Kentucky Basketball: Ranking Each of the Recruits Coach Cal Is Pursuing in 2013

Mark Zerof-US PRESSWIRE

John Calipari has taken Kentucky basketball recruiting to new heights in 2013. Aaron and Andrew Harrison, James Young, Marcus Lee and Derek Willis make up the undisputed No. 1 class in the country, according to ESPN.

Best (or worse) of all, Calipari is not done yet.

College basketball teams should cringe at the thought of Kentucky landing one or two more prospects. That would solidify the 2013 Wildcat class as one of the best ever, in terms of quality and quantity of top recruits.

Here are the four recruits that could still be added to Kentucky's 2013 recruiting class, ranked in order of importance.

4. Aaron Gordon (2013)

Photo credit: Andrew Shurtleff

It's scary to think that Aaron Gordon is at the bottom of any list, but such is the case for Kentucky Basketball.

Gordon is ranked seventh overall by ESPN. He's the No. 2 power forward in the class. He's listed at 6'7", which makes him a combo forward more than anything else in college. Gordon brings athleticism and an intense work ethic to the table each night.

Big Blue Nation would love to add his abilities to the 2013 class, and he may be the most realistic addition to the class. 

According to Steve Jones of the Courier-Journal, Gordon has three schools remaining on his list: Arizona, Kentucky and Washington. 

Not bad odds for a top ten prospect. 

3. Dakari Johnson (2013)

Photo credit: 24/7 Sports

He may be ranked lower than Aaron Gordon, but Dakari Johnson would be a better fit for Kentucky's 2013 class.

With the rise of Willie Cauley-Stein, there is a strong chance that Kentucky loses him to the NBA after this season. Nerlens Noel leaving is nearly a given and, if both left, Kentucky would have a hole to fill at center.

Gordon would not be able to fill that hole like Johnson—on either end of the court. 

Johnson is a physical presence on both sides of the ball, and he dominates the glass. Gordon has the athleticism, sure, but Johnson's physical stature makes him a much easier selection at center.

Kentucky is stacked at power forward for next year. Kyle Wiltjer will likely stay. Marcus Lee will earn minutes and Derek Willis could sneak into the rotation as well.

Sure, John Calipari would find a way to piece together all of this talent. But with Johnson, his job would be much easier.

2. Julius Randle (2013)

Photo credit: Max Preps

Of course, if I could pick any post player in the 2013 class to join the Harrison twins and James Young in Lexington, it would be Julius Randle. 

Randle is a bit bigger than Aaron Gordon and his post skills are more defined. Gordon has raw athleticism like Blake Griffin, but Randle is polished. He's the No. 1 power forward in the 2013 class for a reason. 

The problem with Randle is that he may be the toughest player on this list for Calipari to land. 

If it wasn't for a certain player reclassifying to the 2013 class, Randle would be Kentucky's top priority.

1. Andrew Wiggins (2013)

Photo credit: USA Today

Andrew Wiggins is the best high school basketball player in North America. And, believe it or not, John Calipari is recruiting him.

The No. 1 recruit and the No. 1 recruiter in the country seems like a perfect match. But when he reclassified to the 2013 class, he opened his recruitment to other schools.  That has to diminish the chances of Calipari landing the teenage phenom, but Kentucky is still one of the presumed "leaders" in his recruitment.

Another "problem" that Kentucky has is the amount of talent on the team. Wiggins would still play hefty minutes at Kentucky, but he would be sharing the rock more often. If he went to, say, Florida State, he would be the go-to guy on every single possession.

Is that what Wiggins wants? He's NBA bound either way, but he has a chance to be a part of something special at the University of Kentucky.