Will the Memphis Recruits Bolt?

gopheraschells

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Will any recruits follow Cali if he goes to Kentucky or will they stay? I dont know what the scholarship situation is, or is there any chance any of Kentucky's recruits leave? I have no idea and i just hoping to get some thoughts from everyone
 

At Kentucky, Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson have publicly said they will return. ( Meeks after BG was terminated.) There is only one departing Senior. There are a slew of Juniors on the roster some have scholarships and some do not. Other players are not likely to transfer with an incoming coach like Calipari. The incoming UK recruits will likely use their UK LOI with Calipari at UK.

John Wall ( the #1) and one other highly recruited player ( Cousins) have not officially committed to Memphis and could follow Calipari to UK without filing paperwork to get out of a LOI. His highly-rated (#1?) incoming class has the grounds to ask out of their LOI to Memphis since the coach is ( maybe- not official, yet) leaving.

There will definitely have to be some shuffling at UK as there will be too many players if Calipari goes to UK and takes his players. Maybe they could have a JV team! :D

One could assume the Memphis roster will be gutted if Calipari goes to UK and Memphis does not hire his former assistant away from UTEP or spend money on another high profile coach.

I don't think we've seen anything like this....
 

I feel like this could turn into a big story because both schools have great classes coming in, and the potential fall-out in memphis could be very interesting...i hear iowa could use some players lol
 

I bet they would follow Cal if they could. Some of those players, especially the top 20 recruits for this upcoming year, aren't going to Memphis for Memphis, they're going because Cal has a track record of being a great coach to develop you quickly for the pros (Wagner, Rose, Evans). I bet they would follow if they can.
 

are there any rules on moving scholarships around??anyone? if you can that could really make a mess..i imagine some of those players are going to have to stay or something, but if memphis can't find a suitable coach that could blow everything up
 


Dominique Ferguson (2010)

Will any recruits follow Cali if he goes to Kentucky or will they stay? I dont know what the scholarship situation is, or is there any chance any of Kentucky's recruits leave? I have no idea and i just hoping to get some thoughts from everyone

Purdue will likely go after Ferguson pretty hard once he officially opens his recruitment and by all accounts have a very good chance to get him. That would put Painter's 2010 class in the top 5.
 

i dont know if i would see a 2010 recruit dropping kentucky, i was mainly thinking about 2009 but we will see, maybe you are right
 


interesting, you got any info to back that up? i know ohio state is going to be absolutley stacked in 2010 if purdue could get ferguson like you say they would be very tough too
 



interesting, you got any info to back that up? i know ohio state is going to be absolutley stacked in 2010 if purdue could get ferguson like you say they would be very tough too

This is from the Louisville Courier-Journal.

Deon Ferguson, the father of the University of Kentucky's most prized recruit in any class, said there's a "strong possibility" his son might re-open the recruiting process.

Ferguson said his son - Indianapolis Lawrence North junior forward Dominique Ferguson - wasn't shocked that Billy Gillispie is no longer the coach at UK, but the father noted his family was in strong with the former staff at UK.

"We have a really good relationship with those guys," said the elder Ferguson, noting assistant coach Tracy Webster was a big key in the recruitment of his son. "He has a lot on his mind right now. He's just trying to figure things out.

"Right now, he's thinking about the possibility of decommitting. I would say there's a strong possibility that he re-opens the process."

The 6-foot-9 Ferguson is considered one of the top 10 players in the Class of 2010. He's ranked higher - among his class - than any of the nine players that are either signed or committed to UK through the Class of 2012
.

Here's the link since this part is buried about half way down.

http://www.courier-journal.com/blogs/demling/blog.html

Then, there's this from the guy that runs the Purdue Rivals site.

The Dominique Ferguson story is obviously getting a lot of attention, and we have heard that Ferguson has told people directly that Purdue might be his next choice if he re-opens his recruitment, which he very well may in the wake of Billy Gillispie's firing at Kentucky, where Ferguson abruptly and surprisingly committed long ago.

