Point Guards
Brandon Knight Considered by many to be the top recruit in the nation, Knight brings a high level of offensive skill to the table to go along with having a great basketball IQ. At about 6’3, Knight has great size for the point guard position and loves contact around the rim, something that fits perfectly with the dribble drive motion offense. Knight is without question the top priority for UK at both the point guard position and overall.
Josh Selby Since Josh Selby’s decommitment from Tennessee last week, Kentucky has shown as much interest as anyone across the country. UK has been listed on the short list of schools that Selby will be legitimately looking at and with Selby’s high level of skill there is no doubt the feelings are mutual.
Joe Jackson Jackson has long been called a Memphis lean, but do not underestimate the power of John Calipari on the recruiting trail. Calipari has been to many of Jackson’s games this summer, clearly solidifying the thought that Jackson is one of the top targeted players for the Cats out of the 2010 class. Though he is just 6’0, Jackson has elite quickness and athleticism as well as being able to finish with contact around the basket.
Kyrie Irving The only reason Irving is listed fourth on this list is because it seems less likely that UK will land him than the other three prospects ahead of him. Irving was one of the premiere players at the Orlando AAU Super Showcase and was able to score over 30 points on multiple occassions, including a 39 point outburst. As well as being a big player, Irving is a team player who gets his teammates involved throughout the entire game. Irving has ties to both UK and Indiana so this should be a fun recruitment to watch unravel.
Shooting Guards
Doron Lamb Although he has been forgotten about over the past week or so, Doron Lamb still is one of the most highly touted players in the country and perhaps the best senior-to-be in the state of New York. Lamb has strong ties to the UK staff with assistant coaches Orlando Antigua and Rod Strickland being from New York City, as well as Rod Strickland being an Oak Hill alum, the same high school Lamb currently attends. It is very possible Lamb could be donning the blue and white in 2011.
Tyler Lamb No there is no relation between Doron and Tyler but there is no doubt they both can ball. Doron and Tyler are both silky smooth with great shooting abilities, although Doron seems to play with more of a “swagger” than Tyler. Tyler Lamb has definitely burst onto the seen this summer after getting only minimal looks from mid-majors prior to July. After a stellar showing in multiple events earlier this month, Lamb walked away with a valuable scholarship from UK as well as receiving one from UCONN. There is no doubt in my mind at least ONE of the Lamb’s will be apart of the 2010 class.
Small Forwards
Harrison Barnes It seems unlikely that Barnes will have Kentucky on his final list, but that has not stopped the UK staff from showing up at many of his games so far this summer. Barnes is ranked as the #1 player in america by Rivals.com and Scout.com, the two major recruiting websites in the country. A very talented and smart player, Barnes is clearly the most consistent prep player in the land and already looks physically ready to play in college. Look for him to look hard at Duke, Kansas, Stanford, and North Carolina.
Cameron Clark No forward as burst onto the scene quite like Cameron Clark, a 6’6 Texas native. Clark, like many UK targets, is a long body with a very polished and smooth game for a kid his age. Kentucky has already been known to be recruiting Clark as hard as anyone but many Big 12 schools are coming hard for him too.
Power Forwards
CJ Leslie Compared by many to a young Kevin Garnett, Leslie possesses unreal athletic ability and a wingspan that spreads over seven feet. Leslie is about as intimidating a player as you will find, because at 6’9 he has the skills to go around you or simply go over you with a furocious array of moves and dunks. Leslie is a former high school teammate of incoming UK freshman John Wall and has been quoted as saying Wall has been in his ear about UK.
Tobias Harris After a disappointing summer last year, Harris has dropped some of his “baby fat” and become the most versatile power forward in the nation. Fresh off a stellar performance against the top junior in the nation–Michael Gilchrist–Harris is one of the most highly recruited big men in the nation and appears to have strong interest from Kentucky. Harris is one of the few players who have a formal scholarship offer from the Cats but word is he will be hard to get from Syracuse and UCONN.
Dominique Ferguson Once thought to be one of the top 10 players in the nation, Dominique Ferguson has been riddled with injuries this summer. Although he decommitted from Kentucky after Billy Gillispie was fired, Ferguson has still listed the Cats on his list of suitors and has been told by the staff he is a very high priority at the small forward and power forward positions. Ferguson will be playing his senior season at Hargrave Military Academy because of higher competition and to learn the discipline that his father believes he needs.
Centers
Adreian Payne Because he plays alongside Jared Sullinger and JD Weatherspoon, Payne does not get the credit he deserves for being a terrific talent. Payne is very athletic and can finish around the rim with the best of them. He does not have much of a perimeter game just yet but he is improving every day and appears to be headed toward greatness. He is really the only center that Kentucky is pursuing for the 2010 class as of right now.
Knight is ranked within the top two overall in the class of 2010 by both Rivals and Scout recruiting services and for good reason. He is the unquestioned number one point guard in the U.S. and has one of the most complete games on the circuit with his ability to stroke it from outside and also to use his deceivingly strong frame to bully his way to the basket on an array of drives.
The reason Lamb ranks second on this list is because of the fact that he has publicly stated that Kentucky is one of his favorite schools and the fact that he just made an unofficial visit to the UK campus last weekend.
Once thought to be a lock to John Calipari at Memphis, Joe Jackson has stated numerous times that he has large interest in the UK program because of its tradition and the fact that Coach Cal is now the man in charge.
CJ Leslie is ranked more inconsistently than almost any player in the nation. Some feel that his athleticism is such that he should be ranked quite high simply because of his vast potential, while others seem to think that, because he does not have a top 25 game at this moment, he does not deserve to be considered a 5-star prospect.
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