Kentucky Sports Radio
[Moderated by Matt Jones, Drew Franklin and Tyler Thompson]
[Moderated by Matt Jones, Drew Franklin and Tyler Thompson]
I hate going to the optometrist. Not just because my vision is terrible and getting worse seemingly by the week, but because every time I go, they put me in that chair, roll me up to some huge set of machinated goggles, and slide different lenses in front of my eyes and ask me to read and re-read the lowest line I can.
It’s bad enough that the lowest line I can read is “E, maybe,” but the rhetoric from these doctors is always the same: “Better 1… or 2? 2… or 3?”
The infuriating part is, I can’t really tell. I’ve been blind for so long, literally any lense looks good to me. I eventually just pick one so he’ll move on, but the reality is, either would be great. It’s just so hard to choose between two seemingly great options.
I have the same sort of problem with Andrew Wiggins’ pending decision to reclassify: Better 2013, or 2014?
The issue is not that I don’t like either option; it’s just the opposite. Both sound fantastic. While it’s tough to sit back and know you’re not going to be able to see a guy in a college uniform for two more years, you also have to consider the overall needs of the class and think about what would be best for the team. For that purpose, I ask you: which do you think would be better for UK?
Should Andrew Wiggins reclassify to 2013, he would immediately catapult into the top 3 among high school recruits. Maybe Jabari Parker or Julius Randle would top him, maybe not. It would be a discussion at least, and a lot of recruiting services would disagree slightly on exact position, but what’s clear is this: he would be at or extremely near the very top spot. And that’s easy to see just from watching him play. I haven’t been that blow away by sheer athleticism in a recruiting tape since John Wall. And with Kentucky and Florida State leading the chase, there’s a good chance Cal could land him as part of the 2013 class.
The question is, do we need him in this class? Again, let me be clear that a team can always make room for a player like Wiggins. But look at UK’s targets in the rest of this year. We already have more than we can handle; there’s not a spot for all of them should they each decide to matriculate. Between Aaron Harrison, Jabari Parker, and James Young, those 2 and 3 spots already have guys that could step up and fill them. And that’s assuming Goodwin and Poythress leave, which they might not. So, hypothetically, should Wiggins reclassify AND sign with Kentucky, he might be taking the spot of one of those guys who might or might not have wanted to be a Wildcat. Is he really THAT much better than Parker or Young?
Meanwhile, consider the impact that Wiggins can have in 2014. That class isn’t as full of wings as 2013 seems to be; at least not at the very top. ESPN has two SF’s in their 2014 top ten, and exactly zero SG’s. If you want big men or point guards, though, you can take your pick from the other eight. There’s plenty of them. So you could really say that a small forward in 2014 is worth way more than that same small forward in 2013. Not to mention he’ll have another year of development to hone his game, finish whatever growth spurt he’s on, and go to senior prom (kids still like prom, right?).
Don’t get me wrong; this is a great “problem” to have, if you can call it that. But like those annoying questions at the optometrist, I can’t convince myself that one is actually better than the other. He seems to have settled on 2014 for now, and that’s perfectly alright by me. As I mentioned, there’s a shortage of wings next year, and he’ll be a great potential Wildcat in that class. Regardless of his graduation year, though, should he sign with Kentucky, I’ll be sure to check my prescription: I don’t want to miss anything this kid does on the floor.
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July 17th, 2012 at 9:06 am
terrible analogy.
July 17th, 2012 at 9:12 am
See post #1. Turrible.
July 17th, 2012 at 9:13 am
When a kid says he is “reclassifying” to move up a grade, all I hear is, “1 year of college is a waste of my time and I’m gonna get it out of the way as soon as possible.”
If it keeps up at this pace and becomes the norm just so kids don’t miss out on what would be 1 year of NBA salary, all of our players will really be seniors in high school. It’s hard enough to win a championship with a group of freshman, won’t it be even harder for a immature 17 year old that decided to skip a grade?
July 17th, 2012 at 9:16 am
Correct me if I am wrong in my previous post, but was could possibly be the advantage of skipping a year of high school other than the fact that it is basically a loop hole for the NBA’s ’1 year of college’ rule.
