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When coach Gillispie was introduced as the head coach last season Kentucky had officially hired their third member of the Henry Iba tree. These coaches tend to play very physical man to man defense and put a strong emphasis on moving the ball on offense. Years of being tutored by some of the most knowledgeable men in the game and a head coaching job at a top tier university are among the things needed to succeed. However their is one thing that you can't teach, coach or instill that some men have.

As we all know recruiting relationships play a vital role in a teams success. It would make sense to assemble a staff with individuals who have a huge knowledge of the game. The nuances, fundamentals hard working, and forward thinking are probably among the credentials a head coach looks for in his assistants.

However, it seems that the Wildcats current regime have gone beyond the resume. Tracy Webster, who played for the University of Wisconsin Madison in the mid 90's. Webster is more often than not the coach laying the foundation with the most heralded players in each class. Darius Morris of the 2009 class is a prime example.

"He's a cool dude," Morris said. "When he first started recruiting me, he made a huge impact. He came on really strong."

Overall people skills and having a good ability to relate with young men is a huge cog in the proverbial recruiting engine. I am sure that other schools have coaches that are just as valuable for their rounded life, people skills and up bringing as their on the court savy.

Players that are blessed with the gift of gab are also a nice addition to the team. Dwight Perry may not contribute much on the court. but his ability to relate to other young men is second to none. This is stated clearly here.

On a side note Mfon Udofia has committed to Georgia Tech.

Submitted by contributing writer Brad King

Scouring the Kentucky blogs, news sites, message boards today, it's hard to imagine that just 15 months ago those very media outlets were not concerned with the recruitment of 8th grade stand-outs or the eligibility of DeAndre Liggins. In fact, a commitment from Patrick Patterson seemed to be a long shot, Florida point guard Jai Lucas was considered the future of Kentucky's back court, and Joakim Noah was public enemy No. 1 . In the midst of all this, one central question remained at the heart of every Kentucky fan. Should Tubby stay or should he go?

Any UK fan observing this phenomena knows full well the arguments that seemed to go in circles. Tubby can't recruit. Tubby can't win close games. Tubby is lazy. Tubby can't develop talent. Kentucky basketball is slipping. Tubby can't recruit blue chip talent. The list goes on forever.

In his first season, Billy Gillispie was forced to go in to battle with a talent lacking, injury ridden roster that struggled to learn the new coach's system through out the season. However, due to the maniacal recruiting habits of Gillispie, his recruiting philosophy compared to Tubby Smith's is quite evident.

The most glaring difference between the two coach's recruiting approach is that Tubby Smith had a conservative and stringent recruiting policy. Gillispie, on the other hand, leaves no stone unturned. Rest assured, if there is a player out there that is good enough to play for Kentucky and has any interest in Kentucky, Gillispie will find him. And what does age matter? If the kid is good, the kid is good.

Tubby Smith's biggest strength was also his biggest weakness at the University of Kentucky. Loyalty. Where as Gillispie is locking up commitments 4 years in the future, Tubby Smith more often than not was left battling for late spring recruits in an effort to fill the gaps on the roster after holding out on his top prospects. Lukasz Obrzut, Bobby Perry, Shaggari Alleyne, Jared Carter, and Rekalin Sims were all spring pick ups for Kentucky. Uncoincidentally, the players that comprised these teams also contributed to 2 of the worst seasons in Kentucky's illustrious history.

This begs the question is Gillispie a better recruiter?

There is no doubt that Gillispie's wide net strategy to recruiting reaps rewards. Blue chippers such as such as DeAndre Liggins and Dominique Ferguson have committed to Kentucky due to that very philosophy. However, where as Tubby Smith was left with subpar talent due to procrastination, Billy Gillispie has now acquired seemingly subpar talent due to over-anticipation.

Of Kentucky's 7 future commitments from 2009 – 2012, 2 players remained ranked in the Rivals 150. When asked about Dakotah Euton's performance at the Bob Gibbon's Tournament of Champions, Rivals.com Justin Young said, “At this point, I can't see him starting for Western Kentucky.” Needless to say, not a very glowing endorsement from a national recruiting analyst.

