NOT made up his mind as to his college. That may be true....but if it is true, it is likely because UK has not completely sorted out the 07/08 question. As I have said before, if Kentucky asks Moses for 07, I would be SHOCKED if he said no. I am not sure Marshall will get that cleared up however until a few other scenarios (read Stewart, Hickson, Morris twins) are settled. (3) Speaking of late offers, the interview with Stephon Pettigrew was interesting tonight. He said that he has been given no offer yet from UK, but that he is a UK fan and he speaks with David Hobbs almost every night. UK is supposed to come to his house by the end of the month and a visit will follow. I expect UK to ultimately offer this kid, and when they do, I would be surprised if he is not a Cat. (4) The Morris twins were a topic in the Dave Telep interview, and his words seemed to suggest that Kentucky may be the leader at this point. Telep said that if the Morris twins wanted to go to Kentucky, he thought it would be a mistake to prep and they should just come and redshirt if need be. The Morris twins are simply not allowed to talk to media types (possibly for good reason) so I have virtually no feel on their recruitment. But Dave is close to the situation, so you should hear his comments for yourself. (5) Finally, just a little prediction. The group of Patrick Patterson, JJ Hickson and Chris Barnes are all big men who are considering both UK and Florida. While Hickson may not be considering UK to a high degree (and I dont base that on the UT article which is likely worthless, but just a general feeling that Hickson is simply playing UK a bit), all are at least still keeping both schools in the mix (with an in-home for Hickson soon from UK). I think whenever one of these guys commits to either Florida or UK (if Patterson goes to Duke or Hickson to UT or G-Town, that is a different scenario), then the others will make their decisions soon after. Florida honestly truly only has a spot for one of them, unless Billy can convince them that none need playing time. UK will likely end up with one, and possibly two of this group. Best case scenario....Patterson and Barnes are Cats. Second best....Patterson is a Gator and Hickson and Barnes are Cats. Worst, Patterson goes to Duke, Hickson to Tenn and Barnes to Fla and Kentucky strikes out. Lots of drama with this group in the coming weeks. Show will be up around one pm. Check it out....I think you will be entertained and with Telep, Pettigrew and UK football guru Duncan Cavanah, informed.