There'll be a process here, though. First, Ferguson has to decide whether or not he's sticking with Kentucky after they've hired their next coach. Then, there's the scholarship question for Purdue, who’s pretty much out of them, and will be especially so if it gets Sandi Marcius.

Jeff Robinson not making it academically, apparently a strong possibility, could take care of that one, but if Purdue were to take another 2010 commitment, it would need someone to quit, transfer or go pro.

This is all conjecture at this point, obviously, and way to early to have any idea what might happen if Purdue were so fortunate as to get both Marcius - the pressing need for next season - and potentially be able to get in the mix for Ferguson if he's available.


I can't link the "article" since it's premium info and you wouldn't be able to open it.

Long story short, Purdue may have a scholly suddenly becoming available because a 2009 recruit may not get into school - and Purdue originally finished runner-up for Ferguson.
 

Isn't DeMarcus Cousins committed to Memphis but unsigned (no LOI) at this point? Because he's unsigned, I believe he could follow the coach and head to Kentucky.

For those who are unaware, Cousins is rated as the #2 overall prospect and #1 power forward in the country by Rivals.com.

EDIT: When I went to the Rivals network to look up Cousins' rankings, I found a story about just this.
 

There is also a rumor that Calipari could take a few more of his signed recruits as well, including Xavier Henry, who has been rated as the top recruit in the country for next season. Henry has signed his letter of intent to Memphis however and would have to be granted a release, which may not happen since Memphis might be facing the possibility of a mass exodus of both players and recruits. Still, it's a possibility.

So if the chips fall right, Calipari could be bringing Cousins, possibly Wall and possibly Henry along with him to a team that already has Patterson and Meeks. YIKES!!!!:eek::eek:
 

If BG was still there, with the current recruiting class they have they are 2 over the limit already so they would have had to have two guys leave. If you bring in Cousins and Wall that would mean that you would need to lose 4 players, which would probably include a couple of the signed commits to UK already. How would you like to be a parent of a UK recruit with a signed LOI and the school comes to you 2 months before you are set to arrive on campus and tells you, sorry but the new coach doesnt want you, good luck.

Oh the practice of over recruiting and then running players off or having the all of a sudden decide to transfer is known by UW and Marquette fans as "House-Creaning". Crean did this often at Marquette and is making a run at it at Indiana. He has already got 1 possibly two guys leaving after this year that he just recruited last year.
 




So if the chips fall right, Calipari could be bringing Cousins, possibly Wall and possibly Henry along with him to a team that already has Patterson and Meeks. YIKES!!!!

This is such a heartwarming story.

It would be so refreshing for a downtrodden program like KY and their long suffering fans to be rewarded for their patience with such a fine class. It would prove the old adage that good things happen to good people.

KY and Cal do indeed deserve each other.
 

In any case, I have a feeling we'll see some pretty drastic reshuffling of rosters between both Kentucky and Memphis between now and next season.

Like Section said (or may have implied);), Cal and Kentucky appear to be a match made in hell....:p;)
 

i think the media will have a field day if most of Memphis' recruits try and come to Kentucky and Kentucky players get booted, because if that happened would that be like the most ridiculous team ever??
 

70% chance based on the emails I have from somebody I know is close to the situation on both the UK and the Memphis end

Henry to Kansas
Wall and Cousins to UK. Cousins might wait to see who the new coach is. If it ends up being Mike Anderson the family will reconsider Memphis and a better shot of keeping him
Two possible transfer in Sallie and Witherspoon to UK but depends on the new coach and the scholly situation. Part of the hold up was Calipari believes only 1 player currently verballed to UK past next year's class is UK caliber (D-Ferguson) and it will be made clear some need to explore other options.

The scholly situation at UK was going to be solved regardless. We only had 1 slot for 4 guys. The last commitment was felt as a slap to UK by Gillispie on the way out the door.