KC Ross Miller, a player once thought to be the top point guard in the 2010 class when he committed to Kentucky, remains unranked by Rivals and Scout. KC does have an upside, whether he reaches the potential that the staff believes he has is a different question.

Michael Avery is so young that few have seen him play, and most that have, are skeptical that he will have the talent to play at the D-1 level. Known as a shooter at this point, and not much else.

GJ Vilarino 2009, unranked by Rivals and Scout. Yet, Vilarino is a speedy guard that can dunk the ball, which could be beneficial in his career.

Vinnie Zollo, while standing at 6'7 and having a size 18 shoe, the talent of Zollo is very raw at this point as expected for a freshman in high school. But will Zollo develop past that?

The point in all this is not to downplay the significance of Kentucky's commitments, but it's quite possible that the type of players that has doomed Kentucky in the past with Tubby Smith, could quite possibly doom Kentucky in the future with Billy Gillispie.

At the very worst, Kentucky's future commitments are role players, and there is nothing wrong with role players. Every team needs role players. Yet, a team of role players is nothing but prey for a team of All-Americans. From 2009-2012, it is essential that the staff fills in the gaps with blue chip type players or UK basketball could very well end where it ended as Tubby Smith departed.

While players such as Jon Hood and Dominique Ferguson are surefire impact players at the next level, the verdict is very much still out on Billy Gillispie and his recruiting. To this point, only Patrick Patterson and Alex Legion are the Gillispie recruited players to don blue and white. Legion split and Patterson was an established Kentucky target before Gillispie ever arrived on campus. Hence, Gillispie's talent evaluation is really yet to be seen.

How do you guys feel about this? We would love to hear your thoughts and opinions below.

Buckner display of a more rounded game should have him moving up the 09' rankings. Buckner is a 6'8 PF and plays for Manassas Tigers in Memphis, TN. Buckner has played well on the summer circuit thus far and has showcased his more polished game. Buckner,is an extremely quick jumper and is superior athletically to most of his opponets. Buckner can handle the ball very well for a kid his size and has a solid arsenal of offensive tools at his disposal. Buckner is the captain of his team and does well as a leader.

In March of 08' Buckner led his Manassas squad to a huge win over an outgunned Jackson county squad. Buckner had 12 points but pulled down 16 rebounds in impressive fashion. The 6'8 Buckner set the tone for the game:

"Buckner's the difference because you can get by the other guys and he's there waiting on it." said Jackson County coach Gary Flynn

"We shot the ball bad, but as I said earlier, I think their defense was a lot of that. That's the best (Class) A team we've seen all year."

The 51-33 final marked the first time in 23 years that theTigers advanced in a state tounament game.

"It was a great win for the program," said Manassas coach Gerald Harris (above left)

In early June of 08', Buckner participated the Ole Miss recruit camp. This kid is receiving alot of high Major interest and various lists of possible destinations have been produced by Buckner. UTEP, Ole Miss, Memphis, Missouri and Tennessee are believed to be the strongest possible destinations. The Cat's have showed interest in the kid and Scout and Rivals both list UK as a team of interest. I think that his game would suit the roster well. Pairing the versatile Buckner and Ferguson would be a match-up nightmare for opposing coaches.

Wrong may not be the right word. The whirlwind of news coverage that transpired last year when the heralded guard was uncommitted was phenomenal.

Willie Warren is a Fort Worth, TX native and is one of the top prospects in the 2008 class. Warren has the ability to score from anywhere on the court and is also among the most athletic players in the nation. Warren had close ties to Coach Gillespie while the coach was at Texas A&M. When Gillespie left A&M for UK it was rumored that he told Warren:

Late last spring during an interview on KSR with Matt Jones, Warren seemed seemed like he was on the brink of committing to UK. Jones was also encouraged by the interview, later saying:

From that point on, things quickly deteriorated for the Wildcats’. First it was rumored that Warren committed to Baylor. Warren’s mother said that she would not allow her son to commit to Baylor, she promptly relieved her son of his cell phone privileges. Later in the Summer Jody Demling had this to say about Warren recruitment saga:

During all of this, we interviewed 2010 Wildcat commit and AAU team mate of Warren’s, K.C. Ross Miller and he told us:

“Willie ain’t coming, Willie wants to shine.”

