Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Highly-regarded point guard Josh Perkins has eliminated Kentucky from his list of perspective schools.
The 6-foot-2 prospect dwindled his list down to UCLA, Gonzaga and Minnesota on Wednesday. Both Perkins and John Calipari had mutual interest in him playing ball in Lexington. Kentucky never officially offered Perkins, and he was mainly being recruited as a backup option.
Related: 5 Reasons Why Kentucky Is Not Going Undefeated in 2013-14
Calipari has already offered three point guards in the 2014 class in Emmanuel Mudiay, Tyus Jones and Tyler Ulis. Perkins also deleted UConn and Southern Cal from consideration despite receiving offers.
UCLA has made some news recently with Calipari tweeting about a possible home-and-home series with the Bruins starting next year. Gonzaga will receive former Kentucky player Kyle Wiltjer due to a transfer. Wiltjer will have to sit out next season due to NCAA transfer rules.
Minnesota’s new coach is the son of former Kentucky head coach Rick Pitino. The younger Pitino replaced former Kentucky coach Tubby Smith when he was fired from the school on March 26.
Perkins has been recruited by Calipari and the Kentucky staff all summer long, but he does not intend to wait any longer for the coveted offer. Most high profile recruits wait until the spring signing period to make their college decisions, and Perkins is making his decision very early in the process.
He is making the decision way too early and costing himself an opportunity to play at Kentucky. If he would wait to make his decision after Ulis, Mudiay or Jones, he could receive an offer. If two of those players commit to Kentucky, Perkins would have been stuck making a decision on another school.
I still don’t understand why he wants to be so firm on that Aug. 24 decision date, but he is making the best decision for his future. I would think he’d have a decent chance to land the offer if Jones goes to Duke and Ulis picks Michigan State. Mudiay seems to be a Kentucky lean, and Perkins could back him up.
He could have been a multiple year guy at Kentucky, but I can’t blame him for not taking the risk. Kentucky will be fine without Josh Perkins, and vice-versa.
Brian Lewis is an SEC Basketball Writer for www.RantSports.com. You can add him to your network on Google for more of his work.
