2016 Recruit Watch

[Joneslab]

So it looks like Charles Matthews may be the necessary scholarship after all.

Folks might have a lot of apologizing to do to Marcus Lee.

[Pobilly]

That's what i'm really worried about. It's sad that we all want a freshman over a senior, but Lee just hasn't improved like we all hoped he would. He's shown flashes of being a solid double-double guy, but unfortunately that only lasted a few games.

But just like others before him at UK (Master Blaster Madison)(Charles Hurt)(Alex Poythress), things don't always workout for these guys and they either 1 maxed out early or 2 lost the will to improve and do not pan out. Not saying Lee is in this mold but if you remember like WCS, he played more than just BBall in high school. He is what he is. A guy that gives 5 to 15 minutes a game, 3 to 5 fouls in that time frame and maybe 2 to 10 points and 0-5 rebounds. If he comes back that is all he will be.

Bolden on the other hand is a known / college unknown talent. He has the size and ability. Still will not know much about him till he plays a few games. Briscoe on the other had is a known hard nosed player that gives positives on both sides of the ball game in an game out. Hope to see him back in UK Blue this year.

[Joneslab]

Actually, if I'm not mistaken, the announcement is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at 2:30. Still, tomorrow morning or tomorrow afternoon, as you say I doubt if we'll hear anything from Lee by then.

Bolden's announcement is Thursday at 2:30.

[Matt Dillon]

I wasn't sure, thanks. There's no way Bolden can even choose UK unless Lee transfers. I doubt that he's going to make an announcement by tomorrow morning on what his intentions are for next season. He did say recently that if he does come back to UK that we're going undefeated.

Actually, if I'm not mistaken, the announcement is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at 2:30. Still, tomorrow morning or tomorrow afternoon, as you say I doubt if we'll hear anything from Lee by then.

[Pobilly]

The cartoon character otherwise known as De'Aaron Fox has a new mixtape:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1gH5VLU8AY

He reminds me of a left handed Dwight Anderson. (that is going back a few years).

[BBNalldayeveryday]

The announcement came before. The news about Lee didn't come out until today; Bolden schedule his announcement yesterday.

I wasn't sure, thanks. There's no way Bolden can even choose UK unless Lee transfers. I doubt that he's going to make an announcement by tomorrow morning on what his intentions are for next season. He did say recently that if he does come back to UK that we're going undefeated.

[Joneslab]

Actually you could make just as strong of a case that the "bold" thing may be evidence that we aren't getting Bolden.

Clearly he's been irked by some of the Duke stuff even as he's continued to recruit Bolden. In the way that he might talk about the great future of the program after a loss, this thing he posted yesterday morning could be seen as a "Yeah, we lost on this guy, but here are all the things we have to look forward to."

I kind of think Cal's disposition and the tone of the thing suggests otherwise--or at the very least that he thinks UK has a good chance--but it's right in Cal's wheelhouse to start trumpeting good news after a shot of bad.

[George]

No, I doubt Cal knows that for sure.

He might. I sort of started to think "kaboom" might've been a suggestion that good news was on the way, but who knows for sure.

But basically I think Duke sending their assistant coaches to talk to Bolden and some of Bolden's mom's comments pissed Cal off. I think he sees this recruitment as a little bigger than the player given that Duke is going to be #1 next year, Duke won the title in the year we were supposed to, and Duke's going to have the #1 pick in this draft.

I think he's throwing some rocks.

Yeah, I'd buy all that. And yesterday I could've been convinced that we had the momentum.

But now I'm worried that Lee has potentially screwed everything up.

[Joneslab]

I never doubted that. I thought you were saying the "bold statements" thing was Cal telling us that UK landed Bolden. If you're just saying that it's about getting Bolden's attention, then sure. No argument.

No, I doubt Cal knows that for sure.

He might. I sort of started to think "kaboom" might've been a suggestion that good news was on the way, but who knows for sure.

But basically I think Duke sending their assistant coaches to talk to Bolden and some of Bolden's mom's comments pissed Cal off. I think he sees this recruitment as a little bigger than the player given that Duke is going to be #1 next year, Duke won the title in the year we were supposed to, and Duke's going to have the #1 pick in this draft.

I think he's throwing some rocks.

[George]

I guess I don't see how anyone could not see that.

I'm not saying Bolden is Kentucky's.

But let's look at the timeline: Cal exercising in these videos while Coach K is laid up in surgery? Cal talking about a recruit's mother and saying "all he talks about is the NBA"? Rumors that Bolden's mother prefers Duke. Cal talking openly about not worrying about a player coming on in September. Cal mocking a program for saying that they set players up for life, after it was rumored that Duke said exactly that to...you guessed it...Marques Bolden.

And even with all that, if we were talking about a coach here who didn't do this sort of stuff then that would be one thing. But Cal loves the wink-nod more than anybody on planet earth.

I don't think any of this guarantees Bolden to UK, but it is a 100% lock that Cal's tweet was meant to be about Bolden.

I never doubted that. I thought you were saying the "bold statements" thing was Cal telling us that UK landed Bolden. If you're just saying that it's about getting Bolden's attention, then sure. No argument.

[George]

Part of me thinks it doesn't look good for us because this announcement came out shortly after Lee announced that he cancelled those workouts.

The announcement came before. The news about Lee didn't come out until today; Bolden schedule his announcement yesterday.

[Joneslab]

Are you? Am I missing something here? I'm all for subtlety, but that isn't the same knock over the head as a rose on a billboard.

I guess I don't see how anyone could not see that.

I'm not saying Bolden is Kentucky's.

But let's look at the timeline: Cal exercising in these videos while Coach K is laid up in surgery? Cal talking about a recruit's mother and saying "all he talks about is the NBA"? Rumors that Bolden's mother prefers Duke. Cal talking openly about not worrying about a player coming on in September. Cal mocking a program for saying that they set players up for life, after it was rumored that Duke said exactly that to...you guessed it...Marques Bolden.

And even with all that, if we were talking about a coach here who didn't do this sort of stuff then that would be one thing. But Cal loves the wink-nod more than anybody on planet earth.

I don't think any of this guarantees Bolden to UK, but it is a 100% lock that Cal's tweet was meant to be about Bolden.

[George]

Not sure if serious?

Are you? Am I missing something here? I'm all for subtlety, but that isn't the same knock over the head as a rose on a billboard.

[Joneslab]

I mean, I guess we can hope that meant BOLDen, but he also said he wanted to surpass UCLA's championship record. That's a bold statement. He made some literal bold statements in that last piece.

I'm not ready to read that much into it. This thing's been too back and forth.

Not sure if serious?

[George]

Thin? He said "bold statements," lol.

The only question was if he felt like he already had Bolden, or he wanted people to know that he was aiming some of that at Bolden's mom. But there is absolutely zero doubt that much of what he's done in the past month has been about Bolden and Duke.

This is a guy who couldn't mentioned Derek Rose's name, so he put a picture of a rose on billboards in Memphis to advertise for the upcoming season. Guy loves these little hints and nods.

That said, this particular recruitment has been bizarre.

I mean, I guess we can hope that meant BOLDen, but he also said he wanted to surpass UCLA's championship record. That's a bold statement. He made some literal bold statements in that last piece.

I'm not ready to read that much into it. This thing's been too back and forth.