Kentucky Basketball: What to expect from the 2017 recruiting class

So what?

For some of the remarkable players in this 2017 recruiting class, their first seasons in the NCAA are going to be as frustrating as it was for me to write this article and attempt to predict who will shine and who will sit.

And that’s nothing compared to how frustrating it is going to be for Coach Calipari to decide who to play.

The sad, and simple truth is that any one of these athletes would become the first or second scoring options at the majority of Division I programs. By all converging on Kentucky, they have created a talent bottle-necking the likes of which has not been seen in athletics — whether professional or collegiate.

Kentucky hasn’t seen a noteworthy number of players elect to transfer from the program in recent years, but don’t be surprised if that soon changes. After the conclusion of last season, the overly-talent rich Duke Blue Devils lost high-level recruits Chase Jeter and Sean Obi and reportedly almost lost five-star center Marques Bolden. With so many options for Coach K to choose from, it was impossible for him not to neglect several players with high potential.

It looks like the same thing is about to happen to Coach Calipari at Kentucky. Take a look at Isaiah Briscoe — the former five-star Point Guard out of New Jersey came to Kentucky expecting to run the offense for a year before venturing into the NBA. In his first season, he was forced out of his preferred position in favor of Tyler Ulis and Jamal Murray. In the next season he remained in a supportive role, this time to De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk. Now, Briscoe is struggling to land a spot on an NBA roster while Ulis and Murray are enjoying professional careers and Fox and Monk are sure to join them next season.

When asked about his former school at the NBA Draft Combine, Briscoe replied: “All the Kentucky questions, I don’t play for Kentucky no more!” He continued, saying “Obviously, I wasn’t playing point guard in college, but it is what it is. College is over with.” His reaction is probably not unfounded among other Kentucky players who, despite having promising careers coming out of high school, were looked over in favor of other recruits, such as Isaac Humphries, Mychal Mulder, and Dominique Hawkins, to name a few.

Love him or hate him, at least John Calipari is true to his word. He does not care about the glitz and glamour, and he does not care about what others think of him. His only identifiable goal as Kentucky’s coach is to get the most players in the NBA as he believes is humanly possible. It’s why he has permanently shifted the culture of NCAA basketball recruiting, and it’s why he has decided to bring in the largest, most talented recruiting class in the nation despite already having five-star talent on the roster.

Next: What to expect from Duke's 2017 recruiting class

On some level, it’s impossible to predict who will and won’t have the careers they are striving for at Kentucky and beyond. All we can say for certain is that every single one of these kids has what it takes to make it to the next level if they are given the opportunity to succeed. The ball is in Coach Cal’s court now.