Evan Daniels Explains why he Changed his Jaden McDaniels Prediction
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Monday night 247 Sports basketball recruiting analyst Evan Daniels flipped his 247 Crystal Ball prediction from UK to "undecided." This morning he explained his decision in a couple of interviews.
"New information would probably be the best way to put it," he told Matt Jones on KSR.
"It's fluid. I think this time last week Jaden McDaniels would have headed to Kentucky. The recruitment, however, wasn't done. I have reason not believe that's changed some. I think it's a battle between Kentucky and Washington right now and I really don't know where he's headed."
McDaniels' mind has changed often throughout the recruiting process. Even though right now Daniels isn't bullish on UK's chances, there still is a chance he becomes a Wildcat.
"Here's the thing, he could announce tonight. If he announced tonight, I would probably expect that it's going to be Washington. I don't know for sure. He could announce in two weeks. Like I said, he's been very different about this process, definitely not in any kind of hurry and as I mentioned, there's a lot of fluidity in recruiting. When you're dealing with 17 and 18-year old kids, minds change."
In an earlier interview with Kentucky Roll Call, when asked if he believes there's a leader in McDaniels' recruitment, Daniels said, "I don't know if I could pick one right now, to be honest."
As of now, there's no commitment date or a time-table on his recruitment. "Let's see how it plays out."
To understand why there's been so much volatility in his recruitment, it's worth knowing how McDaniels became a top ten player in the 2019 recruiting class.
"He kind of blew up late in his high school career," said Daniels. "It really happened last spring. He rose in our rankings into the top five and it happened quickly. I think there's an adjustment period sometimes. We certainly can be more aggressive, but he also had a lot coming at him in a quick timeframe. I think you gotta be patient with a guy like him. He needs to get stronger. He doesn't necessarily have a slight build and I think that sometimes factors into a lack of aggression. With strength usually comes confidence in those type of kids. I think he's really talented, but there's obviously areas for him to get better at too."
In each discussion he touched on more than just McDaniels' recruitment. On KRC Daniels revealed he believes R.J. Hampton will commit to Kansas. He also described the wild game between future phenom Emoni Bates and Bronny James. On KSR Daniels picked Ashton Hagans to be UK's 2019-20 MVP, although Tyrese Maxey will be the team's leading scorer.
The discussions with Daniels occur in the first 15 minutes of each program. You can find Kentucky Sports Radio and Kentucky Roll Call on iTunes.
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Photo via Endless Motor[/caption]
Monday night 247 Sports basketball recruiting analyst Evan Daniels flipped his 247 Crystal Ball prediction from UK to "undecided." This morning he explained his decision in a couple of interviews.
"New information would probably be the best way to put it," he told Matt Jones on KSR.
"It's fluid. I think this time last week Jaden McDaniels would have headed to Kentucky. The recruitment, however, wasn't done. I have reason not believe that's changed some. I think it's a battle between Kentucky and Washington right now and I really don't know where he's headed."
McDaniels' mind has changed often throughout the recruiting process. Even though right now Daniels isn't bullish on UK's chances, there still is a chance he becomes a Wildcat.
"Here's the thing, he could announce tonight. If he announced tonight, I would probably expect that it's going to be Washington. I don't know for sure. He could announce in two weeks. Like I said, he's been very different about this process, definitely not in any kind of hurry and as I mentioned, there's a lot of fluidity in recruiting. When you're dealing with 17 and 18-year old kids, minds change."
In an earlier interview with Kentucky Roll Call, when asked if he believes there's a leader in McDaniels' recruitment, Daniels said, "I don't know if I could pick one right now, to be honest."
As of now, there's no commitment date or a time-table on his recruitment. "Let's see how it plays out."
To understand why there's been so much volatility in his recruitment, it's worth knowing how McDaniels became a top ten player in the 2019 recruiting class.
"He kind of blew up late in his high school career," said Daniels. "It really happened last spring. He rose in our rankings into the top five and it happened quickly. I think there's an adjustment period sometimes. We certainly can be more aggressive, but he also had a lot coming at him in a quick timeframe. I think you gotta be patient with a guy like him. He needs to get stronger. He doesn't necessarily have a slight build and I think that sometimes factors into a lack of aggression. With strength usually comes confidence in those type of kids. I think he's really talented, but there's obviously areas for him to get better at too."
In each discussion he touched on more than just McDaniels' recruitment. On KRC Daniels revealed he believes R.J. Hampton will commit to Kansas. He also described the wild game between future phenom Emoni Bates and Bronny James. On KSR Daniels picked Ashton Hagans to be UK's 2019-20 MVP, although Tyrese Maxey will be the team's leading scorer.
The discussions with Daniels occur in the first 15 minutes of each program. You can find Kentucky Sports Radio and Kentucky Roll Call on iTunes.
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