GJ Vilarino: 2009 UK Point Guard Commitment

I was having a conversation today with a former UK player and we were chatting about the recent recruitment flurry by Billy Gillispie. This former player, who is still connected with the program, said that he was very excited about the commitments of Dominique Ferguson and Jon Hood and thought a great deal of potential existed for Vinny Zollo. Then he asked me a question that I have heard in some form at least a 100 times over the past few months...."so what is the deal with this GJ Vilarino kid?" GJ has been the one UK recruit that people dont really discuss a great deal and folks arent really sure what to make of. He was the first commitment that Billy took at Kentucky and he showed a great deal of promise early in his high school career. However over the course of the past year, his stock has fallen quite a bit. He was unranked in the recent Scout and Rivals rankings for the class of 2009 and some of the evaluators on those sites have questioned whether he has the ability to play at a school like Kentucky. Yet there are those, including a couple of people whose opinions I trust a great deal, who swear by the kid and say he will be ready when the time comes....which all begs the question, what is the deal with GJ Vilarino? As with all of these young kids, lets start with what we know. We know that Billy Gillispie knows this kid well from his time in Texas and has been following him for quite some time. GJ was one of those kids who was a Freshman phenom and had the attention of all of Texas with his early play. While his stock recently has fallen in comparison to other kids who are rising, the kid can still pass the ball well and is a decent shooter. His athleticism is a bit shaky, but he can make plays at point guard, which is exactly what you want from your leader. We also know that he had a good, but not great high school season. His performances went up and down a bit, but he had some good games that showcased skill. I have not seen his AAU performances this year, but last year I saw a kid who had potential to get better if he worked hard....a decision only he can make. What is more unclear is how GJ fits into UK's future. UK has attempted to load up at the point guard position and continues to attempt to load up going forward. They recruited both JUCO point guard Kevin Galloway and Freshman DeAndre Liggins for the position this year, likely thinking one would move to small forward. With Liggins' eligibility in doubt, they are looking at Hunter McClintock and likely others in this class to find some more depth at the position. While getting a commitment from Vilarino, they still are pursuing other point guard options in his class, including #1 player in America John Wall. They also have a commitment from a point guard for 2010 in KC Ross-Miller, a kid that some have criticized, but I think will be a great player at UK. Thus GJ's place is difficult to decipher. It is never a great sign when you are recruited over in your own class....sometimes it works out (think Rondo and Bradley), but more often it is a sign of some skepticism about one of the players by the coaching staff (think Meeks and Porter). Which of these applies to Vilarino is still to be determined. While rarely said in public, it is an open secret among many in the recruiting circles that most recruiting types think Vilarino isnt good enough to play at Kentucky. I actually tend to disagree with that statement. I think GJ has the talent to make it at UK, although I think he projects as a backup point guard in the mode of a Saul Smith or JP Blevins, more than a starter to whom you hand the keys to the operation. I saw signs in GJ's game last year that he can be a productive member of a championship team if put in the right circumstances. But it is equally clear that Kentucky is looking elsewhere in addition to GJ to fill its point guard needs. How that effects GJ's desire to come to Kentucky is still an open question. If the Cats get a guy like John Wall, will Vilarino still want to come to Lexington? My guess is yes, but only he truly knows. What everyone can hope for however is that GJ takes the criticism he has gotten and his omission from the national rankings and uses it as motivation to continue to improve his game. That result would certainly be the best not only for him, but also the Cats.