2010 Recruiting Trail

Is it too early to be thinking about next year?

Well, even though the 2009-10 season is only a few months old, it never hurts to look forward, specifically to the recruits that will help form the 2010-11 Wildcat basketball squad.

But before I speculate on who may or may not sign with the Cats, let's look at next year's prospective roster. Seniors Ramon Harris, Perry Stevenson and Mark Krebs will graduate, and in a worst-case scenario, the team would lose Patrick Patterson, John Wall, Demarcus Cousins, and Eric Bledsoe to the NBA Draft. Realistically, Bledsoe is never leaving after one year, and unless he matures dramatically over the remaining course of the season, Cousins should be back for a second (and ultimately final) year at UK.

This ultimately leaves the team in pretty good shape. A likely starting five would include Bledsoe, Darius Miller, Darnell Dodson, Demarcus Cousins, and Daniel Orton, with Deandre Liggins the likely sixth man.

6'5" wingman Stacey Poole has already verbally committed to Coach Cal and his staff, and is widely considered a top-30 player in this year's class. It's safe to assume that Poole will have a decent impact as a freshman, although it's tough to say depending on which players declare for the draft.

Many of the top players in the 2010 class have already committed, but that's not to say there isn't a wealth of talent left for the Cats to lure to Lexington. Brandon Knight (pictured), listed as the nation's top recruit by Rivals.com, has Kentucky listed as one of three schools very high on his radar. The prolific point guard, who hails from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, would fall right in line with Calipari's history of attracting the very best point players in the country year after year. With the amount of success Derek Rose, Tyreke Evans and John Wall have had in his Dribble Drive offense, it's safe to say that Kentucky has a very good chance of nabbing Knight before this season is through.

Other top unsigned players include Josh Selby, CJ Leslie, and Doron Lamb, all of whom have Kentucky as one of their top choices. All three are ranked in the top 25 players of Rival's 2010 class, and each one would fit nicely into Cal's uptempo style of play. CJ Leslie, who currently attends Word of God Academy in Raleigh, NC, is especially high on the Cats, and it's no surprise, given that former Word of God player and current Cat John Wall has flourished under Coach Cal.

Most top recruits tend to hold out until the last minute before making a college decision, and this year will most likely be no different. I'll update the status of all our recruits as things progress, but it's looking more and more like Calipari will restock the roster with another crop of talented youngsters for the 2010 season.