Kansas vs. Kentucky: The Self-Calipari recruiting battles
Any time blue bloods like Kansas and Kentucky meet like they will on Saturday night in Lexington, much is at stake. Tradition, bragging rights and, of course, future recruiting are always in play.
Bill Self and John Calipari have developed one of the best rivalries in all of college hoops over the years. They’ve taken turns beating each other to win their national titles, and they’ve regularly matched up on the recruiting trail and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
In anticipation of Saturday night’s game, we take a look at the five most memorable recruiting battles between Self and Calipari and preview another that could be brewing in the class of 2018.
The battle: For much of Wiggins' recruitment, the general thought was that it would likely end up a battle between Kentucky and Florida State. North Carolina was also involved, and Wiggins took the majority of his visits at the tail end of his senior season. When he finally announced in May of his senior year, his pick of Kansas came as a bit of a surprise.
The result: For the most part, Wiggins lived up to his billing as the top prospect in America during his one season in Lawrence, where he averaged 17.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. He went on to be the top pick in the NBA Draft, was Rookie of the Year in 2015 and is currently averaging 22 points and 4.3 rebounds a night for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The battle: One of the more chaotic recruitments of the past 10 years was Xavier Henry’s. His father, Carl Henry, Sr., played at Kansas, and in the spring of 2005 Henry’s older brother, C.J., committed to the Jayhawks. However, C.J. ended up as a first round pick in the Major League Baseball Draft and after a few years in the minors committed to play hoops for John Calipari at Memphis. After considering Kansas and Memphis, Xavier chose to join his older brother. However, when Calipari left for Kentucky in the spring of 2009, both Henry brothers eventually ended up at Kansas.
The result: Kentucky ended up just fine in the class of 2009 landing John Wall, Demarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe, among others. Henry had a solid freshman season at Kansas, averaging over 13 points a game, and after his lone season in Lawrence he was drafted 12th overall by Memphis. He played just under 200 NBA games and is currently out of the league.
The battle: Texas was a major factor in the Randle recruitment and he also took visits to Florida and N.C. State, but for the most part it was a knockdown dragout between the Jayhawks and Wildcats. Many thought he would pick Kansas because they received his final official visit, but he chose Kentucky. "It's where my heart was all along," he said at the time.
The result: The No. 2 player in his class, Randle was the centerpiece of a Kentucky class that featured six McDonald’s All-Americans. The Wildcats struggled some during the 2013-14 season but made it all the way to the national championship game where they lost to Connecticut. Randle had 24 double-doubles before getting drafted No. 7 overall by the Lakers. He’s still in Los Angeles, averaging 13 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.
The battle: Others, including Iowa State, Pittsburgh and St. John’s took their cracks, but for most of Diallo’s recruitment it was Kansas and Kentucky that were out in front. A native of Mali, Diallo tore up the senior all-american game circuit and picked the Jayhawks in late April of his senior season, citing their development of big men as the chief reason for picking them.
The result: As it turned out, Kansas didn’t get anything near the type of production that is generally expected from a top-five player during Diallo’s only season in Lawrence. To be sure, issues with the NCAA played a part in Diallo’s less-than-impressive season, as he was held out of summer and fall workouts and suspended for his first five games. But once eligible, he looked raw and out of sorts while averaging three points and 2.5 rebounds in under eight minutes per game. Still, Diallo was able to get himself drafted 33rd overall by New Orleans and has appeared in nine games during his rookie season.
The battle: Jones' recruitment was another wild one. Nearing his final decision, speculation had Jones landing at either Kentucky or Washington – where his highly regarded high school teammate Terrance Ross had committed. However, Kansas picked up momentum thanks to an official visit the week before Jones announced. At his late April announcement, Jones picked Washington. However, he never signed and flipped his commitment to sign with Kentucky in May.
The result: The only player on this list to spend two years in college, Jones averaged 15.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game as a freshman. His numbers took a bit of a dip as a sophomore playing alongside Anthony Davis, but Kentucky beat Kansas to win the national championship in that 2011-12 season. The 18th pick of the 2012 NBA Draft, Jones is currently averaging 11.3 points and six rebounds a night for New Orleans.
THE NEXT SELF-CALIPARI BATTLE WILL BE...
The possibilities: From the class of 2017, five-star point guard Trae Young still lists Kentucky along with Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech, and he’s been to both Lexington and Lawrence. However, Kentucky looks to have faded since adding five-star Quade Green and four-star Shai Alexander. Young’s choice is currently expected to come down to Kansas and Oklahoma. So that next Calipari vs. Self battle is going to need to come from the class of 2018.
There are still plenty of twists and turns left to come from the current junior class, but at this early juncture, it is the recruitment of Romeo Langford that looks to have the best chance of developing into that battle between the longtime foes. Both Kentucky and Kansas have offered, and the explosive 6-foot-5 scorer from Indiana saw both campuses during the fall. Louisville, Duke and Indiana are among the others that will make his recruitment interesting.