A look at our current roster shows

[Levi]

That there will be 7 sophmores this year. That includes Dwight Perry who I think is a walk-on and I don't know about Coury. Sooo how many spots does that leave to recruit to with the four new faces this year? By my count that is nine/ten players on the team after the seniors graduate this upcoming year for two years minimum.

[Will Lavender]

You get 13 scholarships.

We'll have three scholarships available for '08, assuming nobody leaves, nobody moves to academic scholarship, or Gillispie doesn't give our one available scholarship to an '07 recruit.

We'll have zero available '09 if nothing changes. GJ Villarino will take that scholarship.

We'll have four available for '10. Dakota Euton will take one of the scholarships, and Coury, Krebs, and Perry are all walk-ons.

Again, this is all assuming nobody leaves to free up a scholarship for the next three years, but that's not going to happen.

[RP_McMurphy]

The previous coach left Kentucky very, very unbalanced in it's class structure. This should never happen as you should have 3-4 rides a year to give.

[DCWildcat]

Class imbalance isn't necessarily such a bad thing. Take a look at UNC's class history, six players signed in 2006 that got them to an Elite 8 and a #2 preseason ranking. Monster recruiting teams very often sign large classes--Texas had 7 in 2006, UConn had 8 that year, Hell Gillispie's A&M team had 8 too. UL's team next year is going to be lead by a whopping 9 recruit class. Calipari signed 6 in 2005. That's most of the best recruiters in the business, and they have all signed unbalanced classes in the last 2 years alone. Even Bobby Knight got in on it with 6.

Regardless, our current unbalanced class wasn't do so much to Tubby not getting players (he signed them more evenly than everyone listed above), it was retention. Our assymetry right now is due mostly to the most exodus following the 2005-2006 season.

In a sport like college basketball, where it's better to have 1 final four appearance than two consecutive elite 8's, it may be advantageous to be unbalanced. Better to maximize your shot one year than dilute it with more balance over several. Notice how most of the past year's champions have had their success due largely to one class. The past two year's it's been Florida's jr class, UNC before them was built around a big jr class as well.

[lribookend]

Class imbalance isn't necessarily such a bad thing.

In a sport like college basketball, where it's better to have 1 final four appearance than two consecutive elite 8's, it may be advantageous to be unbalanced. Better to maximize your shot one year than dilute it with more balance over several. Notice how most of the past year's champions have had their success due largely to one class. The past two year's it's been Florida's jr class, UNC before them was built around a big jr class as well.

Excellent point :thumbup:. I agree, retention is usually the problem more often than recruiting. Most coaches do not leave very many unused scholarships in any given year. But players get injured (sometimes ending their career or resulting in a medical redshirt year), fail academically, transfer to other schools, or jump to the NBA, leading to unbalanced rosters. Although I don't want anyone to transfer, it seems to be pretty normal for 1 or 2 freshmen or sophomores to transfer when there is a coaching change, for whatever reasons. Since we have a huge sophomore class, and a decent size incoming freshmen class (especially if we use the last scholarship), odds are pretty good that one or two may leave in the next year. Incoming freshmen who were recruited by the previous coach are more susceptible to transfer, I would think, than his own incoming recruits. Sophomores still have a couple years of eligibility left. It isn't likely we will lose any of the upperclassmen, but we really don't have many to begin with. Time will tell.

[Levi]

So by reading the responses I guess that if in fact Leonard Washington does make the grade and is here this fall we will have only two spots available for 09 the year all the great recruits are interested in us.

The second pont which is what all this is leading up to is the argument for a big recruiting class may be valid but it seems that BG will be ushering a big class through which he did not recruit. A lot of really good players may not fit on the bus when all is said and done. Any thoughts on that?

[RCS]

You get 13 scholarships.

We'll have three scholarships available for '08, assuming nobody leaves, nobody moves to academic scholarship, or Gillispie doesn't give our one available scholarship to an '07 recruit.

We'll have zero available '09 if nothing changes. GJ Villarino will take that scholarship.

We'll have four available for '10. Dakota Euton will take one of the scholarships, and Coury, Krebs, and Perry are all walk-ons.

Again, this is all assuming nobody leaves to free up a scholarship for the next three years, but that's not going to happen.

Your numbers are a little off. We have 6 scholarship Sophmores: Harris, Carter(RS), Meeks, Jasper, Stevenson & Porter. 4 FR,2 SRs & 1 open. So in 2008 we will have the 2 SR plus 1 open. In 2009, 0 unless we save 1 or someone leaves. In 2010 we will have a potentially program altering 6 person class as things stand today. Add in that two of our walk ons are also in the SO class and the SR day for that class is going to be huge.

Big classes are not a problem necesarilly, but our problem is a concentraction in youth. If we sign another player for 2007 we will have 11 FR and SO on the team. That will be one of if the not the youngest team in the country. If you have 5 FR and 6 JRs it is less of a big deal, but them all being in the bottom two classes hurts you. At least they got rid of the really stupid 5/8 rule that would have killed us in 2010/2011.

[Will Lavender]

Your numbers are a little off. We have 6 scholarship Sophmores: Harris, Carter(RS), Meeks, Jasper, Stevenson & Porter. 4 FR,2 SRs & 1 open. So in 2008 we will have the 2 SR plus 1 open. In 2009, 0 unless we save 1 or someone leaves. In 2010 we will have a potentially program altering 6 person class as things stand today. Add in that two of our walk ons are also in the SO class and the SR day for that class is going to be huge.

I'm not counting Jared Carter as a sophomore because he hasn't been classified as a sophomore yet by the NCAA.

And Euton will take one of those '10 scholarships.

So, using that math, we'll have four to give.

[Will Lavender]

A lot of really good players may not fit on the bus when all is said and done. Any thoughts on that?

It might not matter.

If Gillispie can pull in a solid class for '08, which I think he will, then we're going to have some serious talent up and down the roster.

Tubby and Billy G. have landed two very good classes in a row. Meeks, Jasper, Porter, Stevenson, Patterson, Legion, Stewart -- there are seven players who will contribute this coming season and the next season in MAJOR ways.

If you can get a class of Warren, Zeller, and Miller (for example) for '08, then you've got ten players who will be contributing by the 2008-2009 season. (Assuming no one goes pro or leaves the program.)

That's Final Four quality talent.

[charms]

It might not matter.

If Gillispie can pull in a solid class for '08, which I think he will, then we're going to have some serious talent up and down the roster.

Tubby and Billy G. have landed two very good classes in a row. Meeks, Jasper, Porter, Stevenson, Patterson, Legion, Stewart -- there are seven players who will contribute this coming season and the next season in MAJOR ways.

If you can get a class of Warren, Zeller, and Miller (for example) for '08, then you've got ten players who will be contributing by the 2008-2009 season. (Assuming no one goes pro or leaves the program.)

That's Final Four quality talent.

I agree with you, well put.;)

[poodoo]

It might not matter.

If Gillispie can pull in a solid class for '08, which I think he will, then we're going to have some serious talent up and down the roster.

Tubby and Billy G. have landed two very good classes in a row. Meeks, Jasper, Porter, Stevenson, Patterson, Legion, Stewart -- there are seven players who will contribute this coming season and the next season in MAJOR ways.

If you can get a class of Warren, Zeller, and Miller (for example) for '08, then you've got ten players who will be contributing by the 2008-2009 season. (Assuming no one goes pro or leaves the program.)

That's Final Four quality talent.

Excellently said, Will. Too, I like reading those words "Final Four quality talent." :big_grin: May it happen! GO CATS! GO BILLY G!