July 17th, 2012 at 9:18 am
coreys own words ” I haven’t been that blow away by sheer athleticism in a recruiting tape since John Wall” did you miss the whole 2012 season pal, anthoney davis has a much athleticism as any player ive ever seen, mkg is far behind
July 17th, 2012 at 9:20 am
mgk isnt far behind***
July 17th, 2012 at 9:27 am
lens or lense ………… right or wrong, better or worse?
July 17th, 2012 at 9:29 am
After watching John Wall’s mixtape from HS, all other mixtapes appear to be in slow motion.
July 17th, 2012 at 9:30 am
1:Harrow, Harrison; 2:the other Harrison, James Young; 3:Jabari, Wiggins; 4&5:Wiltjer, Aaron Gordon, Julius Randle, WCS
Just imagine…
July 17th, 2012 at 9:31 am
I am all for the straight from middle school to college strategy. Who needs high school? High school kids just end up some kind VD off some girl named “Desiree”. Buddy you knew the rumor. She had VD and ya did it anyway. damn nation.
July 17th, 2012 at 9:41 am
A guy like Andrew Wiggins is better whenever he decides to come out…. He’ll be #1 whenever it may be so I’d like him sooner than later. You can get another SG to come in in the 2013 class that is along the lines of a Doron Lamb would be here for 2 years so you don’t have to recruit another for 2014.
July 17th, 2012 at 9:44 am
Mixtapes are overrated. I’m sure there are more but the kid basically hit 4 or 5 shots and showed them all twice. I hear the kid is great but how old is he? Was he held back at some point or is he going to be 16 in college? Is college really good for a 16 year old?
July 17th, 2012 at 9:47 am
Not too familiar with the rules, but don’t you have to be 19 by the start of your rookie season in the NBA? Not just one year removed from HS? So you can ditch HS and breeze through college as fast as you want, but you’re n
July 17th, 2012 at 9:48 am
not getting paid until age 19.
July 17th, 2012 at 9:51 am
13/14- 19 OR one year after graduating high school
July 17th, 2012 at 9:52 am
This blog has be shaking my head. The question should be what is best for the kid. Not which class does Corey things is best for him. The debate should be to move up a class, with the primary reason for that to get to the pros earlier, or to stay in the same class. The later would be more of an issue of comfort, I believe.
It is interesting, because in football kids do just the opposite – parents leave the kids out of a grade so they will get bigger and more mature in order to compete better.
July 17th, 2012 at 9:52 am
How many top 20 commitments does Kentucky currently have for the 2013 class? How is Calipari’s monster 2013 class currently? In Cal we trust…
July 17th, 2012 at 9:55 am
1 year from high school. Thats how MKG is eligible at 18. Wiggins would be older than MKG at UK. He was held back.
July 17th, 2012 at 11:02 am
Anyone that thinks the Cats will get all of the great players in 2013 if Wiggins reclassifies to ’13 that we will if he stays in ’14 is nuts. If he reclassifies it’s going to shake everything up and the ’13 team could actually be not as good as it would be without him. I hope he stays in ’14 for the reasons stated by Corey.
#16. I think will do what he thinks is best for him, thus it really doesn’t matter what I or anyone else thinks about that question.
July 17th, 2012 at 11:36 am
Let me enlighten you idiots. The age and “one year from HS” BOTH must be met. Those of you saying “OR” don’t know what you’re talking about. MKG is eligible because he will turn 19 this year.
#18 – get a clue
All drafted players must be at least 19 years old during the calendar year of the draft.[9] To determine whether a player is eligible for a given year’s draft, subtract 19 from the year of the draft. If the player was born during or before that year, he is eligible.
Any player who is not an “international player”, as defined in the CBA, must be at least one year removed from the graduation of his high school class.[9]
July 17th, 2012 at 12:39 pm
1st, Poythress and Goodwin are gone and to be honest if Cauley plays more than 25 minutes per game he maybe one and done too. Cal doesnt have a set system (PG, SG, SF, PF, C)he plays match ups just like today’s NBA. I could see a lineup of the Harrison twins in the back court with Wiggins and Parker at the forwards and Kyle playing in the middle with James Young coming off the bench. I still think we could use another big in this class preferably a shot blocker but that may not be necessary if Cauley returns. It will be interesting to see which player or players will sign first, if we have the twins and Young signed in the fall we may have our choice of Parker, Wiggins or others in the spring.
