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Patrick Patterson

Attempting to guesstimate what Coach Calipari will choose to do with his starting lineup in November can be just that…guessing, but I’ll give it a shot and feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments of the article! First, all Kentucky fans now know that star shooting guard,

Jodie Meeks has declared for the 2009 NBA draft. We predicted that he would likely go in the first round prior to today in the College Hoops Video 2009 NBA Mock draft, but his decision did surprise a number of fans. We also know that Coach John Calipari has landed one of the greatest NCAA basketball recruiting classes of all time with his 2009 recruiting class. So, now that Jodie Meeks will not be returning for the 2009-10 season, who are the favorites for the starting positions for the Wildcats heading into the summer pickup games?Jodie Meeks has declared for the 2009 NBA draft. We predicted that he would likely go in the first round prior to today in the College Hoops Video 2009 NBA Mock draft, but his decision did surprise a number of fans. We also know that Coach John Calipari has landed one of the greatest NCAA basketball recruiting classes of all time with his 2009 recruiting class. So, now that Jodie Meeks will not be returning for the 2009-10 season, who are the favorites for the starting positions for the Wildcats heading into the summer pickup games?

 

2009 Kentucky Wildcats Projected Starter – Point Guard

Most fans have anointed John Wall as the Kentucky Wildcat’s starting point guard for the 2009-10 season. With star point guard Eric Bledsoe also coming in to the Wildcat’s program, there’s going to be some competition for the starting role. Coach Cal likely will have John Wall starting as the Wildcat’s point guard.

2009 Kentucky Wildcats Projected Starter – Power Forward

This one is a no-brainer, Patrick Patterson. We’re going to see him playing out on the wing in the dribble drive more often than he did last season which will help him work on his ball handling and skills away from the basket in preparation for the 2010 NBA draft.

2009 Kentucky Wildcats Projected Starter – Center

I expect that we’re going to see Demarcus Cousins and Daniel Orton battling it out for the starting role in the paint. Based off of assessed performance at the high school and AAU league play, Cousins has the nod heading in to the summer, however, the starting role in the paint is not going to be a gift. Depending on who ultimately wins the starting role, we could likely see the other player trade-off between the PF and Center position depending on how Coach Cal tweaks the offense to match the talent on next season’s team.

2009 Kentucky Wildcats Projected Starter – Small Forward

This is a tough call. In my mind Darnell Dodson and Deandre Liggins are the leading two candidates for the position. Dodson gets the nod based on his experience and track record playing last season at Miami Dade Community College. Liggins is mentioned across the Internet as being seen as a Wing Player under Coach Cal vice the point guard role that he found himself thrust into last season at times. We could see Liggins play a “Point Forward” role when he’s in the game on the wing as well.

2009 Kentucky Wildcats Projected Starter – Shooting Guard

If you read 10 articles on the 2009-10 Kentucky Basketball roster, you’ll likely see 10 different choices picked for the shooting guard role for next season now that Jodie Meeks is remaining in the 2009 NBA draft. My pick is Darius Miller. He showed a lot of promise last season, and with a year under his belt and a coach that lets you make mistakes, he may just surprise folks next year. Jon Hood, Eric Bledsoe, and DeAndre Liggins all get mentioned when looking at the 2 guard spot for next season, and Coach Calipari is on record for saying he’d like to have Wall and Bledsoe on the court at the same time, so we may just have to wait and see how he tailors the line-up for next season.

Projected 2009-10 Kentucky Wildcats Starting Line-Up:

PG: John Wall

SG: Darius Miller

SF: Darnell Dodson

PF: Patrick Patterson

C: DeMarcus Cousins
Haven’t seen John Wall play? Here’s a video of him in action from High School.

Refs:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/150146-kentucky-basketball-recruitingroster-update-current-roster, http://www.courier-journal.com/blogs/dawson/2009/06/meeks-stays-in-draft-surprised.html, http://www.courier-journal.com/blogs/dawson/2009/06/meeks-stays-in-draft-surprised.html, http://www.collegehoopsvideo.com/2009/06/2009-kentucky-basketball-recruiting-demarcus-cousins/, http://www.collegehoopsvideo.com/2009/06/2009-kentucky-recruiting-darnell-dodson/,

Kentucky Signee Darnell Dodson

Many Kentucky Wildcats fans are still unfamiliar with who exactly Darnell Dodson is, and how he has come to be a Kentucky Wildcat. Well, Dodson originally signed with Pitt out of high school in the class of 2007, but then was informed by the NCAA that he was not academically eligible to play for Pitt. He then left and enrolled at Miami Dade Junior College so he could come back to Pitt in 2009. Then, he was informed that the Big East has a rule that prohibits non-qualifying players out of high school who have enrolled at a conference school from re-enrolling at any Big East school after attending a two year junior college. Pitt then released Darnell Dodson from his LOI so he could join Coach Cal at Memphis. Dodson then shifted his commitment to Kentucky when Coach Cal moved north which was likely influenced by now, Kentucky assistant coach, Orlando Antigua who originally helped recruit Dodson for Pitt.  Ok, complex enough for you? Now for Darnell Dodson’s basketball pedigree…

2009 Kentucky Wildcat Recruit- Darnell Dodson

Darnell Dodson is originally from Greenbelt, MD. Last season at Miami Dade Community College, he helped lead their basketball team to a Southern Conference championship and a 26-2 regular season record while playing the small forward position. Dodson who is 6′7″ averaged 15.7 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per contest. In high school, Dodson average 29.1 points per game his senior year and 18.0 points a game his junior year on his way to being ranked the 34^th best overall player in the 2007 recruiting class. During his high school career, Dodson scored a school record 1,262 points.

Darnell Dodson’s Skill-Set

Darnell Dodson is a slashing, quick and athletic player. He brings NBA size at 6′7″ and 215 lbs and can finish plays around the rim in traffic. Unlike other slashing players, Dodson also has a great three point shot with range extending out to 22 feet. In his year of junior college, Dodson has bulked up from when he left high school and is considered a great fit for Coach Calipari’s dribble-drive offense. He will have three years of eligibility remaining at Kentucky, but if he continues to progress under Coach Cal will likely turn pro before his final season at Kentucky.

Refs:

http://www.kentuckyink.com/index.php/free-basketball-recruiting/1114-dodson-the-newest-cat, http://www.kentucky.com/609/story/773620.html, http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=2&pr_key=44971, http://kentucky.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?sport=2&pr_key=78305, http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/recruiting/tracker/player?recruitId=72369&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncb%2frecruiting%2ftracker%2fplayer%3frecruitId%3d72369, http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07297/827978-175.stm,

Kentucky Coach John Calipari

Trying to determine the best NCAA basketball recruiting class of all time is similar to arguing about the best World Series team or top Super Bowl champion of all time. Every year’s top class has to be looked at in context against the remainder of the competition for that year. You just don’t know when the 4th or 5th best player in a class would have been the best player in a subsequent year. John Calipari, however, may have signed the single-best NCAA basketball recruiting class of all time this year at Kentucky. You just don’t see many teams landing four top 25 and five top 50 recruits in a given class, but Coach Cal has done just that making the Kentucky Wildcats one of the favorites for the 2009-10 NCAA title.

Top Five NCAA Basketball Recruiting Classes of All Time


#1 NCAA Basketball Recruiting Class of All Time – 2009 Kentucky Wildcats