Kentucky Basketball: 4 Players Coach John Calipari Must Spend Time Recruiting

By (Featured Columnist) on September 12, 2012

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John Calipari will look to lead the Kentucky Wildcats to back-to-back national championships this college basketball season. He'll also be looking to deliver a few star recruits to the program for the 2013 season.

Kentucky has put together some of the best recruiting classes in the nation recently. Calipari has proven he can land some of the best talents in the county.

Wildcat fans are hopeful their coach can do whatever it takes to ensure the 2013 season goes as well as it should in 2012.

Here are four players Calipari must spend time recruiting.

Julius Randle

Via kentucky.straitpinkie.com
Via kentucky.straitpinkie.com

The No. 1 recruit in the 2013 class, according to Rivals.com, should be heavily recruited by the Kentucky Wildcats.

The Wildcats should be in the market for a big man in the next recruiting class, especially if they lose Nerlens Noel to the NBA. At 6'9" and 225 pounds, Randle is already a physical specimen. At his age, he should be able to grow into his frame even more.

As Scout.com notes, Randle is a strong low-post scorer who excels at attacking the basket.

Randle will visit Kentucky later this week, according to ESPN.com. The Wildcats will want to make a great impression, as Randle has visits lined up with other schools as well.

Scout.com's recruiting analyst Evan Daniels reported last month that Randle's list is down to 10 schools. 

Randle will continue to be recruited as much as any prospect in the 2013 class. If the Wildcats are fortunate enough land him, they should feel confident about their chances in 2013.

Jabari Parker

Via exposay.com
Via exposay.com

Jabari Parker and Julius Randle are both competing for the No. 1 ranking in the country for the 2013 class. ESPN.com has Parker ranked over Randle as the No. 1 recruit in the nation.

Both of these players have multiple elite basketball programs begging them to sign a letter of intent.

Parker has a different skill set than Randle, as he is more of a small forward with the ability to play power forward in smaller lineups. Parker's size (6'8") and mobility makes him a unique talent.

He is a volume scorer and should be able to contribute on the offensive end immediately at the next level.

Kentucky had a similar player in Terrence Jones on its recent national championship team. Calipari likes forwards with length, and Parker's skill set should fit in with what Kentucky likes to do.

Andrew Harrison

Via slamonline.com
Via slamonline.com

John Calipari will have to put significant recruiting efforts into landing the top point guard in the country, according to ESPN.com.

College basketball is dominated by guard play, and Andrew Harrison could be the next great point guard in the sport. At 6'5" and 210 pounds, Harrison should be able to use his size to instantly be an impact at the college level.

Big point guards can control a game, both with their ability to handle the ball and their ability to post up smaller guards. Harrison will have to develop touch around the basket, but that should come in time.

Andrew Harrison already has an offer from Kentucky, but it may take more than that to land him...

Aaron Harrison

Via wildcatworld.com
Via wildcatworld.com

A key factor to the Kentucky Wildcats landing Andrew Harrison will be convincing his twin brother to join him. Aaron Harrison, a shooting guard, is also one of the top recruits in the country.

As Damon Sayles wrote for ESPN.com, the brothers have already said they plan to play together in college. Andrew spoke to Sayles about the upcoming decision:

With Kentucky, my goal is to be an NBA basketball player. If you look at the past few years, that's where you go if you want to be an NBA basketball player. Coach (Scott) Drew from Baylor is great, and they're doing a lot of winning. They've been recruiting us since we were really young, like seventh or eighth grade.

Kentucky's ability to produce first-round NBA talent could give it the advantage in this recruiting battle.

The Wildcats could end up with two of the best high school basketball players in the country, but convincing them to choose Kentucky over several other top-notch programs could be difficult.

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