John Calipari vs. Penny Hardaway is college basketball’s best new recruiting rivalry
Coach Cal has some new competition on the recruiting trail.
John Calipari never had a recruit decommit at Kentucky, a streak that spanned 10 recruiting cycles and 58 commitments. That changed on Monday when blue chip forward D.J. Jeffries decided to reopen his recruitment less than four months after giving a verbal commitment to the Wildcats.
After careful consideration prayer and countless hours of consulting with my family I decided to reopen recruitment it was a hard decision but I am confident that taking my time to choose the right school for me to better myself educationally and athletically is the right choice pic.twitter.com/Pqc4QlVqfd
— Djjeffries™ (@lildjj0) July 30, 2018
Jeffries was one of two commitments (along with five-star guard Tyrese Maxey) Kentucky had in the 2019 class. There’s some debate on exactly what caliber of prospect Jeffries is — ESPN has him ranked No. 19 in his class, while Rivals has him at No. 46 — but he’s widely recognized as one of the best wings in high school basketball and someone Kentucky definitely wanted to keep.
Jeffries’ father appeared on ESPN Radio in Memphis a day after the announcement. He had some things to say.
Jeffries’ dad said Kentucky was ‘kind of unprofessional’ about the decommitment
DJ Jeffries' father @CoreyJeffries10 on our show: "We talked with Kentucky (about the decision to de-commit), and it kinda shocked me. They were kinda unprofessional. They didn't handle the news the way I expected them to handle it, being professionals."
— John Martin (@JohnMartin929) July 31, 2018
Corey Jeffries says on the show that his son's idea of being a Kentucky basketball commitment did not match the reality.
— John Martin (@JohnMartin929) July 31, 2018
These are not things you typically hear about Kentucky. These are not things you typically hear about John “Players First” Calipari. But that’s not the only reason why Jeffries’ decision to reopen his recruitment is so interesting.
Mississippi State, Ole Miss, LSU and Georgia Tech have each already reached out, but one school is the heavy favorite to eventually land Jeffries. That’s Memphis.
Penny Hardaway is poised to pull in a huge class at Memphis
Jeffries grew up about 30 minutes from Memphis in Olive Branch, Mississippi. Last year, he played for Team Penny on Nike’s EYBL circuit, a grassroots program run by Penny Hardaway. He committed to Kentucky just before Hardaway got the head coaching job at Memphis. Calipari should have been nervous as soon as that happened.
More @CoreyJeffries10 on DJ Jeffries' decision: "(Penny being at Memphis) was a factor. It was a big factor. We have a bond with Penny already. It's not like we have to get re-acquainted with him."
— John Martin (@JohnMartin929) July 31, 2018
Team Penny was renamed the Bluff City Legends this season, and Jeffries was a core piece of the team. That squad featured one player who has already committed to Hardaway and Memphis in four-star center Malcolm Dandridge. There could be plenty more on the way.
James Wiseman the biggest fish in the recruiting pond
James Wiseman, a 6’11 center out of Memphis, is ranked as the No. 1 player in the class of 2019 by most services. Wiseman seemed destined for Kentucky ... until Penny got the Memphis job.
James Wiseman's mailman just called in on the show and said he's preaching the Memphis gospel to Wiseman's mom. The mailman.
— John Martin (@JohnMartin929) July 31, 2018
Wiseman recently cut his list to eight, but he wasn’t fooling anyone. Everyone knows this is Kentucky vs. Memphis, Penny Hardaway vs. John Calipari, for the top player in the class.
Wiseman knows Penny even better than Jeffries’ does. Wiseman played for Hardaway just months ago at East Memphis High School, where they won a state championship together. He was also a member of Team Penny and Bluff City Legends.
It’s not just that Memphis hired an NBA legend to run its program. They just happened to hire an NBA legend who already has incredibly close ties to so many of the top players in the country in the class of 2019.
If Penny can land Wiseman, it’s likely Memphis will have the top recruiting class in the country in Hardaway’s first year.
Penny isn’t stopping at Wiseman and Jeffries
Trendon Watford is a consensus five-star recruit and top-20 player in the class of 2019. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because his older brother Christian Watford played for Indiana earlier this decade. Watford’s college career is mostly remembered for hitting a buzzer-beater to defeat ... Kentucky:
Indiana wants Watford, and he seems to have something like a standing offer from Calipari. But Memphis is in tight, too.
Corey Jeffries says on the show he's very familiar with the other prospects Memphis is targeting. "I think he can fit in with any one of them. We know Trendon. He can play with Trendon. He can play with CJ Walker. It's not a problem."
— John Martin (@JohnMartin929) July 31, 2018
Watford’s older brother once played for a grassroots team sponsored by former NBA player Mike Miller. Mike Miller just happens to be Penny Hardaway’s lead assistant at Memphis.
Watford was playing with Wiseman and Chandler Lawson on the same grassroots team last weekend in Las Vegas. Lawson is another top-50 recruit from Memphis. You may remember that his older brothers Dedric and K.J. played for the Tigers before transferring to Kansas ahead of last season. Perhaps that means Chandler is ticketed for Lawrence, but the Tigers remain a threat for him, too.
There are other names to watch, too. C.J. Walker is a rising 6’8 forward who has been on fire lately and is sure to move up the national rankings soon. Memphis likes him. Memphis likes Jaykwon Walton, too, a four-star guard out of Alabama.
Hardaway is doing big things already on the recruiting trail. If he can beat out Calipari for some of his favorite targets, the Tigers will officially be a major player in the college hoops landscape once again.