Look for Mike Porter to give up basketball (he has a wife and a baby on the way) and possibly become a GA, Jared Carter Graduates, Josh Harrellson transfers, Donald Williams scholarship will not be renewed (didn't have one next year anyway. No one has any idea why Gillispie gave him one for 1 year to begin with), the Viliarno commitment and the Konner commitment will be "discussed" with their families. No player will be told to hit the bricks but that PT will be hard to get. Ramon Harris might give up basketball and be given an academic scholarship for heatlh reasons.

Also, some players apparently have something written into their LOI's that say if Calipari leaves they're granted an unconditional release to transfer to any school they wish.
 

X. Henry wont be at Kansas if Calipari is leaving no matter what he signed. I just cant see him staying at Memhis especially after hearing him on ESPN News this afternoon from the Mcdonalds All American Game.
 

X. Henry wont be at Kansas if Calipari is leaving no matter what he signed. I just cant see him staying at Memhis especially after hearing him on ESPN News this afternoon from the Mcdonalds All American Game.

He will be asked to meet with the new coach and wait but they will not play hardball on releasing him from his LOI. Kansas is very much in play but I wouldn't be shocked (and this is my own 2 cents. No sources) if he reopened his recruitment fully.

Or did you mean he won't be at Memphis and typed Kansas instead?
 

Does anyone else see view this as a systemic problem? I'm sure some of this is my hatred for Kentucky talking, but isn't it a slippery slope if signing a new coach means you get their recruits? Wouldn't that make any coach that has a top 10 recruiting class coming in an instant hot commodity?

It makes you wonder how legitimate the recruiting process is. Is there a "commit to me, but not the university I represent" conversation happening? I'm not sitting here pretending that NCAA BB recruiting has been a wholesome activity in recent history, but this seems to be taking it a step too far.
 

Does anyone else see view this as a systemic problem? I'm sure some of this is my hatred for Kentucky talking, but isn't it a slippery slope if signing a new coach means you get their recruits? Wouldn't that make any coach that has a top 10 recruiting class coming in an instant hot commodity?

It makes you wonder how legitimate the recruiting process is. Is there a "commit to me, but not the university I represent" conversation happening? I'm not sitting here pretending that NCAA BB recruiting has been a wholesome activity in recent history, but this seems to be taking it a step too far.

It certainly sucks that Memphis has now essentially spent money recruiting these guys to UK.
 

70% chance based on the emails I have from somebody I know is close to the situation on both the UK and the Memphis end

Henry to Kansas
Wall and Cousins to UK. Cousins might wait to see who the new coach is. If it ends up being Mike Anderson the family will reconsider Memphis and a better shot of keeping him
Two possible transfer in Sallie and Witherspoon to UK but depends on the new coach and the scholly situation. Part of the hold up was Calipari believes only 1 player currently verballed to UK past next year's class is UK caliber (D-Ferguson) and it will be made clear some need to explore other options.

The scholly situation at UK was going to be solved regardless. We only had 1 slot for 4 guys. The last commitment was felt as a slap to UK by Gillispie on the way out the door.

Look for Mike Porter to give up basketball (he has a wife and a baby on the way) and possibly become a GA, Jared Carter Graduates, Josh Harrellson transfers, Donald Williams scholarship will not be renewed (didn't have one next year anyway. No one has any idea why Gillispie gave him one for 1 year to begin with), the Viliarno commitment and the Konner commitment will be "discussed" with their families. No player will be told to hit the bricks but that PT will be hard to get. Ramon Harris might give up basketball and be given an academic scholarship for heatlh reasons.

Also, some players apparently have something written into their LOI's that say if Calipari leaves they're granted an unconditional release to transfer to any school they wish.

If Robert Sallie does transfer from Memphis to UK and is granted admittance it will show just how low UK is willing to go in regards to admission standards to accept a player. Robert Sallie tried to and wanted to go to Nebraska this past fall but Nebraska denied him admission so he ended up at Memphis.
 

