The Billy Clyde Recruiting Philosophy

So on one level, yesterday was a bummer. Another big man came and another big man went, and the Cats missed out on a player that could have been a key component to future success. That is view #1. View #2 and the one I will choose to focus on is that Kentucky did end up yesterday with two absolutely exceptional players. Liggins and Darius Miller are game-changing type guys who can get it done on both ends of the floor and will represent the Cats well on and off the court. I like Liggins game and I think he brings athleticism and versatility, two traits that are needed to play Billy Clyde's defense. But I am a HUGE fan of Darius Miller. There is no kid in the class I wanted to see in Blue more, in part because of his Kentucky roots but also because he is a true talent and a great kid. Focusing on those two guys, makes this a great class. In his comments yesterday, Billy Clyde made clear that this is what we should come to expect: "That's the type of guys we should be getting," Gillispie said. "We should have a roster full of those kind of players, and we won't sleep until we get them." How refreshing is that quote? It is no secret that I am a fan of our former coach as an Xs and Os coach. But as someone interested in recruiting, I always was frustrated at the fact that we didnt quite go and get the guys I think win championships. You can have your top 10 guys....they are nice and they can give you one good year. But give me a class of guys ranked 15-40 and I will take my chances. Those guys stay more than one year, develop chemistry and can win the big games. That was the recipe of Florida the last few years and was Tubby's recipe early on. It looks to me like it will be (at least in part) the recipe of Billy Clyde.....and that is very, very good to see. More today on the guys we got and who might be on the horizon.........