Im pretty sure every college coach knows who he is and he has offers from just about anyone with a sliver of a chance. Any school would take him in a heartbeat
Ayton announcing today
- Thread starter RoyKent
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Sweet. I was just looking through replies and didn't bother doing the research. Good to know.
Daniels said KU and Arizona were throw off guard by his decision to announce today. Don't know if we even want the kid with his issues, but if Cal says yes then we should all be ok with it...not that our opinion matters lol.
Based on the periscope I watched of him around a year ago, even before a UK visit, he seemed very excited about UK compared to KU. I left that video thinking that there's no way he doesn't choose UK given the offer and eligibility.
Here we are today, and despite the quiet talk I still predict UK. He said 100% certain that he would've came to UK if Bam and him were in same class.
Here we are today, and despite the quiet talk I still predict UK. He said 100% certain that he would've came to UK if Bam and him were in same class.
What a guy Cal is, he knows we're being tough on stoops so he goes out and gets the number 1 player. A true UK ambassador
Self also claimed he had no idea about Wiggins either and was "pleasantly surprised" or some bs.
He has to say this so he can claim ignorance in case the ncaa ever decides to step in on adidas promising high school kids shoe deals to go to Kansas.
If Meyer says it then there's 40 percent chance it happens.:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:
Of course we would want him, if he can get admitted to school. I wouldn't say Ayton has issues. It's more accurate to say there have been some questions in the past about whether Hillcrest Hoops Academy does enough with their core curriculum to get their seniors eligible for college admission. These questions are old, and Calipari has had plenty of time for due diligence. If Calipari has offered Ayton a scholarship, that means he believes Ayton will be eligible. To be honest about it, this situation kinda smells like a pending Kentucky commitment, especially if Evan Daniels is right about Kansas and Arizona being taken by surprise. Usually, we more or less see a commitment coming. But I can give you a lot of examples where sudden Kentucky commitments have come as surprises, such as Wiltjer, Lee, Labissiere, Humphries, Adebayo. Ayton has talked about Calipari's record for getting big guys to the NBA quickly. I don't have any inside information, but a Kentucky commitment would not surprise me here.
Jerry Meyer has not picked UK--- his crystal ball pick is still for Kansas. All he said in his tweet was that a crystal ball pick has been switched from Kansas to UK. He was not saying that the switched pick was his own.
I'm not sure what to make of Ayton. He's sort of what you might get if you put Karl Towns' skill and WCS's athleticism in one body.
What are his issues again? The only thing I've seen is concern over having enough credit hours due to moving high schools a bunch or something. It may take some work, but a lot of those kids can overcome that (see Diallo last year), especially if it's known early and there is still time to address.
His issues are his high school has consistently been looked at as a school that skirts the rules to get their kids eligible. There's a reason NOBODY was recruiting the kid for along time despite being the best player in the class. With the NCAAand their sustain for Cal I would hate for the kid to be cleared and play a season only to be ruled ineligible and us have to vacate wins. The NCAA would never do that though would they?
IMO, the crystal ball doesn't have a good enough track record to be convincing 1 way or the other, and I am not a fan of Jerry Meyer. But in this particular case, it sort of smells like a surprise Kentucky commitment coming. Here are some important clues. Evan Daniels' tweet, saying Kansas and Arizona coaches are taken by surprise by Ayton's announcement. Ayton's public statement about Calipari being the best at getting bigs to the NBA. Wendell Carter admitting in an interview that he hasn't heard from Kentucky's coaches in a long time. Calipari publicly admitting he is only recruiting 8-9 high school seniors, despite the fact that he is about to lose practically his whole roster after this season. This picture suggests that Calipari already knows who he will sign this year, and that Ayton might shock everyone and jump on board today. Given the clues, that would not surprise me.
He's a monster talent, but no, he's nowhere near as skilled as Towns.
Towns was never a great athlete growing up, so he had to develop his skills. Towns' current athleticism came through a ton of hard work.
Ayton, OTOH, has been the biggest, baddest, best athlete on the court pretty much every basketball game he's ever played in.
Unless you are personally in touch with the chairman of the NCAA enforcement committee, then spare us your groundless rumors.
I didn't realize he was considering UNC.
I have watched Ayton in ASGs. He has a long body, a strong base, and good basic athletic instincts in the lane. He is an excellent rebounder on both ends. He already runs the floor like an NBA big. His scoring skills are still a little raw, but he already has a nice drop step. Ayton is a lot like KAT was when he got here. I believe Calipari and Payne would make an overall #1 draft choice out of him. And if Ayton also believes that, then good news may be coming our way today.
Reading around the web, sounds like we have a better chance than most on here think. I could see Cal telling him to commit to start the dominos falling. We get a commit from the #1 player and everyone else starts jumping on board. A man can dream!!
Yeah, there was one switched, but there were also two picked for Kansas like 25-30 mins. before that one (Texas guy & a Nike EYBL Recruiting analyst).
Spare "us"? Who is "us"? I wasn't trying to be funny. I don't like people who try to start groundless rumors about players, and most posters would agree. But here's some humor for your SA response. GFY. LOL.
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Nice post. I have no idea where Kentucky stands with Bamba, but I think this sudden announcement might bode well for us with Ayton.
Looks like SportsCenter is on ESPN2 tonight. I hope he's not making a quick decision to go elsewhere based on a conversation with Cal regarding Bamba. If we miss out on both of them......
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This guy tore north Carolina's front court a part when he was only 15 year old, he is probably the best big in high school when he wants to be...if he can play at UK next year, no one will Have to worry about our front court next season and if anybody can get bamba and ayton to play together in the same frontcourt it is calipari...