If Robert Sallie does transfer from Memphis to UK and is granted admittance it will show just how low UK is willing to go in regards to admission standards to accept a player. Robert Sallie tried to and wanted to go to Nebraska this past fall but Nebraska denied him admission so he ended up at Memphis.

Nothing is 100%. I just know what's been communicated to me. There's a lot of different stuff floating out right now from reliable people about all this. Somebody else who I don't know is passing Taggert down the pike instead of Sallie.


As to admissions standard: They nixed Kevin Durant at UK and he got into Texas.
 

i agree... if memphis becomes stacked with all those players i think there is going to be a big deal about it and if kentucky does have a huge year i think many people might see it as tainted
 

Evans declared for the NBA draft because Cal is going to UK.

As for admissions, it is usually easier for a student to transfer schools after they have previously been enrolled at a university, as long as they had decent grades.
 

Kentucky cannot accept those Memphis players. UK does not have the scholarships. Konner Tucker 09 class has de-committed. Of the Memphis players, only Henry, (to my knowledge) has a statement in his LOI, granting him a release to follow Calipari if he chooses.

Cousins and Wall have not signed a LOI and are fair game. Cousins has given a verbal.

If you hire a school's coach, you should not be able to gain their players. I believe most players sign with a University because of the coach.

Coach can leave, why not the players??
 

Kentucky cannot accept those Memphis players. UK does not have the scholarships. Konner Tucker 09 class has de-committed. Of the Memphis players, only Henry, (to my knowledge) has a statement in his LOI, granting him a release to follow Calipari if he chooses.

Cousins and Wall have not signed a LOI and are fair game. Cousins has given a verbal.

If you hire a school's coach, you should not be able to gain their players. I believe most players sign with a University because of the coach.

Coach can leave, why not the players??

There were a lot of scholarship issues even before the Coaching change. We had 1 slot and a 4 player class ( 5 if you count transfer Matt Pilgrim). The Tucker commitment was taken as an FU out the door by Gillispie. Many people aren't happy with that one within the AD right now because Konnor really, really wanted to go to UK and there just wasn't a slot for him and his ability to play at this level is questionable.

I kind of agree with you to a point but students transfer schools all the time. I did and ended up graduating from a place that was a much better situation for me than where I started. The early signing period has just developed a trend where kids are almost forced to make a decision by coaches or risk losing a place. Pitino is really good at the "commit now or player x is taking this spot" for example.
 

I don't like the way this is shaping up

with Kentucky basically "buying" the #1 recruiting class in the country. It just smells bad and it isn't what I follow college basketball for.

I really hope they fall flat on their faces and if Pitino is still at Louisville next year - I hope he beats them by 50 in their own building.

That being said - I sure hope Memphis gets a good coach. They've been royally screwed in the past 48 hours.
 

with Kentucky basically "buying" the #1 recruiting class in the country. It just smells bad and it isn't what I follow college basketball for.

I really hope they fall flat on their faces and if Pitino is still at Louisville next year - I hope he beats them by 50 in their own building.

That being said - I sure hope Memphis gets a good coach. They've been royally screwed in the past 48 hours.

I can tell you this:

We already had a really, really good class coming in with Orton, Hood and G.J. We're not buying Calipari for his class. We want Calipari because we want a coach who will embrace what makes UK special. We want a coach who is just has hungry as us for another national title. We want a coach who will restore some of the luster on the UK name.

I'll be happy with John Wall and who we had coming and look forward to a very, very bright future. I'm not going to blame the kids who signed to Memphis for Coach Cal and want to follow him.

This was not a chip held out by Cal to get more money. Mitch Barnhart is an honorable man and so is Dr. Tood. If it was about the money he would have stayed in Memphis. Memphis matched our offer and was willing to go to 6 mil per. Arizona offered him a blank check. This was about Calipari wanting to be mentioned with the Roy Williams, the K's, the Rick Pitino's. To put his stamp on a storied program in a way you can't do at a Memphis.

I'm involved with AAU basketball and coaches often use kids as bargaining chips to land college jobs. I know the difference.
 




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