Karl Towns Goes Off Again And Other Notes

by:Jay Hochstetler01/05/14
[caption id="attachment_124913" align="alignnone" width="460"]That's the face of a scary person. That's the face of a scary person.[/caption]   -After last game's near quadruple-double for Karl Towns, he inched even closer today with a 20 point, 14 rebound, 9 block, 8 assist effort in an easy win for St. Josephs. Towns is simply too physically imposing for just about any average high school team he will face this season so these stat lines will become a regularity as the season moves along. He will have to add some bulk for college as he gets bodied around by many players who can somewhat match him in length. He faced off with Cliff Alexander this summer and the difference in strength was really evident as Alexander controlled the post. - As mentioned on this site, 2016 target Jayson Tatum played against Lexington Catholic last night in front of Calipari, Robic, and Antigua. Prior to his game, he took an unofficial visit to campus per Evan Daniels. Tatum is considered the #4 player in the 2016 class by 247 and the 247 Composite ranking. - If you want your chance to watch future point guard Tyler Ulis. He will be playing in Paducah, KY at the McCracken County Hoop Fest next Saturday to play against Carlisle, VA. He will be playing against fellow UK target Thon Maker and Carlisle School. Maker is a seven foot tall phenom in the 2016 class. Ulis will get a taste of driving the lane against college forwards when he squares off against Maker. -Finally, there are plenty of rumblings about where the 2014 class will end. The case remains the same for UK with Rashad Vaughn, Torian Graham, Montaque Gil-Caesar, and the darkhorse Myles Turner being the leaders. From what I have read and the feeling I have gotten, here is where I believe UK stands with each. Rashad Vaughn: Out of the 3 wings in play for UK, Vaughn is probably the most talented one. UNLV and Iowa State are the current leaders, but UNC and UK are making a late push after being the leaders early in the recruitment. The biggest issue with Vaughn is that he is a Findlay Prep player. Findlay Prep is funded by a former UNLV player and current booster Cliff Findlay. Its no coincidence that UNLV is very successful at recruiting players from Findlay (Anthony Bennett). UK has really struggled at breaking into the Findlay Prep circle for whatever reason. List Vaughn as doubtful for UK. Torian Graham: If Torian Graham would have had his academics together in high school, he would have likely been at UK and been a huge help to last year's team. Graham has a ton of athleticism and has played extremely well in the JUCO ranks this season. It comes down to this: if UK offers Graham, he becomes a lock for UK. Graham has always loved UK and attended the same high school as John Wall for some time. Cal might wait to see how many players appear to be leaving for the draft before he extends an offer. Montaque Gill-Caesar: Gill-Caesar is another example of Calipari holding his offer until he sees what players will return. The other factor is of course Gil-Caesar deciding to reclassify to 2014. Reclassifying to 2014 probably means Gil-Caesar would have to stay in college 2 years to become a sought after draft pick, which should not be a problem unless he is a player who simply has no desire for the college life. Kentucky fans will really have to hold their breath on Gill-Caesar until he makes the reclassification decision. Myles Turner: I really cannot see this one happening, but you never know. The front court seems pretty much loaded for next season with the likely returns of Lee and Johnson as well as the incoming frontcourt of Lyles and Towns. Aside from that, Turner seems to be insistent on attending a college that is somewhat near his hometown of Euless, TX. This makes Oklahoma State, Texas, SMU, and Kansas the leading destinations for Turner.   @JayHochKSR      

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