In July of 07′ Rising Senior Willie Warren told the Lexington Herald-Leader that Kentucky has slid down his list of schools because of all the guards the Wildcats have received commitments from.

Had Warren committed to UK it would of been huge. Warren posted a ton of 30 point games last season at North Crowley. In January Warren scored 30, playing on a bad ankle. On February, 27 Warren led his squad to a win over Duncanville (TX), one of the best teams in the nation. Warren also posted 47 points on March 7 against Midland Lee.

In the end Warren committed to Oklahoma and it may be best for everyone. Willie seems happy and is close enough to home. Warren does seem to be eyeing the NBA and rightfully so. The Cat’s need some consistency and some time to develop chemistry. Warren is a good kid but is seemingly not interested in playing college ball for any substantial amount of time.

Two seasons at Gig Harbor High in Washington put Clarence Trent on the map as a top tier recruit. However, Trent was not much of a student. Instead of returning to Gig Harbor the Arkansas native wisely chose to attend Findlay Prep in Henderson Nevada.

Findlay Prep’s players attend classes at the Henderson International School, where tuition is about $16,000 per year. The school is for students grades 5 through 12. The school does however offer scholarships and the athletes are held to high academic standards. Findlay has a top notch gymnasium, great housing for athletes and a weight room that some colleges would like to have.The facilities are pictured above courtesy of this site . This past season Findlay was also the home of Deandre Liggins, Deivides Dulkys and 6′10 Brice Massamba, a UNLV commit . Findlay is the only Prep School in the nation with a Nike sponsorship. ( I wonder why Liggins is having trouble qualifying after attending Findlay?)

At the National Prep School Showcase in late 2007, the 6′8 Trent averaged 15.5 points and 12.5 rebounds. Those numbers are fairly respectable considering the talent that he was up against. The Showcase featured some of the nations top talent. Trent finally started taking advantage of his size, not settling for jump shots. He can attack the rim and is a much improved jump shooter, but he was starting to better utilize his post ability.

Finlay Prep in Reno, Nevada really helped to develop Trent into on a well polished player. After receiving superior coaching in the classroom and on the hardwood Trent has definitely developed into a confident well rounded young man. Trent’s AAU coach Bill Engram is encouraged by Trent’s recent maturation:

Trent has come a long way over the last 12 months. His Findlay Prep squad sported a 32-1 record this past season while playing alot of top notch competition. Trent’s numbers were respectable, 11.7 points 7.7 reabounds and had a field goal percentage over 60. Trent had the assignment of the other teams top offensive player, every game. He recently told Ryan Malashock about his responsibility’s:

Trent seems to be thriving and finally reaching his potential as a human being and a basketball player. Good for him. Trent’s list has included Kentucky for sometime, and Jody Demling has always said that he thought Trent would be a Wildcat. Trent is also fond of Arkansas, Florida, UNLV, Oklahoma and UCON. The ever-maturing Trent, is definitely worth keeping an eye on.
“I’ve been making better decisions in all parts of my life,” Trent said. “The last three years, I just wasn’t doing what I should’ve been doing. I even flunked an English class. So, me going to prep school was the best thing for me. It’s hard knowing I should be ahead of where I am with school, but it’s actually helped because prep ball has tested me in so many ways.”

There are a couple of Trent video’s in the recruiting central player to the right, if you would like to check them out. Trent does a legitimate free throw line dunk in the dunk contest video.
On a side note Charles Garcia, a 6′10 220 pound JUCO kid, committed to Lorenzo Romar’s Washington Huskies a couple of days ago. Garcia said that he would sign in November and be available in the 09′-10′ season. Smith said that UK had been in contact, here is the article