July 17th, 2012 at 1:05 pm
18 – Don’t worry about 20. He’s also posting as UK Homer (see 13, 14) and apparently had someone pee in his Wheaties between 9:48 and 11:36.
20 – Play nice.
July 17th, 2012 at 1:15 pm
Rampant idiocy in this comment section.
Wiggins will turn 18 in February. He’s from Canada, and entered Huntington Prep as an older freshman in 2010. Whether he did that for academic reasons, or whether he did that because he was being cautious and giving himself an extra year at the HS level (which is not uncommon), who knows, but the fact is that he’s the same age as most of the guys in the 2013 class.
And he is spectacularly talented, not just based on some mix tapes, but based on pretty much every evaluation from every scout who has watched him. He would have gone top 10 in the NBA draft THIS YEAR.
And the question of whether it would be better for UK if he stays in the 2014 class is legit. UK seems at least 90% sure to get the Harrisons. James Young seems to be recruiting UK as much as UK is recruiting him. UK is still on Jabari Parker’s list. All those guys say they’re going to decide early. Plus, Archie Goodwin MIGHT be a one and done player, but he’s not a complete lock by any means. That’s an awfully crowded house of potential 2′s and 3′s for next year.
Wiggins is the best of all those guys, but Wiggins might not decide to change to the 2013 class until spring, which would potentially put UK in a tough position.
July 17th, 2012 at 2:05 pm
If this news of Jabari and having UK as the front runner I would much prefer Wiggins to stay in the class of 2014.
It’s seemingly just a matter of time before the Harrison twins and James Young commit to UK, and with almost no doubt that UK could land 2 more top 10 guys, plus the already committed Derek Willis, the 2013 class in Cal’s perspective would be full.
Also, with so much top tier talent potentially and almost seemingly coming to UK from the class of 2013 it would almost not make sense as a UK fan to want Wiggins to reclassify. Jabari, Harrison twins, Julius Randle, James young one year, next year Wiggins, follows by Karl Towns? #BBN is officially spoiled and I couldn’t love it anymore.
July 17th, 2012 at 2:32 pm
24 – I think you summarize the sentiment most people have. It literally does seem to be an embarrassment of riches. Granted, nobody has signed in the 2013 class, but I’m fairly confident we can land three of the top ten players we’re looking at. Could be Harrisons and Parker; Parker, Young and Randle; or whatever. Bottom line, I think we’ll be set for this next year. Can’t put ALL the eggs in the 2013 basket.
Like I said, still too early to predict who’ll sign, but darn if things don’t look promising right now.
July 17th, 2012 at 2:32 pm
ugh. this thread is painful.
Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins don’t play the same position. Parker is a PF, Wiggins is a SF. One could argue whether James Young (if we got him) and Wiggins (if we got him) would be competing for minutes…or if we got the Harrison twins, if Young at SG and Harrison at SG would compete for minutes.
these problems would be so nice to have.
July 17th, 2012 at 2:40 pm
26 – Incorrect. Parker is a prototypical 3; most definitely not a PF. Maybe you’re thinking of Randle?
July 17th, 2012 at 3:37 pm
Since we have no one except Willis for 13 we need him now. He’s a awesome talent.
July 17th, 2012 at 4:43 pm
26 – Corey Nichols’ writing is a prototypical number two.
July 17th, 2012 at 5:06 pm
29 – Adam, you never followed me on Twitter. I’m hurt. I figured you’d want to read my tweets, since you stop by my posts every day. I’ll even follow back, if you want. I’m @coreynicholsKSR, in case you forgot.
July 18th, 2012 at 9:22 am
you said “WE” it always puzzles me when fans say “WE” umm you do a great job with your website but your not part of the team! Other than that do you ever listen to Calipari and his philosophy if it comes down to talent or experience he is taking TALENT so believe me, he will be fine if he comes out 13 or yr 14. Best of luck with your doctors visit!
July 18th, 2012 at 12:49 pm
Last time I checked, Wiggins is supposed to be a senior this year anyways. So all he will be doing is going back to the grade he should have been in in the first place. PLUS he is older than Jabari Parker…