The Kentucky Wildcats have had a tough 24 hours after losing to Robert Morris in the opening round of the NIT Championship, but head coach John Calipari turned the news around quickly, as the team landed the number three basketball recruit in the country in Julius Randle.
According to ESPN.com, the Wildcats received a commitment from Randle on Wednesday, just half a day after losing to Robert Morris in the NIT. The recruit is the number one power forward in the country and is listed as the number three overall player in the class for 2013. The report says that Randle picked Kentucky over schools like Kansas, Florida and Texas.
Calipari has the number one rated recruiting class in the nation for the fourth time in five years and now has a team that he feels can win a championship like the team did in 2012. Although the Wildcats did not make the tournament and were eliminated early at the NIT, they still have a ton of talent and now add another big name to the mix.
According to ESPN.com, the Wildcats have a recruiting class that includes: "No. 1 point guard Andrew Harrison, No. 1 shooting guard Aaron Harrison, No. 1 center Dakari Johnson, No. 3 small forward James Young, No. 9 power forward Marcus Lee and three-star power forward Derek Willis." The report says that Randle, Young and the Harrison twins are in the top 10, while Johnson and Lee are in the top 20.
The report also says that the recruiting class could be considered one of the best of all time, as the team now has six top-20 recruits, including four that are the top player at their position. Randle adds to that after a prolific career at Prestonwood Christian in Dallas. His senior season was cut short due to a foot injury after playing seven games, but he averaged 25.1 points, 12.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists while helping the team win a state championship.
"I've talked to him quite a bit, and I think the sky is the limit," high school coach Chris Mayberry, said. "We've seen a vision of what he could be, especially in the last two games [of his senior year].
Randle is a versatile player and at 6-foot-9 he can play multiple positions. Although he likely will leave, Kentucky has Nerlens Noel for next season after he recovers from a serious knee injury, but it is likely he will jump to the NBA.
The Wildcats went just 21-11 after winning the national championship last season, but the top players on the roster all left for the NBA, including first overall pick Anthony Davis. The team ranked 51st in scoring with 73 points per game and made over 47 percent of their shots from the field while ranking 39th in rebounding and 118th in assists.
The team came in fourth place in the SEC behind Florida, Ole Miss and Alabama and missed out on the tournament. Making matters even worse, the team lost to Robert Morris on Tuesday in the opening round of the NIT championship, while their rival Louisville is the number one overall seed in the NCAA tournament.