Cats Illustrated takes an in-depth look at Friday's Big Blue Madness as a recruiting event.
Kentucky's annual madness event always means some of John Calipari's top targets are visiting. This year is no different.
Cats Illustrated's basketball recruiting analyst T.J. Walker has mentioned or written extensively about each of the major Kentucky targets expected to be in attendance. Here's a list of who's expected to be in Rupp Arena, along with an up-to-date snapshot of where their recruitment stands.
THE LATEST: Young's trip to Kentucky for Big Blue Madness will be an official visit whereas most of the players visiting are unofficially visiting. That means he will be in town for longer than most of the other visitors and he'll get to see more and spend more time with John Calipari, the assistant coaches and the players.
Most pundits, including Walker here at Cats Illustrated, believe that Kentucky's in the driver's seat for Young with Oklahoma and Kansas providing much of the competition. Rivals.com's Eric Bossi reported this week that Duke has been showing more interest recently.
THE LATEST: Green, like Young, is taking his official visit to Kentucky this weekend. If you read Monday's Insider Notes (linked above or HERE) you'll know whether Walker believes Kentucky leads. Syracuse is a major contender for Green, along with Kentucky.
Green is planning to make an early decision and this weekend's trip will be crucial to Kentucky's chances.
THE LATEST: All the chatter surrounding Richards' recruitment seems to bode well for Kentucky. Here's what Walker had to say about Richards in this week's Insider Notes:
"I feel confident Richards will end up at Kentucky. I don't know when we could expect a commitment but it seems like UK is the big favorite. I was told they expect him to make his other visits, which I guess you never know what can happen on those visits, but the Cats seem like they're in a good spot for Richards."
THE LATEST: Washington is one of the more important recruits for Kentucky in the Class of 2017. Because of his athleticism, his rebounding ability and his versatility, Washington could be a glue guy, so-to-speak, only with a lot more talent than the label typically implies for a player.
Washington is down to Kentucky, North Carolina and Arizona, and you can get his thoughts on each school here, in a video with Rivals.com's Krysten Peek.
The Cats seem to be in good shape with Washington and this is his second trip to Lexington in less than a month. His official visit to UK was in mid-September.
THE LATEST: Most of the scuttlebutt in Knox's recruitment seems to have Duke in front of Kentucky, but John Calipari's success in convincing Knox to visit for Big Blue Madness is a sign that the ultra-talented wing still has an open ear to the Cats.
Walker mentioned Knox's upcoming visit in the October 3rd edition of his basketball recruiting Insider Notes (read that here).
Kentucky may have ground to make up, but it wouldn't be wise to rule Calipari totally out.
THE LATEST: Kentucky just offered Quickley earlier this month so it's probably safe to say this is one trip he's looking forward to.
While there isn't the sense of immediate significance in the case of a 2018 recruit, it's never too early to start looking ahead and Quickley is one of the best players in his class.
PREMIUM: Read T.J. Walker's Q & A from this week with Quickley's coach.
THE LATEST: Walker reported earlier this week that Langford, the No. 3 player in the Class of 2018, will be at Big Blue Madness. Indiana would surely love to keep Langford in the Hoosier State but it seems like Duke is the school that has generated the most momentum early - or that's what the speculation seems to be most places.
Earlier this week Walker mentioned his thoughts on UK's chances with Langford here.
THE LATEST: Reddish is a recent addition to the Big Blue Madness visitor list, but he's been on Kentucky's radar for months.
Here you can read Walker's analysis following UK's offer to the five-star back in May.
THE LATEST: Kansas has already offered the high school sophomore but Kentucky has not. Nonetheless, Brown making it up to Lexington for Madness is a great sign that he's got serious early interest in the Cats.
Brown impressed Rivals.com's Eric Bossi at the USA Basketball Junior National Minicamp earlier this week.
"One of the underclassmen who wasn't intimidated by the stronger 2017 guys is 2019's No. 14 ranked player Christian Brown. The 6-foot-6 wing backed up his five-star status in a big way. He hit some deep jumpers, defended with intensity and was a beast finishing around the hoop. He's one of those guys who brings up the intensity level of any game," Bossi wrote.
Earlier, in August, Bossi named Brown to his Class of 2019 All-Summer Team.
THE LATEST: In some years before Calipari's arrival the No. 32 player in a given class would have been one of the headliners at an event like this. Still, Hagans has the potential to develop into one of the best players in the 2019 class.
Hagans visited Auburn in September. He already has offers from Auburn, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State, Tennessee and Wake Forest.
After the Nike Elite 100 this summer Bossi wrote, "There is still a long time left for prospects in the class of 2019 to grow and establish themselves, but thus far Hagans is one of the top point guards. Hagans plays with confidence, has great size, gets to the rim and he won't back down from a challenge. He's a potential top 25 player in the rising sophomore class."
Previously Bossi had written of Hagans as a "traditional point guard with great size and passing ability."
