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COMMITMENT ALERT
- Thread starter PhattyJ4UK_rivals309166
- Start date
https://kentucky.rivals.com/news/shai-alexander-commits-to-uk
Those crazy xotrolls
Those crazy xotrolls
I believe the same was said of Ullis as well. I think we need players that are not one and done. Also, I am not convinced Alexander will be here 4 years, especially once Cal gets a hold of him. A nice 2 to 3 year player for us. I will be in Chattanooga on Friday to watch his game since I live 20 miles from Chatty. Go Big Blue!!!
Exactly. Why do we need guys that are gonna stay around for 4 years and contribute as upperclassmen, adding stability and poise to the team? That's why everybody here is always bitching that we don't have enough one-and-dones. I've always said the '12 team could have done great things if they didn't have to give token minutes to Darius Miller.
Everybody bitches that the team is so young every year, then they turn around and whine when we get players who probably won't be OAD. What a world.
Ranked 43rd overall and a the No. 2 combo guard in the 2017 class by the industry-average 247Sports Composite, Alexander is a former Florida commit who reopened his recruitment Oct. 17.
UK assistant Joel Justus met with him a week later, head coach John Calipari did the same and extended an offer Oct. 31 and that next weekend, Alexander was in Lexington for an official visit.
Kentucky had recruited commitments Nick Richards and P.J. Washington for the better part of two years. Alexander's recruitment, meanwhile, lasted a little more than two weeks.
Hamilton Heights coach Zach Ferrell said Alexander is a good fit for the Wildcats.
"They play spread and pitch the ball ahead. [Calipari] loves his ability to break down the defender with the dribble," Ferrell said. "He's a very unselfish player so guys are going to love playing with him. He talked about how that would translate to good stuff when you put other good players around him."
Ferrell called Alexander "a natural team leader," and although he can play either guard spot, he views him as a point guard all the way.
"As a point guard, he's everything you want," Ferrell said.
"He understands the game, he plays with a level-headedness. His vision is fantastic. He loves to get his teammates involved and on top of all that, he has tremendous size for a point guard. He has a 6-10 wingspan. He can score it really well, he can control the game, he can find people where they need to be. He handles the ball great, shoots it well and he's fantastic off the ball screen."
With the addition of Alexander, Kentucky's 2017 class moves into the top-five of the 247Sports Composite Team Rankings.
UK assistant Joel Justus met with him a week later, head coach John Calipari did the same and extended an offer Oct. 31 and that next weekend, Alexander was in Lexington for an official visit.
Kentucky had recruited commitments Nick Richards and P.J. Washington for the better part of two years. Alexander's recruitment, meanwhile, lasted a little more than two weeks.
Hamilton Heights coach Zach Ferrell said Alexander is a good fit for the Wildcats.
"They play spread and pitch the ball ahead. [Calipari] loves his ability to break down the defender with the dribble," Ferrell said. "He's a very unselfish player so guys are going to love playing with him. He talked about how that would translate to good stuff when you put other good players around him."
Ferrell called Alexander "a natural team leader," and although he can play either guard spot, he views him as a point guard all the way.
"As a point guard, he's everything you want," Ferrell said.
"He understands the game, he plays with a level-headedness. His vision is fantastic. He loves to get his teammates involved and on top of all that, he has tremendous size for a point guard. He has a 6-10 wingspan. He can score it really well, he can control the game, he can find people where they need to be. He handles the ball great, shoots it well and he's fantastic off the ball screen."
With the addition of Alexander, Kentucky's 2017 class moves into the top-five of the 247Sports Composite Team Rankings.
Keep in mind that this could be another Bledsoe situation. This kid skipped AAU ball all summer which is where the lionshare of evaluating and ranking is done. I don't think he is going to rise to 5* status but his ranking is expected to rise this year.
Agree. Regardless of his final ranking, he is just what we needed, and at the right time. Welcome to the BBN.
If we can get hunter McClintock also we will be unstoppable
I'm fine with guys like Alexander who are multi year guys but that's not what we need right now. We need sure fire stars at the guard positions because we won't have a backcourt at all after this year. If we already had the top pg and sg in the class then I think you would see a bit more excitement over Shai.
We're going to need guards next year. Alexander can play (and defend) the 1-3 spots, could be a part of the main rotation if need be, but isn't going to scare off our top targets. He's ideal for what we need at this time.
He's also mainly a PG, but has the physical tools (that wingspan is insane) to guard bigger guards and even wings, so if we land someone like Trae Young, they can play together and allow Trae to be the 2 on offense and guard 1's on defense.
Basically, he keeps all our options open and moves the worst case scenario from Brad Calipari to a 6'6, top-40 athlete.
He's also mainly a PG, but has the physical tools (that wingspan is insane) to guard bigger guards and even wings, so if we land someone like Trae Young, they can play together and allow Trae to be the 2 on offense and guard 1's on defense.
Basically, he keeps all our options open and moves the worst case scenario from Brad Calipari to a 6'6, top-40 athlete.
To get better and have a chance to go pro... (I don't know a thing, just speculating...)
Scouting report sounds a lot like Charles Matthews honestly. Hopefully he works out better for us than Charles. Welcome Shai!
This was a great move on Alexander's part. Kentucky will be short on guards next season, and even if we manage to land guys like Young or Walker, Shai is gonna get his minutes to lead a tournament contender with five-star bigs as a freshman. If he were in this year's class, it wouldn't have been a good choice. Hard to see him getting more minutes than Dominique or Mychal. But for next year - very astute (and I'm sure Cal pointed all of this out to him).
As for me, I will take every guard we can get.
As for me, I will take every guard we can get.