By CHIP MILLER & ADAM ZAGORIA
Carlton Bragg enjoyed his unofficial visit to Kentucky for Big Blue Madness and is still considering a potential package with fellow 2015 studs Jaylen Brown and Brandon Ingram.
“Still talking about it [with] Brandon Ingram and Jaylen Brown,” Bragg told SNY.tv Saturday.
As first reported by SNY.tv, the trio had a similar conversation last week on their trips to Kansas.
The 6-foot-8 Bragg from Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph is down to Kentucky, Kansas, UCLA and Illinois. He visits UCLA Oct. 31 and plans to visit Illinois at some point, but has no date set.
As for his experience at Kentucky, Bragg said, “It was great. I was blown away. I mean, it was crazy.”
Michael Graves, Bragg’s mentor, made the trip with Bragg and said the highlight may have been when the recruits all walked out onto the floor on Friday night.
“When we walked on the court, all the recruits and the families, when we walked to our seats we got a standing ovation from the crowd and that really set the tone for the event,” Graves said. “We had been sitting outside for about an hour and they were getting a little antsy but once you start walking out on the floor and you could hear the crowd and they showed us on the big screen, that was a really, really special moment.”
Graves was also impressed how each recruit got some attention from Calipari and the staff.
“It was a really good experience,” Graves said. “They had like six or seven recruits on campus and they were shuffling them in and out and everybody got their own special attention that they needed and the parents were really impressed on how things were running so smooth to have four or five top 25 guys on campus. And Charles Matthews was there and he committed but his mother was networking and telling us things that worked out for them.”
Bragg and Graves also spoke to the parents of several Kentucky freshman to gauge their experience.
“Some of the current players families were there,” Graves said. “Karl-Anthony Towns’s dad was there and he was telling us how impressed he was with Karl’s body. When he got there, he had so much percent body fat but now he’s down to like 6 or 7 percent and he’s looking good. Trey Lyles, he’s looking good. When we played him last year he was a little tubby but he’s lean and fit now. They do a really good job developing those guys’ bodies. The one thing they stress is getting the right amount of sleep, between eight and nine hours a day. That translates on the court when you’re playing against a really good team. That one thing can make the difference in winning or losing a game, so it was really good.”
They were also impressed with the Kentucky practice on Saturday.
“When [Calipari] needed to get a point across, he got it across, but he really let those guys play,” Graves said. “He stopped practice like five different times for teachable moments out there. One time Devin Booker wasn’t sprinting to the corner because they were trying to show them how to push the break, get the rebound and pushing it. Cal wanted him to sprint to the corner and he was kind of jogging a little bit so Cal blew the whistle and stopped practice and told him to sprint down to the corner, that way it can open it up for Willie Cauley-Stein or Trey Lyles to post up. It’s not like he got on him but he was teaching the kids. That’s what you want, you want someone who is going to chastise them when they need it but really teach the kids how to be prepared for the game.”
Bragg also got some one-on-one time with Calipari Friday and Saturday.
“Cal to Carlton, [his message was] keep doing what you’re doing,” Graves said. “Stay working out, stay in the books. Expects to hear big things from him this year. He’s (Cal) going to try and get out there in the next few weeks and check Carlton out. I know our first practice is Nov 2, I think they (UK) have a game on the 9th, but he’s going to try to get out and check him out one or two more times. But just hit the books, keep working hard, prepare yourself for the upcoming season and everything will work itself out.
“He was real upbeat, he thanked us for coming down on an unofficial visit. It took a lot of effort on our part to get down there, but he thanked us and coach Kenny thanked us and told us they will be in contact.”
What about the Drake appearance, will that impact Bragg’s decision?
“It was a cool thing to happen,” Graves said. “I don’t think Drake has any influence on Carlton or any of the recruits. But it was good to have him there, to see a rapper or an entertainer there, it was cool to have him there. I know all the parents were excited and all the fans were excited, but it was cool to have him there.”
Like many other elite 2015 players, Bragg plans to sign late.
