If you’ve been following the stories coming out of Las Vegas this week, you know that the biggest one of them all had to do with point guard Josh Selby and his recruitment.
The 6-foot-1 Selby recently de-committed from Tennessee, and did so while UT head coach Bruce Pearl was coaching Team USA in the Maccabiah Games in Israel.
Word on the street is that Kentucky may now have the inside edge to land Selby, and his mother, Maeshon Witherspoon, fed that perception by giving this quote to Jody Demling of the Louisville Courier Journal.
“Anybody with a basketball brain and knows what [Kentucky coach John] Calipari has done — you have to consider Kentucky,” she said. “It doesn’t mean it’s a done deal, but you have to consider Kentucky.”
The backstory here is that William Wesley, aka “Worldwide Wes,” met Witherspoon at the NBA Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, Va. and again at the LeBron James Skills Academy in Akron. Yet Witherspoon told Demling there is no connection between Wes and her son.
“He has nothing to do with my son,” Witherspoon said. “They have never had lunch together; he’s never called my son’s phone.”
Wesley, a well known person of influence in the sport and a close friend of Calipari’s, has been known to steer players in Calipari’s direction, including guards DaJuan Wagner and Derrick Rose. Some believe Michael Gilchrist will eventually follow suit, since Wes is a close family friend who grew up near Gilchrist’s family in Camden, N.J.
Demling reported that a slew of major coaches watched Selby this week in Sin City, including Billy Donovan of Florida; Bill Self of Kansas; Jim Calhoun of UConn; Josh Pastner of Memphis; Mike Krzyzewski of Duke and Gary Williams of Maryland.
“Every school is in the picture, even [NCAA Division II] schools,” Selby told Demling. “It’s going to take a long time before I commit again. I am wide open.”
Kentucky is involved with all four major point guards in this class, including Kyrie Irving of Elizabeth (NJ) St. Patrick, who lit it up in Orlando this week; Joe Jackson of Memphis; and Brandon Knight of Ft Lauderdale (FL) Pine Crest, who was not in Vegas or Orlando this week.
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pastaboy / July 27, 2009
Cal puts top point guards high in the lottery …#1 ….and #4 ….alll the good ones want Cal …..they’re lining up to play for the guy …the fact that he’s now at Ky. only makes the choice more attractive …..SEC conference …ESPN t.v. contract …..highest fan attendence in college ball …..Cal may have to sponsor a mini-camp for top rated point guards so he can whittle the list of applicants down ……hahahahahahaa……….hahahahahahaha…..
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jsperkins85 / July 27, 2009
I read this site on a regular basis and really enjoy the insight that Zagoria brings to his blogs, but have never posted before. I couldn’t help myself this time. I just wanted to say that pastaboy is a complete tool. I’m sorry but there is no other way to put it. I don’t normally call people out like this but your posts are just ridiculous and I know a lot of people would agree. By the way, what team do you even root for?
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bball purist / July 27, 2009
“you just have to consider Kentucky…WW told me so – I’m under his spell now…I will use my influence as Josh’s mom to get him to go there…”hhmmmm ho hmmm hmmm no hmmm hum hmmm cut the check…”
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pastaboy / July 27, 2009
Except for my last sentence which was basically kidding around ….name one thing in my post which isn’t factual……. Rose went #1 (fact) Tyreke went #4 (fact) ….Cal is now coaching in the SEC (fact) …..the SEC has a T.V. contract with ESPN (fact) ….and Kentucky has the highest attendence in the country (fact) …..you gotta come with facts …not childish insults ….You’re dismissed.
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