Maybe more important than who’s going to be visiting the ticket lines, is the amount of talent that will be visiting UK the weekend of Madness. Here’s where the list stands now:
Tobias Harris (2010 forward)
Rankings: Scout’s #2 PF, #9 overall/Rivals’ #1 PF, #5 overall
Recruitment: Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Syracuse, Georgia Tech, Tennessee, West Virginia
Harris is one of the more versatile forwards in his class. Standing 6′8″, he can handle the ball well in the open court and has nice range to his jumper.
CJ Leslie (2010 forward)
Rankings: Scout’s #3 PF, #12 overall/Rivals’ #4, #14 overall
Recruitment: Long list, Kentucky, Florida, Maryland, UConn, others
Another versatile forward, CJ Leslie also has a lot of length and athleticism. Handling the ball well for his size is not a problem but critics love to knock his ability to finish around the rim, something which he has shown flashes of improving over the summer.
Kyrie Irving (2010 guard)
Rankings: Scout’s #2 PG, #5 overall/Rivals’ #4 PG, #9 overall
Recruitment: Kentucky, Duke, Georgia Tech, Seton Hall, Texas A&M
Irving’s leadership skills and knack for handling the ball well make him a great fit for the point guard position but this kid can also pour in points when he needs to, especially if he gets hot from behind the arc.
Michael Gilchrist (2011 forward)
Rankings: #1…in everything, everywhere
Recruitment: Kentucky and Villanova are leaders, although there are other schools involved
As his rankings indicate, there aren’t too many holes in his game. His smooth slashing and ability to finish through contact is what sticks out most. Also has a pretty rangy jumper.
Marquis Teague (2011 guard)
Rankings: Scout’s #1 PG, #5 overall/Rivals’ #1 PG, #2 overall
Recruitment: Long thought to be a UL lean, the fact that he continues to hold off a decision bodes well for others, including UK. UNC is also making an effort to get involved. Ohio State, Wake Forest, UC, Purdue and Indiana are in there as well.
Teague is a flashy scoring point guard. He is able to score easily most of the time just based on the fact that he is quicker and more explosive than anyone guarding him.
Angel Nunez (2011 forward)
Rankings: Scout’s #13 SF, #59 overall/Rivals’ #11 SF, #47 overall
Recruitment: Still has a long list. Arizona, Kentucky and Louisville have been some of the most talked schools surrounding Nunez but UConn, Indiana, Rutgers, St. John’s and West Virginia are also in pursuit.
Nunez stands at 6′7″ and has a lot of abilities that others his size lack. He can handle the ball well and also passes the ball well for his size. His shot isn’t great, but decent and rangy given his size. When Louisville began their pursuit of Nunez and things started picking up steam, the hot comparison was to former Louisville standout Francisco Garcia.
Achraf Yacoubou (2011 guard)
Rankings: Scout’s #16 SG, #69 overall/Rivals’ #19 SG, #76 overall
Recruitment: Yacoubou doesn’t receive a lot of national attention, which is weird since he holds offers from the likes of UConn, Kentucky, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Oklahoma, Villanova and Wake Forest. Nova, Kentucky and UConn are thought to be in good position.
Yacoubou had a sprained ankle for part of the summer, which may have dipped his rankings. He’s an aggressive guard on both ends of the court and always plays hard. He’s shown good shooting ability and form.
A very important note: Most don’t expect this to be the finalized list of Madness visitors and you can count me in that group. There is a LOT of talk about Quincy Miller, another consensus top ten player in 2011, making the visit to Lexington. His high school coach couldn’t confirm the visit when I talked to him today, but most believe this one to be set. Either way, that visit should be confirmed before the end of this weekend. There are other candidates as well, so don’t be surprised if this list continues to grow.