Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Newly minted No.1 rated point guard Emmanuel Mudiay turned down a scholarship offer from Kentucky to play for Larry Brown and Southern Methodist University. The schools cannot compare in tradition, but location can be huge in the world of recruiting. Kentucky head coach John Calipari has been bitten a few times in recruiting due to schools closer to home. C.J. Leslie was a high school teammate of former Kentucky guard John Wall, but elected to stay close to home and attend North Carolina State. Now that Mudiay has elected to stay in Dallas, the door is open for more top Texas talent to come through. That can be really bad news for Kentucky.
Kentucky coach John Calipari has made a living recruiting in the state of Texas. His incoming point guard, shooting guard and power forward are all from the Lone Star State. For him to miss on a top recruit is big news. For him to miss on a Texas recruit is almost unheard of. Mudiay’s commitment to Southern Methodist may have opened the floodgates for other top talent to join him in Dallas. Center prospect Myles Turner is a Kentucky target, and has been in talks with Mudiay. The Texas duo has considered teaming up and becoming a packaged deal. If this holds true, Calipari will miss on yet another coveted recruit.
Kentucky is now actively having to search for their next great point guard. Mudiay was always rumored to be a Kentucky lean and being the next great Calipari point guard. Southern Methodist has not been to the NCAA Tournament since Mudiay was born. Kentucky just won a national championship in 2012. SMU has great facilities, they’re right in the heart of Dallas, and they have the power of Larry Brown. While he may be turning 73 years old soon, he has enough left in the tank to become a thorn in the side of John Calipari. The Mustangs will be better under Brown and competing in the American Athletic Conference. With Mudiay staying home, will he bring another UK recruiting target with him?
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.
