NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — John Calipari has had the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation four years running.
But if everything falls into place, Calipari could potentially outdo himself in 2013.
Just ask Julius Randle.
“I think it could be the best class they’ve ever had,” the 6-foot-9 Randle out of Plano (Texas) Prestonwood Academy said when asked about a potential 2013 class that includes himself, the Harrison Twins, James Young and others.
Randle made the comment after going for 13 points and 9 rebounds in Team Texas Titans’ 57-49 win over BABC Thursday night at the Peach Jam. Earlier in the day, he went for 34 and 16 in an 81-72 win over Wisconsin Playground.
Randle still hasn’t finalized any kind of list but previously said he would like to visit Kentucky and Ohio State, among others.
“Kentucky says it all,” Randle said. “Coach Cal gets the job done. He’s a great coach, he’s a players’ coach and he’s a great person. Kentucky’s a great school. You see what they’ve done the last three years and what he’s done the last couple years in the draft so that says it all.”
Calipari was at the Peach Jam earlier Thursday to watch Randle, Young and Andrew Wiggins, before taking off for Milwaukee in the afternoon to see the Harrisons, Jordan Mickey, D’Angelo Russell and others.
Randle has also mentioned Duke, Kansas, North Carolina, N.C. State, Baylor and Texas.
Asked specifically about Texas, he said: “Texas, of course, they’ve been recruiting me since 8th, 9th grade year so they’re always going to be on the list.”
Still, he said has no official list as of now, and hasn’t given one out to any reporters.
“No man, that wasn’t the list,” he said of a recent ESPN list of schools. “I don’t know what that was. That wasn’t the list . I was just naming schools.”
Last month, Randle averaged 14.2 points and 6.6 rebounds to help led the U.S. U18 team to a gold medal at the FIBA Americas Championship in Brazil.
“Oh man, that was an honor,” Randle said. “It was an honor just to represent my country. It was good for me. It matured me a lot. I became better as a player, as a person, and I couldn’t ask for a better experience than that.”
Photo: USA Basketball
