Tuesday's News: Big Recruiting Day For UK

Couple big news stories today involving the Cats. First, we got a big commitment from Turkish big man Enes Kanter. It is a little bit of a mixed bag taking Kanter. Poking around the internet, which admittedly isn't always the most reliable of sources, you get the feel that he is going to be an impact player... if he can get eligible. With Cousins, and possibly Orton leaving after this year, it is a no brainer to take somebody as talented as Kanter.Besides his eligibility issues, he is said to be seeking the fast track to the NBA. Here is just one of the articles that mentions Kanter's desire to be one and done.

You never know what you are going to get with Freshman, and how they are going to adapt their game to the next level, but everything on this kid points to him being a legit NBA prospect. There is the NBA lockout looming after next season that might make Kanter's one and done wishes unwise, thus giving us two years from the Big Enes. But like I said, Kanter has to get eligible first. The Turkish kid for West Virginia was in a similar situation and had to sit out 20 games this year. Who knows just how similar the situations were, and with the NCAA you never know.

I don't buy the crowd that says UK wouldn't take him if they had no concerns with his eligibility. There isn't a lot of downside in taking Kanter even if he would have to set out a substantial period of time. We are going to have as many as Eight scholarships available this offseason, and there is no way we are going to use them all. With Harrelson likely to be the only Senior next season, you have to believe we are going to hold several scholarships for Gilchrest, Quincy Miller, and whoever else in 2011. Why not take the chance on Kanter?

I don't expect we will know anything concrete in regards to Enes Kanter anytime soon. Knowing the NCAA, they aren't going to get any hurry. Hopefully UK's lawyers can work their magic like they did with Randolph Morris and get him eligible ASAP. Draftexpress has their doubts about his chances of gaining eligibility, but these things tend to work themselves out. Rumor is that some people in Turkey aren't happy that he left the country and could complicate things with his eligibility. As Doug Gottlieb would say, this is a very fluid situation. At any rate, it should give fans something to worry about over the summer, which is nice.

I still say Brandon Knight is the most important piece to the recruiting puzzle. In the NCAA's, as with any other level of basketball for that matter, you absolutely have to have solid Point Guard play. Brandon Knight would be more than solid, as he would probably be a top five point in all of college basketball. As they did with the Kanter story, Dave Telep of Scout.com broke news today that Florida dropped out of the race for Brandon Knight. Florida was presumed to be the stiffest competition for Knight's services. Now that the Gators are out of consideration, you have to love where UK is with this kid.

If the recent speculation about Bledsoe being one and done are true, Knight is the key for UK being a very competitive team year. Without Knight we could see a UNC like decline next season. Adding Knight ensures the Cats drop off won't be so steep. You still can't help but take a step back with the losing four or five NBA talents, but I can live with a solid season while we rebuild the empire for a 2012 title run. Knight, Poole, and Kanter would be an outstanding second recruiting haul for Calipari, and knowing Cal, he probably isn't done yet. We can't pencil in Knight just yet, but every tea leaf and smoke signal is pointing to the Cats.

In less UK related news, but still relevant, West Virginia's starting point guard Darrly Bryant broke his foot in practice today and is going to miss the rest of the tournament. He is the second starting point guard to see his season end too soon, as Kalin Lucas suffered a similar fate when he ruptured his achiles tendon. Tough break for Huggins and West Virginia. Personally, I was always more afraid of Cornell than West Virgina. Nobody is going to hang with us on talent anyway. Smart play and outside shooting are your best bets at keeping it close with us, and that is something Cornell has in spades. Still, tough break for the Mountaineers, and hopefully this is the last injury to hit the tournament field. Always a tough loss when you lose a guy with a nickname as cool as "The Truck".