John Calipari continues to bring former Memphis players to Kentucky
Kentucky on Thursday signed Miami-Dade College wing Darnell Dodson, who was recently let out of his letter of intent at Memphis.
The 6-foot-7 Dodson, originally from Greenbelt, Md., initially signed with Pittsburgh and was taking classes there in the fall of 2007 before he ran into NCAA Clearinghouse issues.
He attended Miami-Dade College last season where he helped guide the Sharks to a Southern Conference Championship and a 26-2 regular season record. He averaged 15.7 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 76.7 percent from free throw line en route to First Team All-Southern Conference honors.
Dodson joins DeMarcus Cousins (Mobile, Ala.), Kentucky Mr. Basketball Jon Hood (Madisonville) and Daniel Orton (Oklahoma City, Okla.) as members of UK’s 2009 signing class. The 6-10 Cousins initially made a verbal commitment to Memphis but did not sign.
Kentucky still desperately needs a point guard and is involved with both John Wall, the No. 1 overall prospect in the Class of 2009, and Eric Bledsoe, the No. 3 point guard.
Calipari and several assistants visited Wall on Wednesday at Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God Academy, trying to persuade the 6-4 guard to become their floor general.
“It went good,” Wall said by text.
Florida coach Billy Donovan also visited Wall Tuesday, per Jerry Meyer of Rivals.
Wall is now at Miami this weekend on an official visit and said he would cut his list to “three or four” sometime next week.
Baylor, Duke, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Memphis, Miami and N.C. State are in the mix.
SMITH TO LOUISVILLE
Earl Smith says his son Chris Smith will transfer to Louisville and sit out a season before suiting up in 2010.
Smith spent this past season at Manhattan.
“He’s definitely going to Lousiville,” Earl said Friday by phone. “After he finishes school, he’ll probably go to a summer semester there. He’ll just get acclimated with the team and go from there.
“He has to sit out next year and then he’ll have two years left.”
Earl said he spoke to several Louisville assistants, although former Manhattan assistant Steve Masiello was not one of them.
The younger brother of Denver Nuggets guard JR Smith, Smith attended St. Benedict’s with current Louisville big man Samardo Samuels.
Smith averaged 13.4 points and 5.7 rebounds this past year at Manhattan. He scored in double-figures 20 times, including a 35-point outburst against Princeton.
Smith initially committed to Seton Hall but the schools parted ways and he began playing at Manhattan the second semester of 2007-08. He can suit up for another Big East school because he was never eligible at Seton Hall.
(Photos courtesy Miami-Dade, Manhattan)
