Meyers Mailbag: What is Knight waiting on
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Is Brandon Knight waiting to see whether the Kentucky guards go pro after this season?
What type of player is 2011 four-star Tyler Adams?
Where will Turkish import Enes Kanter end up in the Rivals150?
These questions and more are addressed by National Recruiting Analyst Jerry Meyer in this week's mailbag.
Waiting on Wall?
Would it be safe to say that Brandon Knight is waiting to see if John Wall leaves before he decides on Kentucky?
- Terrance from Braselton
I don't think there is any way Wall - or DeMarcus Cousins for that matter - returns to Kentucky for another season. The more pertinent question is whether Knight is waiting to see if Eric Bledsoe returns for his sophomore season.
No available high-profile point guard is claiming that returning rosters will play a role in his recruitment. In Knight's situation, I don't think he is concerned about returning rosters. For Knight, a comfort level with the coaching staff and his teammates seem to be the main criteria.
Knight is fully capable of playing different roles. He can control the ball as a point guard either as a scorer or distributor. He can also play off the ball as a primary scorer. In college he wants to do a little bit of everything. Based on the success of Wall and Bledsoe playing together, I don't think Bledsoe returning is a deterrent to Knight possibly choosing Kentucky.
Nonetheless, chances are quite good that Bledsoe heads for the NBA anyway.
Pure center
Is Tyler Adams a pure center, or can he give spot minutes at the four position as well? Who would you compare him to in college basketball, either in the past or present?
- John from Mount Vernon
You don't hear the term "pure center" as much as you used to, but it fits Adams. He is a healthy 6 feet 8, if not a little taller, and 260 pounds. He is comfortable with his back to the basket and doesn't spend much time straying from his comfort zone. Adams realizes that his strength is playing on the block and using his physical presence to impact games.
He has the potential on defense to be similar to DeMarcus Cousins. Adams is not a great vertical athlete, but he controls horizontal space. Outmuscling opponents for position and making them score over him is much more his forte, rather than trying to block shots.
For an offensive comparison, let's go with a right handed Rick Jackson of Syracuse. Adams might not be quite as mobile, but he is a little bit stronger than Jackson. Their skill sets are quite similar.
Two-team race?
Where do you think Moses Abraham ends up?
- Dalton from Indiana
At one point it looked like Abraham was a lock for Georgetown. Last Sunday he was supposed to announce his pick, but his mentor from Nigeria was unable to get to the United States until a couple days later. Abraham did not want to make a decision without his guidance.
Indiana coach Tom Crean took advantage of the delay and met with Abraham and his Nigerian mentor once he did arrive in the States. The meeting went well enough for Abraham to schedule a Tuesday visit Indiana.
At this point it looks like a two-team race between the Hoyas and Hoosiers for the 6-foot-9, 237-pound power forward.
Close call
With the acquisition of Carrick Felix to the 2010 recruiting class for the Blue Devils, does it change their team recruiting ranking? How do you think he will fit in next year, and what kind of career do you see him having as a Blue Devil?
- Hyde from Portland
Adding Felix, an athletic 6-foot-5 swing man out of the junior college ranks, might push Duke's class up one spot to No. 6 and ahead of Michigan State. But that isn't necessarily a certainty; it is a very tough call between the Duke and Michigan State classes.
Felix's versatility and athleticism should secure him a role as a multi-positional defensive stopper for the Blue Devils. Offensively he will make some plays as a slasher, but I don't foresee him being a big offensive producer.
Kanter's ranking
Where would Enes Kanter be ranked in the Rivals150 if he were included in the 2010 rankings?
- Mike from New Jersey
Kanter, a 6-foot-9, 240-pound power forward, came to the United States from Turkey this fall. He was one of the top junior players in the country and has been tearing it up in the United States for Merced (Calif.) Stone Ridge Prep.
He isn't in the Rivals150 because we became aware of him after the post summer rankings. We will, however, rank him in our final spring rankings for the class of 2010.
Kanter is slated to play for the World Team in the Nike Hoop Summit Game this April, so we will be able to eyeball him then. Also, word from a trusted cohort in California is that Kanter is a slightly bigger version of Tyler Hansbrough with a little more perimeter game.
My guess is that Kanter will end up somewhere in the top 25, but his ranking will primarily hinge on what we see during the week of the Nike Hoop Summit.
Jerry Meyer is a national basketball recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. Click here to send him a question or comment for his mailbag.
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